LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE

Learning Outcome Narrative

Kayla Yahnke

Seattle University
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 1

Introduction
The Student Development Administration (SDA) program has provided me the

opportunity to challenge, grow, and reflect upon my current and future work as a student affairs

professional. The 10 SDA Learning Outcomes (LOs) helped to shape the foundation of my

personal and professional growth. My personal development came with challenges around

shaping my professional identity because I came into the program without a Graduate

Assistantship (GA). Being provided the space to reflect on my academic and professional

settings allowed me to recognize my strengths and address my areas for continued growth.

Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcome 1: Understanding the foundations and emerging nature of the Student Affairs

profession and higher education

From my time in the SDA program, I have come to define LO 1 as being knowledgeable

around foundational principles and theories in Student Affairs and being able to adapt them into

multiple contexts within higher education. Additionally, understanding the history behind higher

education, and being aware of current events impacting the Student Affairs profession. Strengths

in this LO are seen through my Best Academic Work in the SDA Program (Artifact C), my

theory paper, which highlights my ability to articulate and critique student development

frameworks and theories.

In my academics this is shown in the presentation my partner and I gave on LO 1 during

SDA Capstone Seminar (SDAD 5900), which presented us with the opportunity to delve deeper

into understanding LO 1 and reflecting on our own experiences and growth. Lastly, in my

professional practice, I had the opportunity to conduct informational interviews during my time

as a Graduate Coordinator for the Collegia Program and internship at Seattle University’s School
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 2

of Law Student Life office. In particular, with the School of Law, since I do not have a law

background, this helped me understand how student affairs functions in a new environment by

helping me understand the roles the professionals have in supporting students through the

services they offer. I met with a variety of student development and academic professionals to

discuss institutional context, values, theory, promising practices, work history, and much more.

To further develop in this LO, my Professional Development and Action Plan (Artifact

F), demonstrates commitment to enhancing my growth in the NASPA/ACAP competencies of

Human and Organization Resources and Personal and Ethical Foundations. These competencies

are reflected in how I hope to align my personal values with my next institution’s values as I

begin my job search and how I plan to continue conducting informational interviews to gain a

deeper understanding of the institution and my colleagues. Artifact F also shows how I will seek

out opportunities to maintain professional development in the field from divisional in-services,

conferences, and workshops.

Learning Outcome 2: Understanding students and student issues

This LO consists of dedicating time to learn about students, holding meaningful

conversations with students to help them further understand their own identities, understanding

what students need in order to be successful, actively listen and mentor students, and provide

students with tools to have a voice at the table. Strengths in this LO are shown through my time

as a GA in Student Success and Outreach and internship at the School of Law which presented

me with an opportunity to better understand transfer, adult learner, commuter, graduate, first-

generation, and law students’ personal, professional, and academic needs. In Adult Learning

(EDUC 5130), I conducted a case study around adult learners who are also parents at Seattle

University (SU) to recognize the challenges this population faces and provide recommendations
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 3

on how to tackle current issues they are facing. Furthermore, during my internship at Student

Success and Outreach, I designed a survey to understand who our current adult learner

population at Seattle University are to better understand how to adapt services to their needs.

From the data, I created recommendations for McGoldrick Collegium so their services could

better fit our adult learners’ needs which is shown in my distinctive contribution (Artifact G).

To enhance my growth with this LO, my Integrated Mission Statement (Artifact B)

highlights my dedication to listening and recognizing students’ needs. Throughout my time in the

SDA program, I have had unique opportunities to work with a variety of non-tradition student

populations, such as adult learners, graduates, and law students. From working with several

student populations, I recognize that each student and their needs will be different according to

their situation. Thus, I view my role as a student affairs professional as being able to support

students in finding their voice and establishing their identity through offering resources and

developmental opportunities. Additionally, Artifact F outlines my goal to continue educating

myself around identities and worldviews that are not similar to my own, so I can better support

these diverse student populations.

Learning Outcome 3: Exhibiting professional integrity and ethical leadership in professional

practice
I define LO 3 as holding true to my personal values and displaying my authentic self

around students and professionals in the workplace. Additionally, modeling healthy

work/personal boundaries, asking constructive and intentional questions as conflicts arise, and

demonstrating ethical decision-making. As a strength, Artifact C touches on how I learned to

recognize that students are at different developmental points and figure out how I can guide

students to get to the next step/stage. For example, being a first-time supervisor has stretched my

ability to be gentle yet hold constructive and difficult conversations in holding students
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 4

accountable; and, I have been able to apply Kohlberg’s (1981) Theory of Moral Development

when guiding student staff through difficult situations. For example, I was working with a

student who went from exceeding expectations in their role to taking a step back by letting

responsibilities and communication slip through the cracks. In trying to understand their shift in

moral reasoning, I also utilized motivational interviewing skills to help them explain and reflect

what was going on in their life to help make sense of their decisions.

For my academics, during SDA Internship (SDAD 5640), I conducted an ethical dilemma

interview with my site supervisor where we discussed balancing transparency with students in a

professional role and personal and institutional values not aligning. Transitioning into my current

role and thinking about my future positions in the field, this has made me question how

transparent I want to be as a professional. In my professional practice, as a new supervisor in my

Graduate Coordinator role, I find myself consulting peers, mentors, and my supervisor for new

perspectives when difficult situations arise so I can tackle the issue better knowing my options.

After I have had time to process a situation, in the future, I hope to continue consulting

with my mentors and peers before making a difficult decision. As an area of growth, I am

working on establishing healthier boundaries so I can strive to demonstrate a healthy academic-

work-life balance for students; and, this is reflected as a goal in my Artifact B.

Learning Outcome 4: Understanding and fostering diversity, justice and a sustainable world

formed by a global perspective and Jesuit Catholic tradition

I describe LO 4 as being responsible and committed to educating myself to enhance my

multicultural competence and support university initiatives that encourage myself and others to

reflect upon valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Strengths within this LO are present in
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 5

Artifact B which sheds light to my commitment of being a continuous learner and for my passion

to helping student’s holistic development. Personal, professional, and academic reflection is an

important component in my life. Reflection shows up in academic papers and self-reporting

feedback, evaluating presentations and programs in my work, and peer/mentor/supervisor

discussions. Reflection is important for my work with students because it allows me to help

students better process their experiences and outcomes.

In my academics, the Leading with Emotional Intelligence course (MGMT 5335), I had

the opportunity to do an emotional intelligence (EQ) self-assessment and critical reflection. I

assessed myself in the four EQ quadrants (self-awareness, social awareness, self-management,

and relationship management) where I was able to recognize my EQ knowledge and

understanding when entering the course, while also identifying what quadrants and sub-sections I

had room to challenge myself. This MGMT 5335 course has really helped me better understand

the Jesuit value of unity of heart, mind, and soul. I walked away with an enriched experience of

being able to recognize and address how I am feeling and what that means for me in the moment.

While additionally gaining more awareness around what others are experiencing through

observing their body language and actively listening to their stories.

For an area of growth, I want to be able to further my awareness around my intersecting

and privileged identities. Multicultural Perspectives (EDUC 5150) presented an opportunity

through a project for me to artistically visualize how I see myself versus how others see me. This

gave me the opportunity to hold conversation around my intersecting identities and hear about

peers’ identities. While these conversations have been challenging for me, as I am still

understanding how to talk about my salient identities, opportunities like this and being able to

have conversations one-on-one with peers and professionals has provided me a safe space to
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 6

reflect on and articulate what this means for me. Additionally, during Student Development

Theory, Research, and Practice (SDAD 5400), I had the chance to learn about multicultural

competency thought understanding Pope, Reynold, and Muller’s (2004) spectrum of

multicultural competency knowledge, awareness, and skills. In Artifact F, I speak to ways

incorporating my peers and supervisors to continue helping me develop my multicultural

competency within my professional practice by continuing to attend diversity and social justice

trainings/workshops and staying connected with colleagues and mentors to continue navigating

these difficult conversations around identities.

Learning Outcome 5: Adapting student services to specific environments and cultures

My interpretation of LO 5 is meeting students where they are individually, advocating for

student issues, supporting students’ holistic development by recognizing each students’ needs are

unique, and adapting best practices to fit the university’s culture and student population’s needs.

Understanding this LO has manifested as a strength which is demonstrated through Artifact G

where I was able to create recommendations for SU’s services to better support the current adult

learner students. I created a Venn Diagram in my School of Law internship to compared and

contrasted the services for undergraduate students and law students. It shows how traditional

undergraduate students and law student support services do not always have a correlation.

Additionally, working with undergraduate and law students has helped me realize how different

wellness looks for these student populations. From my academic work, in SDA American

Community College (SDA 5590) I worked with a group to present how the Seattle Promise

could impact Seattle Central College. This course allowed me to better understand the structure

of community colleges and the ability to provide college as a more accessible option for students.
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 7

In my professional practice, working in Student Success and Outreach helped me to

better understand several student populations including first-generation, transfer students, adult

learners, and our veteran students. Additionally, my time here has shaped my definition of

success which branches into three categories- personal, professional, and academic- in which all

accomplishments should be celebrated. Furthermore, in my School of Law internship, I create a

ConnectSU guide training for the student organization leaders since the ConnectSU platform had

changed. The law students were not familiar with the new system and many could not make the

planned campus wide trainings due to work conflicts. I created this tool so student leaders could

navigate the new ConnectSU system to perform their day-to-day organizational tasks.

For future development around this LO, I am interested learning more about how to

recognize different generational needs and if they are being met or not. Specifically, I am

interested in figuring out how to balance meeting Gen Z students’ needs while not making

interactions feel transactional. I see myself learning more around this by researching and reading

articles relevant to Gen Z students through higher education organizations, such as NASPA, and

additionally by holding dialogue with students, colleagues, professionals, and mentors.

Learning Outcome 6: Developing and demonstrating skills in leadership and collaboration 

I define LO 6 by understanding team dynamics, strengths, and areas for growth;

recognizing when to step up and when to step down; empowering and supporting other’s growth;

holding yourself and others accountable; and collaborating professionally with co-workers and

campus partners. My Professional Letter of Promise (Artifact E), during my internship with

Student Success and Outreach, demonstrates my collaboration with campus partners to create

and launch a website and design first-generation faculty and staff web profiles to support current

first-generation students to get connected to resources and mentors who share similar journeys.
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 8

In my academics, I have collectively worked on group papers and presentations. One peer

collaboration that stands out was the SDA Leadership and Governance in a Post-Secondary

Education (SDAD 5760) where my peers and I presented on the Spiritual Leadership and

Spiritual case study. As a group, after a rough start to this project, this experience taught me the

importance of transparent communication, patience, and active listening. Lastly, during my time

as a Graduate Coordinator, I created and co-presented for student staff trainings on topics such as

graduate and adult learner students, conflict management, and Collegia Program initiatives.

Implications for future practice include building mu confidence and vocalizing my

opinions in multiple settings. As an internal processor and introvert, I tend to overthink what and

how I want to say something out of fear that I may say it incorrect and be judged for it. For

further development with this LO, I want to research different learning and communication styles

so I can better fit information for the intended audience. I think this is important for me to look

into different learning styles, such as visual, verbal, interpersonal, and kinesthetic options, so I

have multiple ways to present material to help students or colleagues better digest information.

Learning Outcome 7: Utilizing assessment, evaluation, technology, and research to improve

practice

My understanding to LO 7 is being committed to asking questions and utilizing theory in

order to improve campus culture through collecting and evaluating data. Also, using technology

to better engage and support the student population. My adult learner survey infographic and

McGoldrick Collegium recommendations (Artifact G), highlights my ability to construct a

survey and interpret and present data. In my academics, SDA Best Practices (SDAD 5750)

helped me to better understanding assessment strategies that work best for universities and how

promising practices are determined for different institutional types. In my professional practice,
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 9

during my time interning for the School of Law, I created a 31-question survey through Qualtrics

for the incoming 1L law students’ feedback regarding their three-day orientation experience.

After going through the data, I created an orientation assessment report for the law school that

presents the students’ feedback in both qualitative and quantitative measures and my

recommendations for constructing next year’s orientation.

As for areas of growth, as noticeable in my Resume (Artifact A) and program of study, I

am lacking formal research experience. For my independent study in winter quarter of 2020, I

have an opportunity to write a research paper for this course, and I am focusing around learning

more about university CARE Teams (i.e. behavioral intervention teams) and their best practices.

While I will get to delve into some research aspects and recommend best practices for Seattle

University, I hope to seek out opportunities where I can get formal practice by taking on a

research project in my next position. For future implications for professional practice, I want to

seek out ways in which assessment can be sustainable and utilized for departments or universities

in order to create positive and progressive change.

Learning Outcome 8: Communicating effectively in speech and in writing

I view this LO as being able to provide clear oral, written, and verbal communication and

understanding when to communicate via email, phone, or social media versus in person. This

skill is also complimented by demonstrating effective interpersonal skills and both giving and

receiving constructive feedback. For the CARE Team Manage position description (Artifact D), I

was able to compare and contrast what other Jesuit universities are doing to what SU is doing for

their behavioral intervention team. This demonstrates my ability to describe essential job

responsibilities and present information in a way to help SU understand how they could benefit

from having a position like this on their CARE Team to further support students. In the SDAD,
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 10

EDUC, and MGMT courses, I was provided with opportunities to do peer reviews on

assignments which gave me a chance to provide written and oral feedback to peers. Additionally,

I received feedback on my work so I could go back and improve it, which helped me to improve

my practice. Also, in my GA we do quarterly evaluations, so I have the opportunity to receive

feedback from my supervisor and provide them with feedback as well.

An area of growth for me is work on areas of discomfort, such as public speaking. I

currently reflect on feedback from previous presentations and try to incorporate the tips into my

next presentation, and this is a practice that I plan to continue doing. However, as seen in Artifact

F, I want to be more direct about asking for receiving constructive feedback from mentors,

supervisors, and colleagues so I can work on building more confidence when speaking in front of

large groups. The support of mentors and peers has been comforting and it helps to have a

friendly face in the audience.

Learning Outcome 9: Understanding issues surrounding law, policy, finance and governance

I define LO 9 as engaging in institutional committees to better understand policy and

governance matters happening at a university and to educate oneself about the ongoing changes

occurring within higher education law, all in order to better understand issues impacting student

affairs practitioners. I want to highlight the opportunity I gained from SDA Higher Education

Law (SDAD 5800) in which I learned foundational knowledge about how to articulate and

analyze higher education laws and policies and I became familiarized with contemporary legal

issues related to the student affairs profession. For a professional development project, I

researched the progression of Title IX guidelines in higher education. Additionally, I

collaborated on writing a legal memo in which my partner and I chose to delve deeper into

understanding how the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security and Crime Statistics Act, or
LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 11

Clery Act (1990), impacts multiple function areas across higher education. My time interning at

the School of Law, my Internship (SDAD 5650) work plan illustrations how I had the chance to

advise the Student Bar Association (SBA). From this I got to see governance and policy in action

as the executives were revising their meeting layouts and reconstructing the SBA Constitution.

Artifact A shows how I have not engaged much with law and policy in my professional

practice; however, my hope is to gain experience with student conduct before graduating and

taking on my first professional role outside of graduate school. During winter quarter 2020, I will

be taking on an independent study that will allow me to look deeper into SU’s CARE Team and

student conduct. Additionally, Artifact F supports how I am determined to staying up-to-date

with the higher education policies and practices. For example, I will read at least one article a

week around student conduct or higher education policy.

Learning Outcome 10: Establishing and enhancing professional identity

I define LO 10 as continuing to build and sustain a professional network through the

campus community, informational interviews, workshops, conferences, etc. This can help act as

a foundational support system to one’s continuous personal, professional, and academic growth.

From my journey into the SDA program and over these past two years, my Resume (Artifact A),

lays out my professional career accomplishments. Within my internships and Graduate

Assistantship, I had the pleasure to get to know numerous professionals and academic staff that

have expanded my professional network in the Seattle area. I learned from their experiences and

consider some of these folks my mentors. Through conversations with supervisors and being a

first-time supervisor this year, my supervision style encompasses elements of collective growth,

supportive coaching, and transparency.

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 12

In Foundations of the Student Affairs Profession (SDAD 5300) course, I created a two- to

five- year action plan where I started with an end goal in mind and outlined attainable goals,

steps on how to achieve my goals, and ways to hold myself accountable to stay on track. This

action plan has since been revisited for Capstone Seminar (SDAD 5900) to develop my

professional development action plan. During my internship at Student Success and Outreach,

my Professional Letter of Promise (Artifact E), speaks to my work ethic and promise of being an

intentional student affairs professional.

For future implications, my professional development and action plan (Artifact F) walks

through the ways in which I hope to continue my professional growth and further establish my

identity as an emerging student affairs professional. For example, I would like to join a

professional organization and continue to build my network. A goal I have is to check-in with

myself and stay connected with mentors to make sure I am on track to reaching my goals and can

set new personal and professional goals for myself. During this time, I hope to touch base with

my 3-year action plan to see if adjustments need to be made.

Conclusion
I have experienced tremendous personal and professional growth throughout the past two

years in the SDA program. I have built skills in research and assessment, supervision,

facilitation, and presenting, while also further enhancing my understanding of student

populations, the history of higher education, higher education policies, and social justice. I am

proud of the academic and professional accomplishments I have achieved, and plan to continue

developing skills and knowledge to be a well-rounded student affairs educator and professional.

As I take steps to develop confidence as an emerging professional and establish my professional

identity, I look forward to my future journey within this field.

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 13

References

Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on moral development: Vol I. The philosophy of moral development.

San Francisco: Harper & Row

Pope, R. L., Reynolds, A. L., & Mueller, J. A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student

affairs. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass