It began as simply one part of a capstone course. Students were asked to demonstrate their ability to continue learning after college was over. Students could pick their own topic. Each week, they were asked to report on what they learned. They were also asked to reflect on that learning and describe what it meant to them at a personal level. There were no grades assigned to the reports. The only assessment was whether the student did the assignment each week.
What hadn’t been expected when the assignment was first devised was that it would become a predictor of self-actualization in graduates of the program. It was remarkable how this one assignment that was worth only 10% of a student’s grade in one course would become a better indicator of a student’s future than any other measure.
Self-actualization in this context was a graduate living up to their fullest potential. It reflected on a person’s life well beyond just their career success.
Students approached the assignment in several ways, from the topic they chose to the self-discipline they displayed over the semester and to their ability to reflect on what they learned as it applied to who they wanted to become.
There were those who chose learning that was focused on financial wealth. Others identified a specific skill they wanted to acquire. The third set was more concerned with discovering their purpose and what gave them meaning.
There were some who were very lax in doing the learning assignments. Since this was an assignment to assess a student’s ability to develop themselves, they weren’t given nagging reminders of work that needed to be done. Others did the assignments as required, but their responses were largely mediocre. It was clear that they were just “checking off a box”. And then there were those who used the assignments for deep thinking about their future.
As the professor in the course looked at the course enrollments over a span of 27 years, he began to see patterns in how graduates lived their lives and how they did the assignments. Those who lacked self-discipline had limited success in their careers. Many struggled in other parts of their lives as well. Those who had the discipline to do the work required, but with little enthusiasm for learning, had careers that plateaued. They seemed to just be going through life with little ambition for personal growth. Those who sought out their purpose and meaning had lives defined by personal growth. They weren’t necessarily the most prestigious graduates with respect to job titles, but their lives were rich in many other ways. All of them had been influential in developing others. Each had a life beyond their jobs. Those who were approaching the end of their professional careers had plans for second careers that would take them into their senior years living a life of fulfillment.
As the professor thought about the assignment, he began to wonder whether the assignment actually helped to develop self-actualization or did it simply reveal something that was already there. And he wondered about the human traits that supported self-actualization. He was amazed by how many of those who exhibited the greatest self-actualization skills had come to college with lower credentials.
Higher education is under scrutiny by nearly every segment of our society. There are those who want to hold higher education accountable. They want to set up metrics to measure the worth of a college degree. But how do you assess self-actualization?
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“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.”–Abraham Maslow