Running head: LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE: STRENGTHS 1

Learning Outcome Narrative: Strengths

Lauren E. Van Fossen

Seattle University
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Learning Outcome Narrative: Strengths

Throughout this program, there are areas of my learning that strengthened my academic

and professional experiences. I entered the Student Development Administration program

having recently graduated from my undergraduate institution. I was relatively new to the field

and my own professional development. However, I feel that a theme across my strengths from

this program has been that they all contribute to life-long learning. My strengths and

development have encompassed one-on-one developmental advising, a focus on development of

research, and assessment and professional formation.

Advising (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 5 Artifacts A, C3, D)

Throughout this portfolio process, I have realized that I have had extensive experience

with Learning Outcome #2: Understanding students and student issues and Learning

Outcome #5: Adapting students services to specific environments and cultures, as I believe

these two learning outcomes are key in advising. Key dimensions I have demonstrated in LO #2

are: understanding the needs of under resourced student populations, building and utilizing

counseling and listening skills, and fostering meaningful relationships with students.

I applied to the Student Development Administration program originally with the

intention of becoming an academic advisor. I was overjoyed to be hired as the graduate assistant

in the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center. In combination with this advising

experience, the academic content of COUN 5100 Fundamental Counseling Skills has helped

me build the counseling foundations to move away from solving others problems and toward

listening to avoid making assumptions. Upon reflecting on my Artifact A: Resume, my

experiences built my advising skills, whether through orientation, academic affairs, or career
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services. Furthermore, developmental academic advising and individual connections drive me in

my work and is the space wherein I seek to understand students and student needs.

Key dimensions I have demonstrated in LO #5 include: integrating theory/academic

content to adapt to adult learners and graduate students, understanding the culture and history of

the department or institution through research and dialogue, and adapting my frame of mind

away from the needs of the traditionally-aged student. I have demonstrated Learning Outcome

#5 in my advising experiences and my internship at University of Washington-Bothell Career

Services, as exemplified in Artifact D: Professional Letter of Promise, written by my

supervisor, Kim Wilson. It was in this internship experience where I had conversations with

staff and students and researched best practices and existing data in order to understand the

students I was working with. From there, I integrated course content, specifically andragogy

(Knowles, 1984), experiential learning (Kolb, 1984), and significant learning experiences (Fink,

2013) from EDUC 5130 Adult Learning and AEDT 5100 Course Design for Adult Learners,

so that students were engaged and felt accomplished in advising and programming sessions. For

example, students left workshops with tangible products, such as a reviewed resume or a

completed elevator pitch. As I transition into my full-time academic advising role I plan to

integrate theory and what I have learned in my internship experiences to be intentional of

understanding students, particularly underrepresented and under-resourced student populations,

in order to meet the needs of those student in my capacity as an advisor.

Overall, my advising experiences, in combination with my academic knowledge, have

helped me to demonstrate skill in Learning Outcome #1: Understanding the foundations and

emerging nature of the Student Affairs profession and higher education. The key

dimensions of LO #1 that I have demonstrated have been understanding different functional

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areas in student affairs, understanding the intersection and integration of student and academic

affairs, and developing an awareness of emerging trends in higher education. Before the Student

Development Administration program, I had a limited understanding of student affairs. Taking

SDAD 5300 Foundations in the Student Affairs Profession allowed me to develop a

beginning understanding of the history of higher education and student affairs where I was

challenged to think critically about my personal experience in Greek Life and its role in student

affairs and higher education. Furthermore, I developed an understanding of many emerging

trends that impact my professional practice; such as engaging and connecting with an

increasingly diverse student population that is also the most technologically connected

generation of students. Artifact C3: Best Presentation demonstrates my understanding of

emerging trends in the functional area of career services by providing a history of career

development trends and theories that have impacted out work as practitioners and have been

driven by external economic forces. I strive to continue to learn about the history of theories and

trends of higher education, while also being cognizant of the current events and emerging trends

that impact my work.

Research and Assessment (Learning Outcome 7, Artifact C1)

A theme across my coursework and assignments has been my strength in research and

assessment, Learning Outcome #7: Utilizing assessment, evaluation, technology, and

research to improve practice. The key dimensions I have demonstrated for LO #7 have been

analyzing assessment to inform and adapt programming, creating assessments based on learning

outcomes and goals of a department, and conducting qualitative research as exemplified by

Artifact C1. Before entering the program, I did not feel that I would be involved in research and

assessment. The strength in my scholarly writing and my ability to assess the validity of
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methodology of research designs that began in EDUC 5000 Introduction to Educational

Research led me to pursue SDAD 5990 Student Development Graduate Project and complete

my graduate research project on student veteran support at South Seattle College, Artifact C1:

Best Scholarly Paper. Through this course I developed an appreciation for qualitative research,

as my minimal experience with research had been working with quantitative methods and data.

By executing and analyzing student and administrator interviews and focus groups, I developed a

deeper understanding of the power of the narrative and its ability to provide support for change

in higher education (Creswell, 2014).

In an attempt to develop my assessment and evaluation skills, assessment has been

integrated into my academic coursework, professional experiences in both my graduate

assistantship and internships, and my co-curricular opportunities. For example, in SDAD 5750

Best Practices in Student Services, I was exposed to the differences in assessment between

two-year colleges and four-year universities, and the level of integration assessment and data are

engrained in their work. In addition to this course, I completed the Divisional Assessment

Working Groups Assessment Certification Program where created mock learning outcomes and

assessments for my advising department that align with the institutions goals and values.

Throughout my internship experiences in Student Development Administration Preview Days at

Seattle University and Career Services at University of Washington-Bothell, I analyzed the data

from previous assessments in order to adapt and improve my programming for the needs of the

graduate students.

Professional Development (Learning Outcomes 3, 10 Artifacts B, C3)

Having graduated from my undergraduate institution only one year before I began

graduate school, I had little confidence in myself as a professional. I was grateful for the
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graduate assistantship and the internship program where I was able to grow as a professional and

feel confident to enter the student affairs field. A strength I have developed throughout this

program has been exhibited by Learning Outcome #10: Establishing and enhancing

professional identity by developing my advising philosophy that demonstrates my core values

of learning, development, and encouragment. I feel that advising is a space to share knowledge

for equitable navigation and access to resources for students. Furthermore, I have experience in

different functional areas and institution types through internships and my network of

professionals and peers across many institutions. The key dimensions I have exhibited in

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

professional practice include: observing leaders balance their professional and personal

integrity, determining my own professional and personal values, and demonstrating integrity and

consistency in upholding policies through my professional work as an academic advisor.

Throughout the course SDAD 5900 Student Development Capstone Seminar, I have

been able to articulate my experiences and advising philosophy, both in tailored cover letters and

in Artifact B: Mission Statement. It was my internship in Career Services at University of

Washington-Bothell where I was able to take initiative and establish programming for graduate

students that did not exist. This independent experience helped me claim my professional

identity by integrating academic content with best practices to provide intentional services for

students. Artifact C3: Best Presentation demonstrates my ability to identify my

accomplishments and areas of growth professionally and critically. I feel that I have been able to

move from thinking about my own professional challenges to thinking about my students and

their own needs. I have been able to center the experiences of my students in the work that I do,

which exemplifies a growth in my professional values of care, personal development, inclusivity,

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and relationship building. Artifact B: Mission Statement demonstrates my values of affirming

experiences in student development work and working towards helping students navigate

academic environments that were not set up for them to succeed. Through this, I capitalize on

my strength of developing and encouraging others and compelling myself to continue to learn.

Professional development opportunities have had a large impact on my personal and professional

identity formation. I aim to continue learning through informal and formal trainings in order to

take advantage of the learning environment I get to professionally work in.

Conclusion

Throughout this program, I have grown in the areas of advising; writing, research and

assessment; and professional identity formation, which all contribute to life-long learning.

Learner, as my top strength in the Strengths Finder (Rath, 2007) assessment, has driven me to

reimagine my own strengths and my capacity for development. To be able to claim myself as a

professional and a strong writer contributes to my ambition to further my learning, pursue a

doctorate degree, continue professional development in advising, and to challenge myself in

areas that I had always thought I was not competent in. By doing this, I will view myself in a

growth mindset with the capacity for learning and change.

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References

Creswell, J. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches

(4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass.

Knowles, M. (1984). The adult learner: A neglected species (3rd ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf

Publishing.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and

development (Vol. 1). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Rath, T. (2007). Strengths finder 2.0. New York, NY: Gallup Press.