Student Learning & Development
As a student affairs professional, I am invested in the holistic development of students as they navigate their college journey. I strive to make an impact as an educator and mentor. To support them in their journey, it is crucial that I have a firm understanding of student development theories and models and that I can adapt them into my practice. The HESA coursework allowed me to engage in reflections on my own background, experiences and salient identities, how my lived experiences and interactions with the people and systems around me are shaped as a result. Through the experience of serving as a co-instructor for EDUC-U450 Foundations for Residential Life, I had the opportunity to facilitate student learning and development in a classroom setting; I had the pleasure to help students explore their relationship with their social identities and reflect on how they want to show up as student leaders, and this experience helped deepen my understanding of the complexities of student development in the teaching practice. My coursework and professional experience have helped me achieve the outcome of the Student Learning and Development competency area listed below. In a new environment, I will continue to apply and deepen my knowledge of student development in my work and be intentional in creating learning experiences and learning outcomes for the students I serve.
Foundational Competency Outcome
Related Experience
Articulate theories and models that describe the development of college students and the conditions and practices that facilitate holistic development (e.g., learning, psychosocial and identity development, cognitive-structural, typological, environmental, and moral).
Engaging with professors and cohort peers about student development theory related coursework through conversations and discussions on how the theory can show up in and serve our practice.
Articulate how race, ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, dis/ability, and religious belief can influence development during the college years.
Facilitating and then debriefing activities conducive to the reflection and discussion on social identities, power, and privilege with prospective RAs and new RAs.
Identify the strengths and limitations in applying existing theories and models to varying student demographic groups.
Assessing the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing prevailing theories and models for diverse student demographic cohorts through the HESA coursework and adapting the theory when training, supervising, and advising students.
Articulate one’s own developmental journey in relation to formal theories.
Using HESA coursework to re-examine my lived experiences through the lens of formal student development theories in relation to my own marginalized and privileged identities, leading to realization on how my socialization shaped my perspectives.
Construct learning outcomes for both daily practice as well as teaching and training activities.
Creating learning outcomes for newly hired academic advisors in onboarding and training materials through my practicum experience with the Office of Student in Transition.
Intermediate Competency Outcome
Related Experience
Design programs and services to promote student learning and services to promote student learning and development that are based on current research on student learning and development theories.
Co-instructing an 8-week for-credit course designed to develop leadership skills and educate on identity, power, and oppression.
Utilize theory-to-practice models to inform individual or unit practice (scholarship to practice).
Implementing theory to my supervisory practice, using identity conscious supervision in my interactions and rapport building with my staff.
Critique dominant group perspective present in some models of student learning and development and modify for use in practice.
Developing a promising practice designed to transform inequitable environments and support women of color on college campuses based on research in my graduate coursework.