In the 1960s and 70s William Perry developed a classic model for intellectual development among college students that some faculty still find useful.
Students progress through three major stages.
Students in this stage believe there is a single right answer to all questions. Knowledge is received truth delivered by professors. They believe that learning involves taking notes, memorizing facts, and later depositing facts on exams. Students in this stage believe that knowledge is just an opinion, and students and faculty are equally entitled to believe in the veracity of their own opinions. They may rebel at faculty criticism of their work, attributing it to capricious whim and faculty inability to recognize the value in alternative perspectives.