Higher Education (HIED)

The Leadership, Communication & Outreach Ambassador course will provide students an opportunity to have a deeper and more impactful interaction with their department, school, college and university. The students will gain more in-depth knowledge of how their school works and all of the different ways students can interact with the educational community as well as industry. The students will become Penn State Behrend ambassadors to the K-12 community, parents, industry, faculty, fellow students and the community at large. This course will promote leadership within the ambassador program with all of their experiences and interactions within Penn State Behrend and with external audiences. Students will be taught the best way to communicate with different audiences and the messaging used. Outreach will include working with the K-12 leader and help with retention efforts with current students. Students need to meet a minimum GPA requirement and criteria to participate in the course and program.

An analysis of the various roles of the resident assistant, including interpersonal facilitator, disciplinarian, program developer, and activities facilitator.

Assisting new students and their parents and family members at New Student Orientation goes far beyond campus tours and providing directions. Today's mentors are charged with teaching new students about issues related to the classroom transition from high school to college, mental health, alcohol and drug use and abuse, sexual assault prevention, diversity and inclusion, and more. Beyond the subject matter knowledge required to facilitate these conversations, mentors must have confidence in their ability to speak publicly, think critically, and manage a group of students their age. The foundation of student development and transition theory provided in this course set the stage for both knowledge and skill acquisition in these areas. Once the foundation exists, students will hone their public speaking, critical thinking and multicultural competency skills. Through classroom discussions, personal reflection, and engaging faculty, staff, and advisers throughout the University, this course is designed to assist students in their journey to being a peer mentor. Students will explore their personal strengths, navigate personal bias in regards to the issues mentioned previously, and understand the role all of these play in a successful academic, social and personal transition to Penn State.

Creative projects, including research and design, that are supervised on an individual basis and that fall outside the scope of formal courses.

Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject that may be topical or of special interest.

Foundation of graduate study in the field of higher education. HI ED 490 Master's Professional Seminar (3) This course is an introduction to higher education as a field, and as an orientation to graduate study. Early sessions will provide a brief review of the history of higher education, an introduction to the Carnegie Classification scheme of colleges and universities, and an overview of the structure of public and private higher education. Students will participate in an orientation to the services of the library including internet sources and tools needed to develop research skills. Technical writing skills will be developed through direct instruction, practice writing assignments, and peer review workshops in service of completing a literature review on a topic of the student's choosing. Students will explore a variety of career options through guest lectures and individual projects in areas of potential interest. A final career exploration portfolio will demonstrate what the student has learned regarding career areas. Professional, interpersonal, and ethical skills will be developed through role playing and interviews with actual higher education practitioners. Written work will include an annotated bibliography, a literature review, and integrative analysis essays. In addition, students will explore various options appropriate for a capstone project for their master's degree: internships, academic papers, portfolios, etc. Readings will reflect current topics and issues.

Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject that may be topical or of special interest.