The Conduct System and Its Influence on Student Learning

In this study, 7 items were used to define a composite variable that measures the perceived effectiveness of student conduct systems. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test the relationship between perceived level of system effectiveness and self-reported student learning. In the analyses, 49% of the variance in reported learning outcomes was explained by the composite variable. How a conduct system is administered has a dramatic influence on how much is learned by students who interact with that system. When conduct officers view the concepts of due process and fundamental fairness as system efficacy, they are more apt to generate the type of intentional practice advanced by Lancaster (2006). Intentional practice requires student conduct professionals to engage in processes that are timely, fair, explanative, respectful, and facilitative, and that foster student learning.