CSI Activities for Classroom Discussion and Reflection
Developing Individual Game Plans for Success
By Jane Bishop, Ph.D., Vice President of Enrollment Management Silver Lake College (WI)
- Identify two of your strengths from your student report.
- Identify two things you would like to improve upon based on your student report.
- List contact information regarding obtaining assistance with areas in which you would like to grow.
- List three strategies and how you plan to implement them, to make the first year at this college successful.
Guide for Individual and Group Interpretation
By Kevin J. Nutter, Ph.D., Coordinator, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership University of Arizona
Instructions: Review the CSI, reflect on your reaction to the scales, and discuss it in your small group. Choose a recorder/reporter for large group discussions.
- Which scales were the highest and why (VH or H)? Pick at least three that you can discuss in your small group.
- What patterns or themes do you see in your highest areas?
- Have you seen any changes in these areas since high school? Were some of these areas H or VH in high school, and now are challenging in college?
- Which scales were the lowest and why (L or VL)?
- What patterns or themes do you see in your lowest areas?
- Have you seen any changes in these areas since high school? Were some of these areas L or VL in high school, and are easier for you now?
- Which areas are the most important for your success and why? List your top three and why. Compare/contrast your top three areas with the other members of your small group.
- High school vs. college surprises: Have there been any classes this term that were strength areas in high school and are more difficult in college?
- What barriers have you identified this term that get in the way of your academic success? What helpful resources have you identified addressing these barriers?
Integration Worksheet for the CSI
By Kevin J. Nutter, Ph.D., Coordinator, Center for Student Involvement and Leadership University of Arizona
Based on your review of the profiles and our discussion(s), have there been any surprises, confirmations, clarifications, or new questions regarding yourself, your situation, or your goals?
- Any Surprises?
Confirmations? - Clarifications?
- New Questions?
Discoveries Worksheet
The Discovery
By Lee Rademacher, Ph.D.
Instructor, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Purdue University Calumet
The premise of a discovery is that a student’s thoughts and ideas are valuable. Value, however, only occurs when a thinker explores an issue or idea completely.
The discovery defined
A discovery is an examination of a thing, concept, or idea that results in an in-depth description. It demands that a student go beyond a surface explanation, thus, asking him/her to develop a substantive narrative that is written as accurately and clearly as possible.
The discovery process is a form of argumentation
Each discovery is basically a reasoned argument containing a thesis or proposition and a justification that supports that thesis or proposition. As well, a good discovery should have some depth: it should be, at a minimum, three to four sentences in length.
The discovery process allows the student to explore the CSI Report in detail: to look for comparative relationships among categories or to synthesize portions in a way that provides meaning. In other words, the student is asked to find any similarities or dissimilarities between the units of analysis or to find a relationship of some kind between one thing and another.
Through the process of “discovery,” the student learns to become a more independent thinker and becomes less reliant upon the authority-centered figure of the instructor for the “correct” answer to things.
You have a copy of the reports from the College Student Inventory you took during the first week of classes. Take the results home and examine them carefully. Consider what they mean to you as a student and as a person.
Your assignment is to find 10 discoveries about yourself from the reports of the College Student Inventory. Your portfolio should include three sections.
The first section should include:
A cover page with:
Your name
The date
A title (College Student Inventory)
The second section should include:
Your 10 discoveries (typed). Remember, these discoveries should have detail. Keep in mind that you need to explain your ideas clearly. Make the assumption that your reader will ask, “Why?” to everything you say.
The third section should include:
A write-up of the “Specific Recommendations” section of the inventory report. The “Specific
Recommendations” category is the report writer’s analysis of which areas seem most important to you to address for academic success. Remember that you, through your answers, provided the information upon which these recommendations are based. Choose those to write about that you see as most important for you to address immediately.
NOTE: A discovery should be more than a single statement. It should have detail and should be descriptive. For instance, if your results show that you have poor study habits, explain in your discovery why you believe you have poor study habits. Or for another example, if you disagree with a portion, explain why you disagree—in detail.