GSL EXPERIENCE 1

My GSL Experience

Trevor Hanson

Northern Illinois University

GSL EXPERIENCE 2

I applied to be a Graduate Student Leader (GSL) under the assumption that by the

start of the fall 2020 semester, courses would move back to in person and things would

be mostly normal. I had dreams of being in the same room as my students every week,

taking time with them to discuss how their semester is going, and being able to engage

my students in meaningful conversations. I would not say these dreams were completely

shattered but they would certainly need to be shifted to what was more realistic to the

situation. Like every instructor that I know, I was excited to get to teach but also very

worried about how this semester would go. By mid-summer, we knew that the entire

course would be taught virtually and mostly asynchronously. Though this experience was

not what I was originally expecting, I still had a very meaningful experience filled with

learning opportunities, both as a student and as an instructor, and I am confident I

amending my time as a GSL a better practitioner.

One part of the GSL experience that was completely changed was the graduate

level course that was included. Though it was done virtually, the content and impact

seemed to remain the same. The lessons that were selected by our instructors were

relevant and impactful. The best and most impactful lesson was the recent class session

on assessment. As someone who has a teaching degree and experience in the K-12

system, I value assessment very much. I thought I knew all that I needed to be at least

efficient in assessment. I took an assessment course last semester and am currently in

one, and I still learned things during this session, including things that were taught in

those courses. The difference between evaluation and assessment is a concept that I will

keep in my mind in my future job in higher education. Overall, this class session showed
GSL EXPERIENCE 3

me the importance and necessity of assessing all aspects of higher education. Without it,

it is impossible to actually know if things are working properly.

The area I felt I grew the most in was as a professional from being an instructor. I

knew that I was going to leave the experience of being a GSL without a lot of new

knowledge but I was not expecting to learn so much about this new generation of

students, how to teach virtually, how to connect Student Affairs and Academic Affairs,

and so much more. I also had the opportunity to see a lot of the student development

theories that I have been learning about in my graduate classes in action. Lastly, and

potentially the most important experience I received, was to be reflective of my

instruction and learning how to make adaptions and corrections in real time.

One of the first lessons that I saw right away as something brand new to me, and I

am still figuring it out, is these new students that are both a part of the generational shift

that is occurring in higher education right now and being a student during the COVID-19

pandemic. There is not extensive research on the new generation, Gen Z, of students, and

of course even less on what higher education looks like during a global pandemic. During

our first meeting of the semester, every student in my section mentioned that they want to

build connections with other students. All of my students said that asynchronous learning

was not something they had interest in long term. These two things would probably be

shared by other generations; however, the focus on relationships with classmates and

professors and not just roommates is possibly a shift. One aspect of Gen Z students that I

was surprised that did not make virtual learning easier was that Gen Z students have had

technology their entire lives. Gen Z students do not remember a time before the majority

of people having cell phones or FaceTime and Zoom. I thought that if there was ever a
GSL EXPERIENCE 4

generation that could handle this transition well it would be Gen Z. I do believe that my

students did their absolute best and there is the possibility that they were well prepared

for everything moving virtually and that the problems were actually with faculty and staff

not being prepared for the move to virtual learning.

Once I started talking courses for my teaching certification, my professors talked

regularly about the importance of self-reflection. They would model for the class how

they reflected after each class period and then made changes to our next class period’s

plan. As a 5th grade teacher I would see my students off for the day and then reflect on

what went well, what did not go great, who needs more attention, and so much more. I

brought that same attitude to my UNIV class but I was not expecting to learn even better

ways to reflect. One way that I improved my reflection skills was by working with my

co-instructor, Khyla Breeland. I was lucky enough that Khyla and I worked together in

Residence Life and had developed a great working relationship prior to being co-

instructors together. I believe this established relationship helped us start the semester

stronger and more on the same page. Khyla is a very reflective practitioner; constantly

asking herself and others what she could do better. One time she even asked me why I do

not give her any criticism, because she wants to improve. That really stuck out to me. She

would rather know what she could do better than have her feelings coddled. I was

nervous to give her constructive feedback, but when I did, her response was so

professional that I calmed right down. She did not get defensive or deflect. Instead, Khyla

asked for some tips of how to improve her performance. She did this, because she truly

cares about her students and wants to be the best for them. I was grateful to have had the
GSL EXPERIENCE 5

opportunity to teach with Khyla and I learned so much from her, the importance of

reflecting each day being the one that will stick with me the most.

As someone with a teaching degree and a background in student theories, one of

my favorite aspects of my master’s program is the focus on student development theories.

It was fascinating to see a few of the main theories in person, instead of just reading

about it in a textbook. One of the theories I believe I got to see in person, and also one of

my favorite theories, is Baxter-Malgolda’s theory of Self-Authorship. According to

Baxter Malgoda (2004), “Self-Authorship is the capacity to internally define a coherent

belief system and identity that coordinates mutual relations with others.” Using self-

authorship, I know that all of my students are in the early stages of their journey and that

they each have a lot of external forces that play large roles in their decision-making. This

was evident in the beginning semester when I would ask students why they decided to go

to college. A very common answer was “my dad/mom/teacher told me…” As someone

who is in the later stages of self-authorship, that phrase always gives me pause because I

wish students would choose college for themselves. However, when I look back at my

own college experience, it starts the same way that theirs did, which gives me faith that

they will continue through the stages the same way that I did. Without the GSL, I would

not have gotten to see this theory, as well as a few others, in person or to help students

navigate so many difficult situations that way I did this semester.

One of the best parts of my experience of being a GSL that I will carry with me to

all of my future jobs is the connection I made between student affairs and academic

affairs. Although I am not a professor, and do not currently plan on becoming one, it was

still interesting to “peek behind the curtain” as to what instructing a class looks like. Even
GSL EXPERIENCE 6

though I have teaching experience, I still found new respect for how much planning and

preparation it takes to make a class go smoothly. I learned that students can certainly be

difficult and sometimes you can bend over backwards for them and they still will not get

the work completed. I believe the professionals in the Academic Affairs and Student

Affairs realms need to work together more often in order to see how crucial each of their

work is and to find places, because there is a lot, where their jobs over lap. Every faculty

and staff member, hopefully, at a university has a passion for students and a mission to

help them succeed. I learned that the biggest difference between Student Affairs and

Academic Affairs is the delivery and primary focus of how they each help students

succeed. In academic affairs obviously the delivery occurs through lessons in a classroom

setting, readings, and papers and the focus is content knowledge that will lead a student

to graduate. The delivery method for Student Affairs is much more broad; there is

programs in the residence halls, open dialogues at resource centers, and much more. The

purpose of Student Affairs is to help students with all the things out of classroom that

may affect performance in it. Both Student Affairs and Academic Affairs is needed for a

student to be optimally successful both until graduation and beyond. Without one, the

other becomes weaker. Without the GSL experience I would not have had such an

admiration for the Academic Affairs side of higher education.

As I have previously stated, the way this semester of instructing for UNIV 100 is

not at all what I originally signed up for or anticipated. It may have been a few weeks

into the semester for me to change my perspective, from being disappointed and second-

guessing why I even applied for this position to realizing that my students and I would

only get to have this experience once and that I should just make the most of it. Once I
GSL EXPERIENCE 7

made this shift, I was much more excited for the possibilities for my course. I began

opening up, when appropriate, to students, which made me more relatable and

approachable. I implemented more time for one on ones and worked to get to know my

students more on a personal level. Because of this experience, I learned that students,

particularly first-year students, really want to feel connected to their instructors. Students

want to feel that the instructor cares about their students and their success. I believe this

is something that I could have done better in the beginning of the semester but now I am

confident that I can do this well. Overall, the GSL experience raised my confidence in

myself, in both my knowledge and my abilities. I am now confident that I am more

prepared to work with this new generation of students as well as first-year students in

general. Though much different than anticipated, I am very happy that I took the

opportunity to be a Graduate Student Leader.

GSL EXPERIENCE 8

References

Baxter Malgoda, M.B. (2004). Self-authorship as the common goal of 21st century

education. In Baxter Magolda & P.M. King (Eds.), Learning partnerships: Theory and

models of practice to educate for self-authorship (pp.1-35).