Running head: LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE AREAS OF GROWTH

Dario Ogaz
Learning Outcome Narrative Areas of Growth
Seattle University

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE AREAS OF GROWTH

Learning Outcome Narrative Areas of Growth: LO #3, 7, 9; Artifacts H, A, G, I, C2)
LO #3 Key Dimensions: recognition of learned and assumed values; exploration of knowledge
to enhance professional development; and intentionality when incorporating values into
professional practice.
LO #7 Key Dimensions: conducting research and assessment; using best practice to inform
practice around critical student issues; and incorporation of developing technology into practice.
LO #9 Key Dimensions: foundational understanding of the role of higher education law on daily
practice; compliance with federal and state policy that protects and serves students interests; and
supporting students in understanding how an institutions legal responses and policies impact
their experience.
Introduction
My time in the SDA program has provided me with many opportunities to develop skills and
competencies required to be a successful student affairs practitioner. My motivation for entering
this program was so that I could develop the knowledge and ability to work directly with
students and support them as they navigate the many challenges of the university setting. This
program is practitioner-focused and, therefore, I had many opportunities to explore concepts
such as leadership, multicultural competency, foundational knowledge of student affairs, and a
theory to practice focus. Reflecting on my experience, the areas of growth that I have identified
all pertain to more in-depth skills that were not directly developed in my course work, my
assistantship, and my internships. These areas include deeper understanding of legal and
governance concepts and issues in higher education, assessment and research skills, and
understanding of how to integrate my personal ethical framework into my role as a practitioner.
There were certainly opportunities to address these skills and I have grown in all of them since

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE AREAS OF GROWTH

my time here, but I realize that these areas must be continually developed if I want to achieve my
professional and personal goals.
Competency and Understanding of Legal and Governance Issues (LO #9, Artifact C2, H)
Before I entered this program, my understanding of legal issues in higher education was
extremely limited and certainly from the perspective of an undergraduate student. The most
familiar legal concept I was familiar with was the Family Educational Rights Protection Act
(FERPA) that was necessary for my job as a Desk Manager in a Residence Hall. Similarly, my
understanding of governance was from a student perspective and was developed through
involvement with Undergraduate Student Government at my undergraduate institution and
having to navigate various barriers and policies as the president of a student organization.
My time in the SDA program provided opportunities to begin exploring legal and governance
concepts in higher education and the implications they have in professional practice. These
issues were most explicitly addressed in the courses SDAD 5800: Higher Education Law and
SDAD 5760: Leadership and Governance in Post-Secondary Education. Through these courses I
was able to begin understanding relevant legal and governance issues that student affairs
practitioners and administrators must consider in their professional work. This began the
development of LO#9 and was demonstrated in my course work, conversations in class, and even
in my assistant ship when I organized a training about FERPA for student staff. The Kaplan and
Lee (2006) text was crucial in my understanding and growth in competency about legal issues in
Higher Education and through the text I learned about various dynamics of law and how they
apply to colleges and universities. An especially crucial piece of learning that will certainly
impact my future practice is the necessity for colleges and universities to have written
documentation of their policies and procedures and to follow them exactly as indicated (Kaplan

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE AREAS OF GROWTH

and Lee, 2006). This is especially important when dealing with issues of student conduct and
their experience in the university judicial system. As I consider my experience as Conduct
Officer, I recognize the importance of following procedures when adjudicating cases. If I were
to improperly follow procedure and written guidelines, I could potentially put the university at
risk for legal action.
I have grown in my understanding of governance issues throughout this program and have a
foundational knowledge of how institutions make decisions and what factors are taken into
consideration, especially in responses to campus crises. In Artifact C2, I analyze an institutional
response to a campus crisis and critique it based off of my learning and various texts that were
presented in SDAD 5760: Leadership and Governance in Post-Secondary Education. This
artifact demonstrates LO#9 in that I am able to analyze how campus leaders were governing a
situation on campus, with special emphasis on understanding who was considered and involved
in the decision making. In Artifact C2, I reference Hrabowskis (2006) suggestion of identifying
key players in a situation when administrators are trying to implement a new program. This is
a key aspect of governance because administrators must be aware of who is impacted by a
decision and consider how those impacts could positively or negatively affect the relationship
between the institution and each key player. This understanding shows growth in my
competency of the governance and policy aspects of LO #9.
Looking forward, I will continue to develop these competencies by seeking opportunities to
learn about current legal issues in higher education, for example, the intricacies of Title IX and
how it impacts various communities on campus. Additionally, seeking further engagement with
the conduct system at my institution will help me better understand the legal impacts and
considerations when responding to student conduct. In regard to governance, I see this as a

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE AREAS OF GROWTH

competency that will develop with time and involvement with various professionals and
administrators on campus. Each institutional environment and context will impact the
governance and policies practiced, so sustained engagement in the field will develop this
competency.
Assessment and Research Skills (LO # 7; Artifacts A, G, I)
Entering this program my experience with conducting research was solely from a project that
I completed in a Communication Studies course at my undergraduate institution. This
experience taught me basic principles of research such as: the distinction between qualitative and
quantitative research, strategies to collect data, and knowledge of how to create a research paper.
While I chose this program because of its focus on practice rather than research, I still have
learned how crucial research is to practice and the need for practitioners to consult and conduct
research when they can. Two courses in particular provided learning and development around
LO#7 were EDUC 5000: Introduction to Educational Research and SDAD 5750: Best Practices
in Student Services. EDUC 5000 provided foundational knowledge about various components of
research and required me to create a research proposal about a topic in student affairs. This
understanding will be beneficial when I eventually conduct my own research. Artifact I project
my professional goals for the next five years and includes continued development and skill
building in the areas of assessment and research, with special focus on the use of technology and
learning new systems that focus on assessment and data collection. This will continue to be an
important competency to build as institutions are being pressured to collect data and prove that
their student services are actually positively impacting student learning and retention.
Development of LO #7 is also demonstrated in Artifact G which is a presentation of research
that was conducted in SDAD 5750. My group was tasked with researching promising practices

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at various institutions in creating First Year Experience programs that help students transition
into the college environment. We researched various programs at various institutions and
presented the data with connections to issues like retention and campus climate. This artifact
demonstrates my ability to conduct targeted research and use data to improve professional
practice.
As I reflect on how I can continue to grow and develop a deeper level of competency in this
area, I again refer to Artifact I and my plan to address this competency within five years of
leaving the SDA program. My commitment to further developing my skills in research and
assessment will help me to become a well-rounded practitioner that uses research and theory to
inform my practice. The connection of theory to practice is something that I already include in
my work, but it will continue to be necessary as I navigate the field of student affairs. Having a
commitment to becoming more competent as a research/scholar-practitioner will also allow me
to build relationships with other practitioners who value research and the implications it has on
professional practice.
Integration of Personal Ethical Framework into Practice (LO #3; Artifact C1)
When I entered the SDA program, I had a clear understanding of my personal values and
how I lived them in my everyday life. I was passionate about social justice and knew that I
would continue to integrate that into my work in student affairs. As Ive journeyed through the
program, I have continually reflected on what is important to me as an individual and how that
influences my professional practice and goals. As I prepare to leave the program, I am beginning
to realize that continue to incorporate my values into my work will be crucial in my professional
success in the field, as well as my personal happiness with the career choices that I have made.

LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE AREAS OF GROWTH

The most significant way that I have demonstrated LO #3 is through artifact C1, which is my
Philosophical Statement that was created in SDAD 5300: Foundations of Student Affairs. This
required me to profess what I value as a student affairs practitioner and discuss how I will begin
to integrate those passions in my practice. One of the most important concepts that was
addressed in this artifact was based in Paulo Freires (2000) notion of education as a form of
liberation. The idea of education as a way to liberate oneself and transform the world is
something that speaks to me on a personal level and one of the biggest motivating factors for my
engagement in student affairs. Education has provided me with an understanding of my personal
identities and the world around me that has allowed me to critically examine structures that
impose oppression and discrimination. This value is something that drives my work and inspires
me to provide students with opportunities for transformative and liberating education.
As I consider my future in the field, I will continue to find ways to incorporate this value into
my work and continue to be self-reflective so that I may continue my own education. This
requires intentional relationship building with my students and colleagues so that I can better
understand who they are and what they value in life. This is an important step because a crucial
part of engaging in transformative and liberating education is to understand how personal
experiences and identities play a role in ones life. If I want to grow in my ability to profess and
practice my value of liberating education, I will need to stay committed to critical self reflection
and intentional relationship building, no matter where I am.

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References
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.
Hrabowski, F.H. (2006). Moral leadership: Promoting high achievement among minority
students in science. In Brown (ed.), University presidents as moral leaders, pp. 135-142.
Kaplan, W.A., & Lee, B.A. (2009). A legal guide for student affairs professionals. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.