Learning Outcomes

A reflection on the learning outcomes I achieved throughout my graduate program in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University.

Learning Outcome 1: The Basis and Impact of my Identity & Positionality

Through classes like EDL 675, EDL 660E, EDL 667, and EDL 660C, I completed coursework that challenged me to recognize and examine my different identities and worldviews, and then to decipher how who I am and my experiences shapes me as a person and practitioner. I have learned to take into account my own perspectives and to recognize the impact that I may have on the lives of others. Coming into SAHE, I understood that my identities mattered, but I had not yet done the deep work of examining how they specifically show up in my professional practice. Through this coursework I was pushed to move beyond surface-level self-awareness and toward a more critical understanding of how my race, gender, disability, class background, and other identities simultaneously position me as both marginalized and privileged depending on the context. I learned that positionality is also not a one-time reflection, it is something that has to be continuously revisited as I encounter new students, new institutions, and new challenges. This outcome has been one of the most personally significant of my graduate experience because it changed not just how I see my work, but how I see myself within systems of power and higher education.

Learning Outcome 2: An Understanding of the use of Theory to Guide my Practice

Through courses like EDL 675 and EDL 706, I have grown to discover and learn about a multitude of different theories and frameworks as well as how they can be used within practice to support students and to make an impact. Through my coursework I was introduced to Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, and intersectionality as a theoretical framework, all of which fundamentally shifted the way I think about students and the systems they navigate. Learning about Critical Race Theory pushed me to move beyond a colorblind approach and to deeply recognize how race and racism are embedded in institutional policies, practices, and culture, which are things that may oftentimes go unnoticed. Queer theory challenged me to question the assumptions and norms that higher education institutions are built on, and to consider how students whose identities fall outside of those norms are often rendered invisible or unsupported. Intersectionality gave me a framework for better understanding how identities aren't experienced in silos; a student who is Black, queer, and low-income is simultaneously managing all of those identities as one unique experience, and that cannot be addressed by treating each identity independently. Altogether these theories have moved me from a practitioner who relies on acquired knowledge and experience to one who approaches student support with both critical awareness and a genuine understanding of the full complexity of who students are.

Learning Outcome 3: An Improved Understanding of Inclusion, Equity, and Advocacy within Higher Education

Through my coursework and practical experiences, my understanding of inclusion, equity, and advocacy has grown from something I valued personally to something I now approach with critical intention and purpose. Before coming into SAHE, though the values of DEI held a personal significance and importance to me, I truly didn't understand just how impactful DEI work could be, or its hyper-importance and place within the realm of higher education. Through my coursework in EDL 675, 660E, 667, and 660C, as well as through both of my graduate assistantships, I have been enlightened by several different frameworks and theories that I can now use to better inform my practice and further promote more inclusive environments and practices that help to benefit both students and institutions as a whole. Through my work with the LEADS Institute I see firsthand how intentional institutional investment for underrepresented student groups can lead to more equitable outcomes and avenues for opportunity, that otherwise wouldn't exist. Additionally, teaching TCE 110 helped me to better recognize where gaps exist in equity as well as advocacy for students who are struggling. Throughout my time as an instructor I worked to incorporate frameworks like challenge and support and theories like intersectionality as well as queer and crip theories to help guide my practice as I navigated working with students navigating a system that in some ways fails to support them. In regards to this learning outcome, one of the most critical things that I've learned is that to be a true advocate I must constantly question the norm and the current systems and power structures that exist in order to truly be able to create change and support the students who need it the most.

Learning Outcome 4: An Improved Understanding of the Importance and use of Assessment and Data

Coming into the SAHE program I would say that though I was aware of what assessment and research was, as well as how it worked, I didn't have a lot of practical experience within the area. I also wasn't aware of the important uses of assessment data within higher education such as advocacy, program improvement, and to help make important and informed decisions. Through my coursework and my practical experiences across multiple roles I have now been able to engage in numerous projects within the umbrella of research and assessment. During my assistantship with OTIE, I was introduced to benchmarking as a tool for comparing the performance and efforts of top universities against Miami itself. Following that I had the opportunity to work on many data and assessment projects within my other roles that pushed me to think critically about not just what the data looked like, but what it meant in regards to the stated learning outcomes or goals that were set. Across all of these experiences I have come to understand that assessment is more than just statistics and quotes and is one of the most powerful tools we have as practitioners to advocate for students, justify the need for student affairs and the practices in which we engage in, and push institutions toward more equitable outcomes.