Making Their Own Way: Narratives for Transforming Higher Education to Promote Self-Development

'[This book] is strongly recommended reading for educators concerned with the holistic development of their students and higher education's role in fostering critical thinking, citizenship, and civic leadership.' -- Wisconsin Bookwatch '(This book) provides readers with long-awaited answers to critical questions regarding how college impacts students' lives. Through the use of an accomplished interview technique, the author provides us with an inside tour of the lives and minds of hundreds of college graduates. The longitudinal design allows us to comprehend more fully the lifelong impact of higher education. The strength of this work lies not in the stories themselves, however. Rather, the merit lies in the way the author weaves these stories into a highly usable and sensible framework for educational improvement. Her concrete suggestions help the reader transform insights gained from the interviews into current college curricular and co-curricular practices. Baxter Magolda also recognizes that a college education is more than the classroom experience. Although there is a strong focus on disciplinary education, her inclusion of chapters on work settings and co-curricular learning remind us of the holistic nature of higher education. Again, practical suggestions for using these additional learning opportunities to promote what the author calls 'self authorship' are extremely useful and thought provoking. This book will be immediately useful for anyone connected to the college experience. It also makes for interesting reading for anyone who attended college years ago and is interested in reflecting on his or her own 'self-authorship' since graduation.' -- AAHE Bulletin