Introduction to CSP

Brooke completed this course in Spring 2015 and earned an A for her final grade.

Course Outcomes

Demonstrate an appreciation for the roles and responsibilities of graduate student in professional preparation.

Demonstrate an understanding of:

• The purpose, organization, roles, and functions of student affairs and its relationship to the academic community.
• The skills of analysis, synthesis, and communication (verbal and written) to relation to issues and ideas salient to the student affairs profession.
• The historical and philosophical influences and organizational structures that have guided the evolution of higher education and the student affair profession.

Demonstrate the ability to:

• Incorporate of the core professional competencies for the work performed by student affairs administrators in the work produced as a graduate student.
• Assess the place and function of professional literature and various professional associations as contributors to continuous professional development.

Assignments

Reaction-Reflection Paper

Purpose: Utilization of an article by Taub and McEwen to assist in the writing of a paper outlining the student's decision to enter the field of student affairs.

Guidelines: Answer these questions from the article: "When and how did [you] first learn of student affairs as a career? When did [you] first think of it as a career for [yourself]? Where did [you] get information about careers in student affairs? How helpful were these sources of information? Did [you] receive encouragement from specific individuals to enter student affairs? What attracted [you] to a career in student affairs?"

Functional Area Presentation & Handout

Purpose: Creation of a two page handout demonstrating knowledge of a functional area frequently associated with student affairs for a class discussion.

Guidelines: Primarily address the question, "What is most important for the students in the class (student affairs professionals in training) to know and understand about the assigned functional area in a handout and facilitate a discussion with the class about its contents.

ePortfolio with Professional Competencies

Purpose: To consider, synthesize understanding, and document the skills, knowledge, and experiences of the ten competency areas in student services work.

Guidelines: Create an ePortfolio website that contains common professional elements as well as an analysis of the student's proficiency in three of the ten professional competencies.

Personal Philosophy

Purpose: Focus and begin to articulate the student's attitudes and beliefs concerning the field of student affairs as a result of their experiences, readings, and class discussions.

Guidelines: Address the following questions: "What role is/should be played by student affairs professionals in relation to students and why? What role does/should student affairs play within the higher education community; and what is the basis for your perceptions? How do you see yourself functioning now and in the future in relation to the roles you described in the first two questions?"