Running head: LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 1

Learning Outcome Narrative: Strengths

Rachel Fielding

Seattle University
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Learning Outcome Narrative: Strengths

As I reflect upon where I started and how far I have come in the Seattle University (SU)

Student Development Administration (SDA) program, I believe my key strengths are represented

by the overarching theme of exploration and meaning making. My time in this program has been

dedicated to the exploration of myself and new opportunities, and making meaning of who I am.

Three sub-themes that have emerged as a result of my explorative nature are: professional

identity, student support, and leadership. This portion of my learning outcome (LO) narrative

will discuss each of these sub areas as an articulation of my key strengths as a student-centered

and forward-thinking practitioner.

Professional Identity (LO 3 & 10; Artifacts A, B & F)

As a result of the culmination of my learning and experience in the SDA program, I have

been able to concretely establish who I am as a practitioner (LO #10). In my experience, the

three key dimensions inherent in LO #10 are recognizing my skills and competencies,

understanding the why behind my work, and demonstrating a commitment to continued

professional development and growth. My current polished resume (Artifact A) articulates the

experiences that have helped to shape my skills and professional identity to date, while my three-

year professional development and action plan (Artifact F) demonstrates the ways in which I

plan to continue enhancing my professional self as someone who identifies as a life-long learner.

Over the last two years, our coursework in SDAD 5400: Student Development Theory,

Research, and Practice has greatly influenced how I have grown and evolved in my professional

identity. When considering my experience, I think about how Schlossberg’s (2006) Theory of

Transition and Baxter-Magolda’s (2001) Theory of Self-Authorship have informed my self-

exploration and personal meaning making processes. By reflecting on and understanding the
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sources of support I have lacked in my own transitional events (especially related to my identity

as a first generation transfer student), I have been able to better articulate how my personal

journey with education informs my commitment to student affairs (Patton et. al., 2016). My time

in the SDA program has also pushed me to further develop and understand my personal sense of

self, beliefs, and values through self-authorship (Patton et. al., 2016). More specifically, my

academic and co-curricular experiences in this program have helped me to find and trust my

internal voice, grounding my professional practice in a greater sense of confidence within myself

and my abilities (Patton, et. al., 2016).

As a result of my understanding of theory, and my personal meaning making process

throughout this program, my professional identity has grown to encompass my salient identities,

values, and philosophy to practice (LO #3). For me, the three key dimensions of LO #3 are

knowing my personal and professional morals and values, understanding my space as a

privileged individual, and demonstrating intentionality in all areas of my work. My personal

mission statement (Artifact B) highlights how I aim to be present for myself, my students, my

colleagues, and the field of higher education by remaining true to my deepest values. This

mission statement also highlights how my values inform my approach and commitment to

student-centered, holistic, support in my professional practice.

My growth in LOs #3 and #10 is further demonstrated by my internship with SU

Learning Assistance Programs. This co-curricular role helped me to understand the skills I bring

to my experiences, and further informed my interests, passions, and approach to practice. In my

experience with Learning Assistance Programs I had to navigate a contested issue on SU’s

campus (relative to learning styles) which taught me how to advocate for something I believed in

while upholding the standards and beliefs of the greater institution (LO #3). Further, my work
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conducting 1:1 tutoring needs assessments in this department helped me to realize that I feel the

most fulfilled, and the most useful, when I am able to build personal and impactful relationships

in my work. As a result of this experience, I now find myself seeking direct student facing

contact, and am seeking roles more in alignment with the advising realm of practice (LO #10).

Student Support (LO 2, 5, 7; Artifacts D & G)

During my time in the SDA program, my commitment to student support has also

emerged as one of my key strengths. In my approach, I seek to fully understand my students, the

backgrounds they come from, the seasons they are in, and the struggles they face (LO #2). The

three key dimensions of LO #2 include building direct relationships, recognizing the diversity in

student identities and narratives, and seeking to understand their barriers to success. I also

believe LO #5 and LO #7 embody my strengths in this area. When I consider LO #5, the three

key dimensions that emerge are awareness of institutional context and campus climate, knowing

and hearing the populations I am serving, and remaining adaptable in my practice to provide

relevant and effective support. LO #7 embodies the three key dimensions of understanding the

opportunities and challenges associated with institutional programming, policy, and practice,

remaining up to date on research and best practices in the field, and utilizing the tools and

resources available to us to improve the student experience.

My strengths in providing meaningful and relevant student support are best demonstrated

through my internship with Learning Assistance Programs (LAP) at SU, and my growth in

understanding of Student Development theory through SDAD 5400: Student Development

Theory, Research, and Practice. As I approached each of my duties and interactions within my

internship at LAP, I utilized Pope’s (2004) Model of Multicultural Competence

and Yosso’s (2005) Model of Community Cultural Wealth to inform my work. Grounding my
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practice in both frameworks helped me to understand the ways in which each individual student,

or group of students, I encounter differs from one another. When I think about these frameworks

I am reminded of the need to remain critically aware of how my (in many ways) privileged

experiences vastly differ from the experiences of the students I am serving. Artifact D, a

professional letter of promise written by my site supervisor, further demonstrates my openness to

learning and the growth I have shown in my ability to provide holistic student support.

The opportunity to facilitate tutoring needs assessments within this role allowed me to

integrate 1:1 student interaction into my professional practice. This experience served as a way

for me to understand the value in relationship building to providing appropriate support and

adapting my services. This role taught me that I cannot effectively adapt my services to specific

environments and cultures without first working to understand the students I am supporting. I

was able to adapt my personal approach to my role by adjusting my availability, focusing on my

use of inclusive language, and utilizing motivational interviewing skills to tease out their specific

perceived needs related to academic support.

Artifact G, my distinctive contribution, includes a workshop I designed to support

students of diverse grade levels, majors, and learning styles in identifying the study strategies

that may work best for them in their approach to academics outside the classroom. Informed by

Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning, I drew upon his Learning Styles to help my students to

understand the ways they best transfer and retain knowledge during the learning process (Evans

et. al., 2009). I presented this workshop two times during fall quarter, and found the student

feedback from my assessment of the first workshop to be critical to my improvement of the

second one. After the workshops, I assessed the overall Learning Strategy Workshop Series at

SU and provided recommendations for improvement, which is also demonstrated in Artifact G.

While evaluating this program, I was able to utilize research to draw upon universal design

practices at institutions such as Louisiana State University and Southern Methodist University to

inform and support my suggestions. This assessment work taught me the critical value in

utilizing research and best practices from the field to make positive changes.

Leadership (LO 6 & 8; Artifacts A, C1, & C3)

As a result of my time in the SDA program, leadership has also emerged as one of my

key strengths. The two learning outcomes that speak to my strengths as a leader are #6 and #8.

To me, LO #6 encompasses the three key dimensions of leading through empowerment,

collaboration, and service to myself and to the student affairs profession. LO #8 embodies the

ability to demonstrate clear, responsive, and genuine mannerisms in communication. My self-

exploration and reflection in STML 5910: Leadership Systems, Identity, and Practice served as

the catalyst of meaning making for me, and strengthened my confidence as a servant style leader.

As a result, my leadership practice is grounded in respect, responsibility, empowerment,

communication, and care to meet the needs of my students, colleagues, and department (Hunter,

1998). My coursework in SDAD 5400: Student Development Theory, Research and Practice and

SDAD 5590: The American Community College challenged me to collaborate with peers of

varying identities, passions, and levels of commitment in research and in writing. These

experiences taught me how to successfully collaborate with peers of learning, work, and

communication styles different from my own. Artifact C1, my best scholarly paper, is the final

product of one of these collaborative endeavors. Within these experiences, I also learned to

recognize when it is time to step in to keep projects moving and on track.

My professional resume (Artifact A) highlights the unique leadership positions I have

held throughout my experience leading up to and in the SDA program. My leadership experience
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first began to develop in my prior roles in residential life at Sonoma State University, but my

skills as a thoughtful, empowering, and supportive leader have evolved through my role as the

Executive Chair of SUSDA. Serving as SUSDA Chair has provided me with the opportunity to

guide (and collaborate with) a team of up to nine other board members to promote the holistic

development of the more than 60 students enrolled in our graduate program in areas of

community building, professional development, and academic support. In the face of multiple

challenges, including board resignations due to unforeseen circumstances, I have had to adapt

skills in problem solving, collaboration, delegation, and stepping in when necessary to ensure we

continued to meet the needs of our community. Within this role, I have grown in my ability to

empower others to make the decisions that best suit their circumstances, and have learned to

instill a sense of resiliency in myself and other members of my board in discouraging times.

Furthermore, this role has helped me to recognize my leadership skills in fostering community,

building connections, and creating safe and supportive spaces for differing identities. For

example, in collaboration with other members of my team, I implemented a program wide survey

designed to allow students to provide anonymous feedback relative to their experience in the

SDA program and the support provided by our organization.

Finally, within my role as the Graduate Assistant Training intern for the Division of

Student Development, I was given the autonomy to develop and facilitate trainings and

workshops for the incoming and continuing graduate assistants (GAs) of Seattle University.

Recognizing the need for expert input concerning Title IX, I collaborated with campus partners

to ensure the information in these trainings was consistent with University policies and

procedures. Artifact C3 demonstrates one of these workshops, and illustrates my commitment

to supporting GAs in fulfillment of their job responsibilities as it pertains to mandatory reporting.

References

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2009).  Kolb’s theory

of experiential learning.  In Authors. Student Development in College: Theory,

Research, and Practice (pp.136-152). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 

Hunter, J. C. (1998). The servant: A simple story about the true essence of leadership. New

York: Crown Publishing Group

Patton, L. D., Renn, K. A., Guido, F. M., Quay, S. J., Evans, N. J., & Forney, D. S. (2016).

Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (3rd edition). San

Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

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

affairs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community

cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69-91.