Running head: LEARNING OUTCOME NARRATIVE 1

Learning Outcome Narrative:

Areas of Growth

Kaitlyn Vallance

Seattle University
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Introduction

Within this narrative, I will describe my areas of growth during the SDA program: ​academic and

professional confidence​. I​ n order to best illustrate how the SDA academic content and my co-curricular

experiences assisted me in identifying academic and professional confidence as my area of growth, I will be

using the following SDA Learning Outcomes and Artifacts from my portfolio: ​LOs #1, #6, #7, #8 and #9 ​and

Artifacts A, B, D, E, F and G​. Please refer to my portfolio to review these artifacts more fully than they are

discussed here.

Prior to the Student Development Administration Program

Before discussing the areas of growth I identified after two years in the SDA program, it is important I

provide a context for my focus on my academic and professional confidence. When I arrived at the University

of Puget Sound in 2012 to begin my undergraduate studies, I did so as a low-income, first generation college

student. Growing up, my mother had told me that if I wanted to make it to college, I would have to get there on

my own because we did not have the money, connections or experience my affluent peers had that made the

process a significantly less daunting challenge for them. With my mother’s words in mind, I knew getting into

college would not be the last obstacle on my way to a college degree - I would have to find a way to persist.

I spent my five years as an undergraduate in a state of perpetual stress and anxiety. This stress and

anxiety stemmed from a feeling that I felt as if I was constantly “waiting for the other shoe to drop” in a variety

of ways: either I would lose my loan eligibility or scholarships and had to leave; faculty would realize I was not

intelligent enough to be there; or, worst of all, I myself would realize I was not good enough to be there. In

reality, I was an excellent student and was involved in a number of leadership roles on my campus; however, I

could not help but feel as if I was somehow fooling my professors and my peers and that I did not deserve or

actually earn my successes. Frustratingly, these feelings did not abate until long after I graduated.

Area of Growth: Academic and Professional Confidence

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It was not until I began the SDA program that I felt I could call myself a good student and a capable

professional. Despite feeling inexperienced since I joined my cohort immediately after graduating from the

University of Puget Sound, I realized I was able to meaningfully engage in discussion and scholarly work at the

same level as my more seasoned peers. This was a thrilling feeling for someone who had spent the majority of

their time in post-secondary education feeling like the obvious stranger in a strange land. Reflecting on my

current feelings of academic and professional confidence compared to my feelings during my undergraduate

years, I have identified three sub-areas that illustrate my growth: (1) combatting imposter syndrome; (2) making

data-driven decisions; and (3) cultivating an authentic professional voice. I use these three sub-areas, in

conjunction with the learning outcomes (LO) and artifacts stated in the introduction, to delineate the growth in

my academic and professional confidence.

Combatting Imposter Syndrome (LO #8 & #9; Artifacts D, E & G)

Langford and Clance (1993) define imposter syndrome as “the psychological experience of believing

that one’s accomplishments came about not through genuine ability, but as a result of having been lucky, having

worked harder than others, or having manipulated other people's impressions.” While these beliefs are difficult

to overcome, I am able to do so by focusing on how my knowledge and skills have tangibly grown in

communicating in writing and speech (​LO #8​) and in understanding my two areas of professional interest: law

and policy (​LO #9​).

LO #8: Communicating Effectively in Writing and Speech. ​Despite feelings of imposter syndrome,

the first dimension of this learning outcome - producing clear, high-quality writing - is one in which I possess

considerable skil. One example of my academic writing which I am particularly proud of is the Professional

Development Project I completed in SDAD 5900: Student Development Capstone Seminar (​G​). Within this

project, I examined the Department of Education’s proposed Title IX regulation permitting the use of mediation

in sexual misconduct cases, interviewed three Title IX coordinators and synthesized those interviews with

scholarly articles to provide recommendations to institutions should the proposed regulations go into effect. My
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professional development project also demonstrates my ability to make complicated material with multiple

competing voices accessible to laypersons, which I would argue is the second dimension of learning outcome

#8.

I still encounter feelings of imposter syndrome when it comes to the third dimension of this learning

outcome: communicating clearly in speech. I have always felt considerable anxiety over presenting or

facilitating in front of others because I feel as though someone will point out that I do not know what I am

talking about or disprove something I was certain of. I have began to overcome my anxiety around speaking in

front of others by using technology, like Zoom, to practice my public speaking through recording presentations

for online delivery. Dr. Wilson, who supervised me during my internship, describes the importance and

effectiveness of my recorded presentation in his professional letter of promise to me (​D​). Dr. Wilson’s positive

reception of my recorded presentation has grown my confidence and has encouraged me to practice my “public

speaking” online before I return to in-person presentations. Consequently, I received positive feedback in

SDAD 5640 and SDAD 5900 regarding the growth in my oral presentation skills.

LO #9: Understanding Issues Surrounding Law, Policy, Finance and Governance. ​My academic

and professional growth around law, policy, finance and governance has been incredible for my confidence as

law and policy are two areas of interest for me within higher education. Two important dimensions to this

learning outcome are (1) staying current with the ever-changing nature of the law and (2) creating adaptable

policies that can evolve with the changing legal landscape. While initially I felt my lack of experience working

with the law and crafting policy was obvious and insurmountable, my experience in SDAD 5800: Higher

Education Law allowed me to use my strengths in critical reflection and research to significantly enhance my

law and policy knowledge. Revisiting my NASPA/ACPA Competencies, in 2017 I rated my “law, policy and

governance” competency as a 3, whereas I now rate myself a 4.5 (​E​). Being able to see that growth just within

the last two years makes me confident I can succeed in staying current and knowledgeable with both the legal

landscape and institutional policies.

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The third dimension of this learning outcome is similar to the second dimension of learning outcome #8:

being able to explain complicated processes, procedures and ideas in law, policy, finance and governance in an

accessible way to a variety of stakeholders. Once again, I point to my Professional Development Project (​G​) as

evidence of the growth in my academic and professional confidence and a tangible “victory” against my

imposter syndrome because I add my voice to those of Title IX coordinators whom I respect to make the

proposed Title IX regulations more accessible to folks who do not understand how these laws impact higher

education policies.

Making Data-Driven Decisions (LO #7; Artifacts A & F)

My newfound ability to use assessment to answer questions like “how do we know that what we do and

believe are effective or important” is key to the growth in my academic and professional confidence

(Gansemer-Topf, A.M., & Kennedy-Phillips, L.C., 2017). I credit my skills and knowledge around assessment

to my internship experience in SDAD 5640: Internship in SDA I.

LO #7: Utilizing Assessment, Evaluation, Technology and Research to Improve Practice. ​An

important dimension to this learning outcome is being able to determine which internal and external

stakeholders influence your assessment and evaluation activities. As highlighted in my aspirational resume (​A​),

during my internship I had to be cognizant of the various institutional stakeholders who would be viewing the

recommendations I provided after assessing and evaluating data from SDA graduate assistants and craft my

presentation of that data in a convincing, accessible manner. I felt confident crafting a “story” behind this data

for stakeholders because I was also aware of a second dimension to learning outcome #7: using assessment as a

tool for accountability, improvement and transformation (Gansemer-Topf, A.M., & Kennedy-Phillips, L.C.,

2017). Because I had a powerful motivation behind presenting this data - to improve the experience of SDA

students in their graduate experiences - I felt confident and empowered to present my data-driven

recommendations.
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My 3-Year Professional Development Plan (​F​) demonstrates my third dimension for learning outcome

#7, which is making a commitment to continued research upon completing or between earning advanced

degrees. In my professional development plan, I describe areas of future research I would like to explore around

my interest area of student conduct. This commitment to continued research gives me a sense of academic and

professional confidence because I will be able to stay current with the best practices in the field to better serve

students.

Cultivating an Authentic Professional Voice (LO #1 & #6; Artifact A, B & G)

My goal in building my academic and professional confidence is, ultimately, a journey to find and claim

my unique voice within our profession. While I do not always feel confident in speaking in unfamiliar settings

and scenarios in higher education, I do feel that my experiences in the SDA program have helped me feel more

secure in the knowledge and skills I do have and that I can genuinely speak out in higher education “circles.”

LO #1: Understanding the Foundations and Emerging Nature of the Student Affairs Profession

and Higher Education. ​To me, learning outcome #1’s three dimensions are clearly communicated in its

language: “understanding,” “foundations” and “emerging.” Firstly, it is my responsibility to understand and

consider how my professional practice is grounded within the past, present and future of the field to better

contextualize my role and its evolution within an institution/higher education. I feel my mission statement (​B​) is

evidence of my ability to integrate myself into the past (education as a human right), present (cura personalis)

and future (lifting as I climb) of student affairs in a way that is distinct and authentic to my values and beliefs as

a professional and educator.

The second dimension to this LO is critically examining foundational student development theories and

adopting the aspects of those theories and practices that are beneficial. To accomplish this, I do not use student

development theory in a prescriptive or limiting way just because it is a well-known theory in our field. Instead,

I blend together foundational and newly emerging theories and best practices within my work - putting them in

conversation with one another because I now feel confident the knowledge I have gained in the SDA program.
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In order to create these “hybrid” best practices and theories, it is crucial I keep myself educated about emerging

work in the field, which I see as the important third dimension to this learning outcome. This well-researched

hybridization of theories and best practices allows me to craft my voice through “borrowing” others’ voices.

LO #6: Developing and Demonstrating Skills in Leadership and Collaboration. ​Again, we have an

example of a learning outcome whose dimensions include the sub-area it supports. I think cultivating one’s

authentic professional voice is necessary in developing as a leader because, otherwise, you cannot present a

clear, convincing vision to those you are leading. My resume (​A​) clearly communicates my basic collaborative

leadership style through describing the unique values and experience I have in leading/advising teams.

I feel my resume (​A​) also speaks to the second dimension for this learning outcome: “stepping up when

others don’t want to and making things happen” (Dugan, J.P., & Osteen, L., 2017). The vast array of

experiences within each of the positions I have held are often a result of me being the only person willing to

take on a project or challenge on my team. In challenging myself to problem-solve and respond in a broad

variety of situations, especially in my role as a Student Success Coach at Cornish College of the Arts, I have

built a confidence in my leadership ability within myself and the team at Cornish.

Regarding collaboration, the final dimension of this LO would be managing the competing priorities and

interests of those you are working with. In my professional development project (​G​), I ran the risk of having my

own voice drowned out of my research since the three Title IX coordinators I interviewed had strong opinions

about the proposed regulations. I had to have confidence in my own interpretation of the proposed regulations

and believe in the power of my professional voice in order to ensure I was the clearest voice in my own research

while giving respectful space to the three other voices in my project.

Conclusion

After two years in the Student Development Administration program, I feel I developed not only in an

academic or professional sense, as demonstrated in the artifacts I have included here, but holistically as an

individual. Ultimately, I am very proud of the final product of my time in the SDA program: myself.
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References

Gansemer-Topf, A.M., & Kennedy-Phillips, L.C. (2017). Assessment and evaluation. In Schuh, J.H., Jones,

S.R., & Torres, V. (Eds.), ​Student services: A handbook for the profession (6th ed.)​ (pp. 327 - 343).

Jossey-Bass.

Dugan, J.P., & Osteen, L. (2017). Leadership. In Schuh, J.H., Jones, S.R., & Torres, V. (Eds.), ​Student services:

handbook for the profession (6th ed.)​ (pp. 408 - 422). Jossey-Bass.

Langford, J., & Clance, P. R. (1993). The imposter phenomenon: recent research findings regarding dynamics,

personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. ​Psychotherapy: Theory, Research,

Practice, Training,​ 30(3), 495 - 501.