Learning Outcome Narrative Salter 1

Learning Outcome Narrative

Shannon Salter

Seattle University

SDAD 5900: Capstone

Dr. Erica Yamamura

January 8, 2021
Learning Outcome Narrative Salter 2

Introduction

As a student affairs practitioner, I am rooted in my compassion, community, harmony,

integrity, and inclusion values. I aim to center students and their experiences, identities,

strengths, and needs within my work. Seattle University's Student Development Administration's

(SDA) Learning Outcomes (LO) have shaped my growth as a student affair professional

throughout my time in the program. Throughout this paper, I define and reflect on each of Seattle

University's SDA's LO and apply my strengths and growth areas to each LO.

Learning Outcomes

LO #1: Understanding the foundations and emerging nature of the Student Affairs profession

and higher education

LO #1 is recognizing the history of higher education and the impact that this history

holds within the current trends, practices, and institutions. Specifically, this LO allows

practitioners to understand and analyze the power systems at play within higher education with a

critical lens. This foundation is crucial for practitioners to engage in accessible, equity, and

inclusive work for all students.

Within my SDA program journey, I aimed to challenge myself to engage in functional

areas I had little experience, specifically through my graduate assistantship in Integrity

Formation (IF) and my NODA internship. By stepping into new functional areas, I showed my

growth in my understanding of their best practices, theories, and profession, seen in (Artifact A)

(Resume) and attending the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA) national

conference. As an attendee at the ASCA Conference, I attended sessions that allowed me to

understand better student conduct national best practices by attending sessions on serving

specific student populations, collaborating with campus partners, and general student conduct
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practices. Furthermore, my strength in LO #1 is evident in my ability to apply theory to my

values as an educator in my Mission Statement (Artifact B) as a student affairs practitioner. I

connected Strayhorn’s (2016) Sense of Belonging Theory to my values of community,

compassion, and inclusion. Strayhorn's theory is evident in my ability to create intentional

relationships, validate students' various experiences, and work to form spaces that affirm the

different abilities of the students I work with.

To improve my understanding of LO #1, I hope to develop my knowledge of theories

further and apply theory into practice. Within my time in SDA, I have focused on best practices

and trends within Student Affairs but have, at times, neglected the theories in which are the

foundation for these best practices. Specifically, I want to grow within the theories surrounding

students holding different identities from my own, such as exploring Cross and Fhagen-Smith’s

Model of Black Identity Development (Patton et al., 2014). Through continual growth within

applying theory to practice, I can challenge identities that are typically centered within Higher

Education. Another area of growth for LO #1 is my limited institutional type experience, as seen

within Artifact A (Resume). Through attending private, Catholic institutions for both my

undergraduate and graduate programs and interning at a highly selective private institution, I am

aware of my lack of diverse organizational experiences. Furthermore, another area of growth is

understanding higher education's history at a deeper level, specifically the institution type and

functional areas I have little experience in.

LO #2: Understanding students and student issues

LO #2 focuses on understanding the dynamic needs, priorities, and experiences students

face within higher education and beyond. To cultivate inclusive, accessible, and authenticate

spaces for students, practitioners need to use empathy, compassion, inclusion, and community
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values. Furthermore, this LO analyzes the diverse background, experiences, and needs that each

student brings with them and encounters throughout their higher educational experience. LO #2

manifests within my ability to listen and understand students' needs by building rapport and

connection with students and informed through assessments.

My strengths of LO #2 were seen throughout my NODA internship at UChicago, as I

recognized the diverse student population and needs of their students, specifically during the

global pandemic. I have grown in LO #2 through the context of theory, in which I applied

Schlossberg's (1996) Transition Theory through my Artifact D (Best Demonstration of

Professional Practice), my Internship Presentation for Internship in Student Development

Administration (SDAD 5640). Artifact D evidences Schlossberg’s (1996) Transition Theory in

which I explored how UChicago adapted Schlossberg’s Transition Theory to meet the needs of

their students and their transition. Within my role for IF, my strengths manifested by listening to

students' stories and experiences, essential in building rapport throughout student conduct

hearings. Furthermore, these understandings of student issues and needs allow me to create and

assign educational, fair, and equitable sanctions while also holding students accountable.

Through my Graduate Assistantship, I utilize Miller and Rollick (2013) Motivational

Interviewing within the student conduct process to create spaces that empower students to reflect

and share their experiences authentically. To improve my understanding of LO #2, I hope to

continue to grow in my knowledge of counseling techniques to understand better the needs of the

students I encounter. I am anxious to grow within both my understanding of Motivational

Interviewing and other counseling theories. Within Artifact F (3-Year Action Plan), I need to

continuously learn about the emerging student issues within higher education. Namely, I hope to

attend trainings and workshops surrounding current and emerging issues that students encounter
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both on campus and within their personal lives, such as the Prep for Presidential Election with

Restorative Practices workshop I attended before the 2020 Presidential Election. Furthermore, as

mentioned in LO #1 within Artifact A, it is evident at my lack of diverse institution types and,

therefore, a wide range of student issues. Consequently, I will seek opportunities within my

independent study to research or engage with a different institution type, such as a community

college or public institution in order to better serve various student populations.

LO #3: Exhibiting professional integrity and ethical leadership in professional practice

I would define LO #3 as discerning our integrity and how it applies to student affairs

practitioners’ professional, academic, and personal lives and then demonstrates this behavior

within our professional workspace. This LO requires professionals to use our values, morals, and

ethics to provide care for students and institutions. Furthermore, these values and morals uphold

our decisions and implement laws, policies, and student code of conduct within higher education.

My strength can be seen in my engagement with course material in Higher Education

Law (SDAD 5800), which challenged me to understand how institutional policies and federal

laws intersect to lay a framework for policies I enforce through student conduct hearings. Within

my role in IF, I must balance my personal, professional, and institutional values to provide fair

and just hearings and decisions within these settings. I reflect on Kitchener’s Five Ethical

Principles for Counseling Psychology (1984) to ensure a fair and beneficent conduct process

(Waryold & Lancaster, 2020). Furthermore, I maintain professional integrity through upholding

confidential and sensitive information within the student conduct hearings and team meetings.

Additionally, within my time at UChicago, I maintained professional integrity within a virtual

internship by establishing healthy boundaries within my relationships with students I supervised

and worked closely with, which is evident in Artifact E (Professional Letter of Promise). Artifact
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E was created by Whitney Hedge's, my internship supervisor, and illustrates my professional

work ethic and ability to work in the ever-changing remote setting due to COVID-19.

To improve my understanding of LO #3, I think about the SDAD 5640 Ethical Dilemma

assignment, in which I reflected on an Ethical Dilemma that my supervisor encountered. Within

this assignment, I recognized the lack of confidence I have in times of ethical dilemmas; thus, to

improve LO #3, I will continue to challenge myself to feel confident in my decisions, especially

in the face of ethical dilemmas.

LO #4: Understanding and fostering diversity, justice, and a sustainable world formed by a

global perspective and Jesuit Catholic tradition

To me, LO #4 challenges student affairs practitioners to acknowledge the injustices

within institutions and spaces of higher education and then advocate for and create diverse,

inclusive, equitable, and accessible spaces for all students within higher education. This LO

challenges professionals to acknowledge the students within the spaces and those not welcome in

these spaces. The Jesuit Catholic tradition challenges us to reflect and discern to create spaces

that care for our students holistically.

I engage with students within my IF role after they are referred to the Student Conduct

and Integrity Formation Office. As mentioned in Artifact B, I consider the Jesuit value of Cura

Personalis to recognize the student as a dynamic individual, holding many identities that may

intersect with the reason they were referred to the office (Thon, 2013). Furthermore, I utilize

Yosso's (2005) Community Cultural Wealth within my hearing space to recognize the numerous

areas of wealth and strengths that students, especially students of color, bring into the space.

Specifically, when I am assigning sanctions, I consider the stories that students shared of their

strengths and tailor sanctions to best cater to their needs while still being educational.
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Furthermore, I have attended a session during the annual ASCA conference and follow-up

webinars on systemic racism and if student conduct offices play a role in the student to prison

pipeline. This session and webinar pushed me to reflect on the experiences of student of colors,

especially Black students, within the student conduct process. I reflected on the implicit biases

that I hold and question if these biases show up within my hearing and decision-making spaces.

Specifically, within the Jesuit Tradition, STMM-5700 created a space for me to understand the

application of Jesuit and faith traditions to student affairs, especially the discernment process that

students are continually facing throughout their college experience.

To continue to grow my understanding of LO #4, I recognize that the process of

understanding and fostering diversity and justice is an on-going process. I will continue to work

to uproot international and unexamined legacies of white supremacy within myself and the

communities I live in. My 3-Year Professional Development Plan (Artifact F) names specific,

ranging from reading The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black

Freedom (Cole, 2000) to attending the White Privilege Conference. Another area of growth is

finding a balance of using my voice to dismantle the powerful and harmful narratives while also

stopping to listen and provide spaces to hear to others' narratives, especially those holding

marginalized identities. Lastly, as I look towards finding an independent study within Disability

Services, I hope to grow in my understanding of how accessible or inaccessible college

environments are for students holding varying abilities. Specifically, I look to expand

accessibility in disability services and how to implement accessibility campus-wide. My

implication for future practice is to continue to reflect on how my identities intersect with my

role on campus and the power that I hold as a white, cis-gender female. I must recognize how the

students I work with, especially those holding marginalized identities, perceive these identities.
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LO #5: Adapting student services to specific environments and cultures

I would define LO #5 as being present and observant to assess, analyze, and adapt to

specific needs, environments, and cultures within student affairs. Through this analysis,

professionals must recognize when injustices are present and break down barriers within the

systems to establish and create inclusive and accessible spaces for all. Furthermore, this LO is

prevalent during transition times, such as moving to remote settings to ensure student services

are still engaging, specific, and welcoming to students' needs within the environment.

A strength of LO #5 is evident within my Best Demonstration of Professional Practice

(Artifact D). I showcased assessments to evaluate the incoming students' needs at UChicago as

the university shifted from in-person to virtual orientation. At the beginning of my internship, I

analyzed the assessments of these incoming students' concerns to ensure that the current needs

informed my work of the students I was serving. Additionally, in my Best Academic Work

(Artifact C), “Philosophy of Student Development Theory,” LO #5 is evident as I emphasized

how I adapt programming, communication style, and services to fit the student’s needs through

the use of theory, research and practice. This paper centered my values as they align to the

theories that shape student development theories. Specifically, Yosso's (2005) Community

Cultural Wealth in which student affairs professionals must recognize the numerous areas of

wealth students of color bring onto campus and their college experience. Furthermore, my

strengths are evident in my ability to be adaptive to students' needs, specifically to be open to

contextual factors such as environment, emotions, and financial means, within the hearing space

and assigning sanctions.

I can continue to grow in LO #5 by utilizing assessments and research to understand

students' needs and adapt my practices to fit these needs. Furthermore, through Best Practices in
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Student Services (SDAD 5750), I conducted informational interviews which were an essential

way to learn from professionals’ experiences and research. To continuously grow in my

understanding of Best Practices, I aim to continue collaborating and networking with

professionals through informational interviews throughout these next few years, as seen in my 3-

Year Professional Plan (Artifact F).

LO #6: Developing and demonstrating skills in leadership and collaboration

I define LO #6 as recognizing the dynamic process of continual leadership and

collaboration skills within higher education. LO #6 focuses on student services’ collaborative

nature, calling on professionals to solve and lead collectively within campus spaces.

My strengths in LO # 6 are manifest in my 3-Year Professional Plan (Artifact F) and

Developed General Resume (Artifact A). Specifically, Artifact A illustrates my strengths through

my internship at UChicago, during which I had to collaborate with numerous offices within the

UChicago without meeting the offices in person. This LO was essential to understanding LO #2

to understand student issues and the implications of such needs for my practice. Without

collaboration, I would not have known how to approach these situations holistically. I

collaborated on the Student Development Committee of Student Leadership Advisory

Committee (SLAC) within Seattle University to develop best practices in student payment within

leadership opportunities on campus. The committee consisted of Graduate Assistants and

professionals from throughout the Student Development department, allowing for a

comprehensive analysis and report on what we would recommend for equable pay throughout

positions. Artifact F illustrates my yearning to continue to work in committees and knowledge

communities that will continue to challenge the status quo to meet students' dynamic needs.

Lastly, within my role as the Graduate Coordinator for IF, I work closely with Wellness and
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Health Promotions and Housing and Residence Life (HRL) to ensure sanction completion is

tracked and communicated efficiently. Furthermore, I counseled and advised HRL staff as they

conduct the hearing, decision, and sanctioning process.

Continued growth within leadership and collaboration will allow for shared perspectives,

and therefore collective and creative change within student affairs. Within my 3-Year

Professional Development, I emphasize that this LO requires constant growth and collaboration.

At each stage of my professional plan, I identify an opportunity to collaborate and gain

leadership skills. Specifically, in my first-year post-graduation, I aim to join networks and

knowledge communities, such as NASPA's Women in Student Affairs knowledge communities,

to collaboratively learn, share experiences and ask for feedback identifying areas for growth in

my leadership skills. Another growth area is my administration skills of data management and

communication, which allows me to collaborate and lead in an organized manner. Although my

administration skills have grown throughout my time in IF, through the tracking of sanctions for

14 conduct administrators, I recognize that my organizational skills could be more streamlined to

ensure communications are not missed during stressful or busy times. This area of continual

growth will allow me to be a productive and efficient leader, which will allow for effective and

dependable coworkers within the office and collaborative spaces. Another area of growth is

growing in my confidence and taking ownership within spaces of collaboration. This LO will

have numerous implications for future practice, specifically, I will continue to collaborate and

expand my network with partners on campus and national organizations.

LO #7: Utilizing assessment, evaluation and technology

LO # 7 emphasizes student affairs professionals' need to evaluate and assess experiences,

technology, policies, and services to ensure fair, just, accessible services. Furthermore, this LO
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calls for institutions, offices, and professionals to be innovative and try new processes to meet

the students' needs and the campus community.

My strengths within LO #7 is seen through my NODA internship at UChicago, through

my development and analysis of assessments. LO #7 is evident in my Artifact D (Best

Demonstration of Professional Practice), in which I showcased the assessments that I analyzed to

recognized and identified the incoming students' needs within their transitions to UChicago.

With this information, I worked with the College Programming and Orientation (CPO) team and

student leaders to address incoming students' concerns by creating infographics and Flipgrids

videos. Additionally, I have shown my strength in LO #7 Intro to Educational Research (EDUC

5000) when I crafted a proposal to research the extent that service-learning courses provide

opportunities to meet the needs of community partners, students, and the course's learning

outcomes. Lastly, I have shown proficient knowledge in database and Microsoft Excel through

both my role in IF and my NODA internship. Within my Graduate Assistantship, I perform

database management of our conduct management system, Maxient. I showed proficient

knowledge in Excel within my NODA internship, managing incoming students' information.

Currently, I am continually using technology within online classes and my virtual

Graduate Assistantship. Although I have had numerous opportunities to use technology, I need to

continue to grow in my understanding and competence of technology. To continue growing in

this area, I will seek opportunities to engage in technology classes or workshops offered through

the NASPA's Technology Knowledge Community. Another area of growth is within an

assessment; specifically, I have created assessments, but I have not had the opportunity to

analyze long-term evaluations. To grow within this area, I aim to seek an independent study that

would allow me to investigate assessments to understand better a function area's best practices,
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such as best practices surrounding the creation of equitable and fair accommodation

recommendations. Another area of growth is creating boundaries and habits that will promote

long-lasting energy within an online platform. Currently, I have been feeling burnt out and

exhausted from serving students virtually; therefore, I must find ways to practice self-care in this

virtual environment. Moving forward, the implication of LO #7 will be essential, especially with

technology, will continue to be necessary within the student affairs professional. Furthermore,

assessments will be crucial to understand students' experiences and improve and provide critical

services to students; therefore, I look to join the NASPA's Knowledge community focused on

Assessment, Evaluation, and Research.

LO #8: Communicating effectively in speech and in writing

I would define LO #8 as the need for student affairs professionals to have proficient

speech and writing skills to communicate to students, other professionals, and the community.

Through effective communication, practitioners can share clear and concise thoughts and

messages to their intended audience. Furthermore, this LO is evident throughout the job

application and interview process when applicants provide examples of the theories and practices

that guide their work within the field.

My strengths can be seen in the Artifact E (Professional Letter of Promise). This artifact

illustrates my ability to revamp and overhaul the Orientation's communication and digitalize the

Orientation Canvas page to ensure each component was accessible and engaging for the reader.

This LO is also evident in my strength of written communication skills within my Artifact G

(Distinctive Contribution) of creating newsletters for incoming students and their families at

UChicago. Artifact G illustrates my ability to communicate in a manner that is informative and

accessible to ensure that students and families alike were provided information on Orientation,
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resources, and student activities for the student. These newsletters were informed by

Schlossberg's (1996) Transition Theory to ensure that students and families were prepared for

their upcoming transition to the UChicago community. Furthermore, my effective speech and

writing strengths were evident in my communication within the IF hearing process. To ensure

information was conveyed to the student within the hearing process, I need to correspond in the

hearing notification, hearing, and decision letter in an accessible and transparent manner.

To continue to grow within my effective communication skills, I must continue to work

on my growth areas. Specifically, I have not had many opportunities for large group public

speaking. When I do have the chance to speak in large groups, there is a lot of anxiety. Our

current online environment further impacts this growth area does not provide the necessary

spaces to practice these skills. To improve these skills, I will seek opportunities that push me to

challenge my public speaking fears. Communication skills will be apparent in my future practice.

Communication will be critical in any area of student affairs in which I work post-SDA to ensure

students that our work is clearly transferred to the individuals we serve.

LO #9: Understanding issues around law, policy, finance and governance

LO #9 highlights and recognizes the role of internal and external law, policy, finance, and

governance in higher education institutions. Specifically, this LO guides how these stakeholders

intersect within different spaces of higher education. This understanding provides insight into the

practices, traditions, and rules that govern and influence the institutions.

My strengths for LO #9 are evident in my work in IF, engaging in Higher Education Law

(SDAD 5800), and attending professional development opportunities. Within IF, I have to

understand and apply the policies that are enforced at Seattle University, specifically the Code of

Student Conduct and Housing and Residence Life’s Resident Handbook, throughout the hearing
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process, specifically when I am making my decision and assigning appropriate sanctions to

students found responsible for violating these policies. Not only are these skills evident within

my graduate assistantships, but I further understood the laws that govern higher education

throughout Higher Education Law (SDAD 5800). This course challenged me to research and

deeply reflect on laws and policies, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its

impact on students with varying abilities within higher education spaces. Lastly, this LO is

evident in my strength of further attending professional development opportunities to understand

law, policy, and governance. Specifically, throughout Seattle University's Presidential Search, I

participated in the listening sessions with two of the three final candidates. Through this process,

I was able to gain insight into what the presidential search entails and what students, staff, and

faculty look for within a president of a private, Jesuit-Catholic institution.

An area of growth within LO #9 is my limited knowledge of leadership and governance. I

took SDAD 5760: Leadership & Governance in Post-Secondary Education at the beginning of

COVID-19, and the course was greatly impacted by the pandemic. I take full responsibility for

my lack of attention and motivation in the course due to the changes occurring in the world. An

aspect that I recognize as a growth area is my knowledge of the different types of organizational

structures and how to best work within these systems. Specifically, we learned about the

bureaucratic structure and I recognize that I work within structures that are hierarchical and

disconnected within leadership (Manning 2018). Therefore, I aim to continue to research and

learn the best practices of higher education practitioners in these structures by attending webinars

and Board of Trustee meetings. Another area of growth is my lack of experience in finances

within Student Affairs. I have not been allowed to manage a large-scale budget; therefore, I will

need to be proactive in learning the department's budget systems within my first job post-
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graduation. Understanding LO #9 will have a lasting impact on my success in differing

institution types and departments to adapt my work to fit their governance and leadership style.

LO #10: Establishing and enhancing professional identity

LO #10 challenges students to form and enhance professional identity through

opportunities within the classroom, Graduate Assistantships, internships, joining professional

networks, and attending conferences. We are challenged to create and identify our mission and

the values that drive our work. Our professional identity challenges us to correlate our personal

and professional identities to ensure that we continue to grow holistically. This LO challenges

practitioners to grow and develop within our professional identity continuously. Furthermore,

this outcome calls for networking and mentoring to learn and continually grow within communal

settings, allowing for support to be given from differing perspectives.

My strength of LO #10 is evident within Artifact G (Distinctive Contribution), which

illustrates my ability to understand the different needs, identities, and audiences that received the

newsletters from UChicago’s CPO Office. With my professional identity of collaborating my

personal and professional values with the values of UChicago, I was able to create newsletters

that were informative, inclusive, and accessible for the various audience groups. My strengths

can also be seen within my Artifact A (Resume), as I engaged in functional areas and

opportunities in which I had little to no prior experience throughout my time in the SDA

program. Before entering SDA, I had not worked within Student Conduct or Orientation;

therefore, as I discerned which functional areas I would partake in during the program, I decided

to push myself to further develop my professional identity to be a dynamic member of the

student affairs profession. Lastly, my strengths are apparent in my participation in national and

local conferences, such as the ASCA Conference and presenting at the Leadership is You
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Conference at Edmonds Community College to develop further and understand my professional

identity. At the Leadership is You Conference, I learned how to hand difficult conversations as a

facilitator. Specifically, along with my co-presenter, we presented on Inclusive Leadership to

individuals with a wide range of understanding of justice, diversity, and inclusion. Within this

setting, I learned how to adapt my values of harmony, inclusion, and community to create spaces

where these difficult conversations could be held.

To grow within LO #10, I will continue to participate in professional organizations.

Specifically, I will join the professional organization associated with my first-job post-

graduation. This will allow me to find community and mentors and develop my understanding of

my identity within the functional area. Another area of growth is my feeling of imposter

syndrome. I recognize this is a common experience for many graduate students and

professionals. I aim to combat these feelings by reflecting on my areas of strengths and

contributions to the institutions in which I have worked while also acknowledging I am a new

professional who can continue to learn and grow. I will use my mission statement to guide me to

be authentic as a student affairs professional within my future practice. Furthermore, I will

continue to reflect on how my professional development experiences can be applied in my

professional identity.

Conclusion

As I reflect on my growth throughout the Student Development Administration program,

I recognize my journey of growth. However, I recognize that as an educator, I will always be

learning and growing. I am confident in my ability to succeed as an emerging professional in

student affairs while committing myself to a lifelong practice of learning and adapting to the

changes of my students' needs and higher education.

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Reference Page

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Research, and Practice (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA.

Strayhorn, T. (2016). Student development theory in higher education: A social psychology

approach. New York: Routledge.

Thon, A. (2013). The Ignatian imperative: Student affairs educators in Jesuit higher education.

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https://motivationalinterviewing.org/understanding-motivational-interviewing

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