View article

8 Change• May/June 2013 of college, averaged at the institutional level (Pascarella, Seifert, & Blaich, 2010). Deep approaches to learning—for example, coursework that emphasizes higher-order cognitive tasks such as synthesis and evaluation, asks students to integrate diverse perspectives and ideas from different courses, and encourages reflective learning—positively affected the development of moral reasoning in first-year students (Mayhew, Seifert, Pascarella, Nelson Laird & Blaich, 2012). What’s more, meaningful discussions with faculty and peers outside of the classroom during the first year of college appeared to stimulate a desire to engage in cognitive activities (Padgett et al., 2010). The Wabash studies show how core elements of liberal education connect to outcomes such as intercultural effectiveness, lifelong learning, psychological well-being, and socially responsible leadership (Seifert et al., 2008).