Fieldwork: Chapman University Cross Cultural Engagement

Fieldwork: Chapman University Cross Cultural Engagement

Description: Students in the MSHE program at CSUF are required to complete a total of 400 fieldwork hours in their second year of the program. The 400 hours are divided into two semesters (200 hours per semester) in which students work under the supervision of an experienced student affairs professional.  During Fall 2015, I completed my fieldwork at Chapman University in the Cross Cultural Engagement department under the supervision of Leticia Romo, Assistant Director of Cross Cultural Engagement. My fieldwork experience at Chapman included the planning and implementation of the institutions second annual "We Are Chapman" retreat centered on leadership, identity, and social justice.

Date/Semester: Spring 2016

Learning Domains Addressed: Leadership, Education,  Social Justice & Advocacy, Assessment & Evaluation

Learning Outcomes: 

1. Student will be able to develop and assess a series of workshop activities related to identity, diversity, and social justice
2. Student will be able to apply knowledge and skills developed throughout the MSHE program during the implementation of workshops and training. 

Assessment Rubric: 

Evidence:

 

Reflection:

For SLO #1 I have rated myself as falling between "Basic" or “Competent.” While I did utilize theory and a needs assessment to design workshops for "We Are Chapman" I must admit that I did not actively and intentionally utilize the P-T-P model. The activities I developed were theory informed and effectively connected themes of identity, diversity, social justice, and leadership. While I did develop an assessment plan, I am unsure as to whether this was implemented because I have restricted access to some of the information as an "intern" at Chapman. This semester was challenging as I felt more distracted and divided than my different obligations than ever before. Studying for the comprehensive exam, working at CSUF, and completing fieldwork at Chapman were competing for my attention which in this case may have lead to my "cutting corners" when it came to utilizing P-T-P. This experience has taught me that when you are pressed for time or under pressure you may rely on habit more than theory and new knowledge and therefore I should work to make utilizing theory, P-T-P, and other elements of the program part of my habit or "professional judgement."

 

For SLO #2 I have rated myself as “Competent." As I worked to plan and develop activities for the leadership retreat I was careful to draw from knowledge of student characteristics and cultures and student development theory. This included the above mentioned theory informed workshop activities and the actual facilitation of these activities at the "We Are Chapman" retreat. I led one section of the retreat and facilitated a small group of eight students for the remainder of the program. As I engaged in conversation with these students I felt myself connecting their words to psychosocial and identity development theories. While I felt the knowledge I have gained in the classroom supporting my work at Chapman, I found that when I was challenged by a student I relied more on what I had seen modeled by my supervisors, especially Dr. Joy Hoffman. This particular student  did not want to participate in the activities because he felt that a color-blind approach would provide a more inclusive community and that leadership did not in fact have anything to do with identity. I recalled conversations I had in the past with Dr. Hoffman regarding these kinds of difficult conversations and in the moment I acknowledged his opinion but also requested that this student take into consideration what others in the group were sharing about their identities and how they do in fact relate to their leadership style and involvement. By not shaming this student I was able to call him into the conversation and maintain the open space for dialogue about identity and diversity.

ACPA 2016 National Convention

ACPA 2016 National Convention– Montréal, Canada

Description: As a requirement of the MSHE program, I attended a National professional conference. I chose to attend the ACPA national convention in Montreal, Canada. This was my first ACPA convention and first time leaving the United States. Along with my learning outcome below, I wanted to get a sense of ACPA as I am searching for a "professional home" organization to become more involved with.

Date/Semester: Spring 2016

Learning Domains Addressed: Leadership, Education, Personal Development, and Social Justice

Learning Outcomes:

1. Student will be able to engage in the convention and discuss best practices in student affairs.

Assessment: 

Evidence:

Reflection:

For this convention's learning outcome I have rated myself as "Competent." During my first conference at NASPA regional I attended sessions that sounded interesting or that my cohortmates invited me to. This year at ACPA in Montreal I was the only representative of my cohort and my goal was to be more intentional with the sessions I attended. I chose a combination of sessions on sexual violence prevention, microaggressions, and other topics related to my graduate assistantship and fieldwork experience. Because of my foundation of knowledge and experience in these areas I was able to contribute to the dialogue in these sessions while also identifying potential strategies for implementation back at home. Montreal was beautiful and a nice change of scenery, but the most rewarding part of the convention was that I was able to feel a sense of "home" within this organization. Although it is still too early to make a formal commitment or close the door to other organizations, I felt a better "fit" during this convention than I have at previous NASPA events. I will continue to attend these professional development conferences, as possible, and I hope to become more involved in both to deepen my understanding of these organizations and myself as a professional.

5th Annual College of Education Research Symposium

5th Annual College of Education Research Symposium

Poster Presentation

Description: Students in the MSHE program may be selected to present their research, alongside the research of doctoral candidates, at the College of Education's annual Educational Research Symposium. My group and I were invited to present our research on former foster youth at this year's 5th annual research symposium. The night consisted of an opening ceremony, poster presentations, and closing remarks. 

Date/Semester: Spring 2016

Learning Domains Addressed: Leadership, Education, Personal Development, and Social Justice & Advocacy

Learning Outcomes:

SLO #1: Student will be able to discuss the findings of qualitative research conducted in the previous spring semester by participating in the poster presentation.

Assessment Rubric: 

 Evidence:

Reflection:

For SLO #1 I have rated myself as “Competent.” Because this was my first time attending a poster presentation as a presenter I was unsure of what to expect or how to prepare. I chose to prepare by reviewing our group's poster in depth and lightly reviewing our group's final paper for the project. While I began the poster session with hesitation, I quickly found that discussing the methods, findings, and recommendations of our research project to be enjoyable and therefore I was able to do so with confidence and conviction. I was also able to make connections between the research we had conducted in Spring 2015 to courses we have taken prior to and since then. I also found myself making connections to my own practice of student affairs as our discussions progressed.

Fieldwork - Fall 2015

Fieldwork Experience– Diversity Initiatives & Resource Centers

Description: Students in the MSHE program at CSUF are required to complete a total of 400 fieldwork hours in their second year of the program. The 400 hours are divided into two semesters (200 hours per semester) in which students work under the supervision of an experienced student affairs professional.  During Fall 2015, I completed my fieldwork at CSUF in the Diversity Initiatives and Resource Centers (DIRC) department under the supervision of Dr. Joy Hoffman, Director of DIRC.

Date/Semester: Fall 2015

Learning Domains Addressed: Leadership, Education, Personal Development, and Social Justice & Advocacy

Learning Outcomes:

SLO #1: Student will be able to articulate the components/nuances of a bias incident and how campuses similar to CSUF address these incidents.

SLO #2: Student will be able to demonstrate understanding of the role of a cultural center and/or diversity initiatives by the end of the semester.

Assessment Rubric:

	Advanced	Competent	Basic	Poor
SLO #1	Student articulates the components of a bias incident with a strong level of understanding of campus response to bias incidents. Student’s report demonstrates this level of understanding and incorporates theory or provisions for incorporating theory into practice.	Student articulates the components of a bias incident with a strong level of understanding of campus response to bias incidents. Student’s report demonstrates this level of understanding.	Student is able to describe the components of a bias incident with some level of understanding of campus response to bias incidents. Student’s report demonstrates this level of understanding.	Student is unable to describe the components of a bias incident. Student does not complete fieldwork hours or does not complete report.
SLO #2	Student defines and describes role of a director with relevant examples from observations and conversation.  Reflection includes connections to theory (including organizational leadership). Student demonstrates strong understanding of diversity work and the nuances of the role of a director in diversity work.	Student defines and describes role of a director with relevant examples from observations and conversation. Student demonstrates strong understanding of diversity work.	Student defines role of a director with some examples from observations. Student demonstrates some understanding of diversity work.	Student is unable to define or describe the role of a director. Student does not demonstrate understanding of diversity work.

Evidence:

Reflection and Analysis of Fieldwork Experience

NASPA Webinar in response to student protests of racism on college campus.

Reflection:

For SLO #1 I have rated myself as “Competent.” Although I was able to demonstrate understanding of the nuances a bias incident and bias incident protocol, I did not incorporate theory or provisions for incorporating theory into practice into my report.  Although I did discuss the application of theory in my reflection journals and final paper, I did not include it in the report as I learned that this was not essential for this type of report.  A more meaningful rubric for this project would include: “student demonstrates understanding of organizational structure and institutional culture of CSUF by making appropriate recommendations for the development of a bias incident response team and protocol.” If this were incorporated into my rubric I feel that I may have reached advanced for this SLO.  This is due, in large part, to my ability to discuss my research with my fieldwork supervisor to develop a better understanding of how my findings would apply to CSUF.

For SLO #2 I have also rated myself as falling between “Competent” and “Advanced.” I feel that my reflection journals and final paper demonstrate an understanding of both the role of a director and the role of diversity work on a college campus.  My learning was based on both observation and conversations with the director.  However, the area in which I did not reach “Advanced” was making connections to student development theory and organizational leadership theory.  My attempts to do this in practice were rather limited and unsuccessful. In contrast, my reflection journal and final paper demonstrate my engagement with both student development theory and organizational leadership theory in understanding my learning and experience at DIRC. 

Violence Prevention Peer Educator Program

Violence Prevention Peer Educator Program

Description:  

The WoMen’s and Adult Reentry Center at CSUF offers programming relating to gender identity, victim advocacy, adult reentry and Cal-Works services. Although violence prevention programming, including Step Up! Bystander Intervention training, has been part of the WoMen’s Center for several years, this is the first year in which there are two dedicated staff members working on violence prevention programming. As a result of this dedicated staffing and the availability of funds, a new Violence Prevention Peer Educator Program was created to train and employ a team of students to further our violence prevention education efforts. As one of the two dedicated staff members working on violence prevention, I worked closely with our Violence Prevention Educator and Victim advocate to design and implement this program including hiring, training, and supervising the inaugural peer educator team.

Date/Semester: Fall 2015

Learning Domains Addressed: Leadership, Education, Personal Development, Social Justice, and Assessment & Evaluation

Learning Outcomes:

SLO #1: Student will be able to develop training for Peer Educators that utilizes content from SAVS training.

SLO #2: Student will be able to incorporate student development theory into practice in the development and implementation of a peer educator program.

Assessment Rubric:

	Advanced	Competent	Basic	Poor
SLO #1	Student takes the lead on developing training with the Violence Prevention Educator. Training incorporates student development theory and content from SAVS training.	Student works collaboratively and equally with the Violence Prevention Educator to develop training for peer educators that incorporates content from SAVS training.	Student helps Violence Prevention Educator (VPE) develop training with content from SAVS training. Student relies on VPE to develop and conduct training.	Student does not develop training or training does not incorporate learning from SAVS training.
SLO #2	Student integrates student development theory appropriately in the development and implementation of the peer educator program. Student creates learning outcomes for participants with theory informed rubrics.	Student integrates student development theory appropriately in the development and implementation of the peer educator program. Student creates learning outcomes for participants.	Student integrates student development theory appropriately in the development and/or implementation of the peer educator program.	Student does not incorporate student development theory into practice.

Evidence:

 

Peer Educators completing a scavenger hunt to familiarize them with the WoMen's & Adult Reentry Center office, programs, and staff.

Ground Rules developed by Peer Educators.

Act Like a Lady-Act Like a Man Activity: explores rigid gender roles

Primary Prevention

Closing "String Activity"

Reflection:

For SLO #1 I rated myself as “Competent.” While I was able to work very closely with Alyssa Avila, the Violence Prevention Educator and Victim Advocate, my involvement was more heavily related to team building and public speaking rather than developing the content for sexual assault, dating & domestic violence, and stalking.  I did, however, take on an equal amount of the presentation, which included the violence prevention, related topics. Because the peer educator training was developed in a short time frame and early on in my service at the WoMen’s Center I relied heavily on Alyssa Avila’s expertise in the curriculum development process. Since this training was developed I have had many more opportunities to incorporate content from my SAVS training into my work, including advising the peer educators.

For SLO #2 I rated myself as “Competent” largely because I did not prepare rubrics to assess the SLO’s developed for the training.  I am currently in the process of defining SLO’s for the program in its entirety and developing corresponding theory informed rubrics.  Although my application of theory was not as clear or intentional as I would have liked during the development of our peer educator training, I have been able to use the downtime since ending Domestic Violence Awareness Month to explore ways to strengthen our integration of relevant theories.  I have also recognized myself utilizing student development theories to inform my approach to students with concerns and this has proved to be beneficial to my practice.

Compartiendo Sueños / Sharing Dreams

Maywood Education Fair 2015 

Description: Students in the MSHE program are tasked with a service-learning project in which they plan and implement an education fair in the city of Maywood, CA with the goal of creating a college going culture. This year Cohort 7's theme for the fair was Compartiendo Sueños (Sharing Dreams) and utilized Tara Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth model as it's theoretical framework. As a member of the Middle School Committee, I was tasked with creating developmentally appropriate interventions for middle school students.

Date/Semester: Fall 2015

Learning Domains Addressed: Assessment & Evaluation, Education, Leadership, Personal Development, Social Justice & Advocacy

Learning Outcomes:  

Student will be able to utilize Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) and other relevant theories as a framework for middle school interventions.

Student will be able to create clear, culturally, and developmentally appropriate materials for middle school interventions.

Assessment Rubric:

	Advanced	Competent	Basic	Poor
SLO #1	Student utilized CCW as a framework for interventions. Student incorporated multiple relevant theories and demonstrated great depth of understanding with regard the Maywood community and middle school students.	Student utilized CCW as a framework for interventions. Student incorporated  relevant theory or theories and demonstrated some understanding of both Maywood community and middle school students.	Student utilized CCW as a framework for interventions. Student did not incorporate other relevant theories or utilized theories that do not apply to middle school students. Student demonstrated basic understanding of Maywood community and/or middle school students.	Student did not utilize CCW as a framework for interventions.  Student demonstrated lack of understanding of Maywood community and/or middle school students.
SLO #2	Student created clear and visually interesting materials for middle school interventions that were both developmentally appropriate and culturally appropriate. All materials were readily available in English and Spanish.	Student created clear and visually interesting materials for middle school interventions that were both developmentally appropriate and culturally appropriate.	Student created clear and visually interesting materials for middle school interventions. Materials were developmentally appropriate but not culturally appropriate.	Student did not create materials for middle school interventions or materials featured several errors or unclear directions.

Evidence:

Resource Fair Passport
Middle School Pathway to College Worksheet

 

Reflection: 
For SLO #1 I rated myself as competent because I felt that I was able to utilize both Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth model (2005), Bandura's self-efficacy theory (1976, 1994), and Rendon's validation theory (1994) as a framework for understanding both the community of Maywood and the specific needs of it's middle school students. As a committee, we researched both the community of Maywood and middle school aged students prior to creating our interventions.

For SLO #2 I rated myself as competent. While I was pleased with the visual aspect of the materials I created, I do feel that they were not completely appropriate for the context as they should have been translated into Spanish. While the students who participated in our workshop indicated that they spoke and read English, our committee intended to provide all materials in both English and Spanish in the event that a student preferred or required Spanish but also so that these students would be able to show these materials to their parents (many of whom speak only Spanish). 

Community Service Programs, Inc - SAVS Training

Sexual Assault Victim Services/Prevention Program 

Description: Community Service Programs (CSP) is a non-profit organization that provides counseling and support services to individuals and families in need. Throughout the year CSP offers various training programs for community members to become volunteers for their services. I attended their 48 hour Sexual Assault Victim Services (SAVS) training. Upon completing this program, participants can apply to become hotline operators or advocates who accompany survivors of sexual assault to their forensic exam. I will use this training as preparation for my graduate assistantship and as an opportunity to learn about the sexual assault epidemic that persists in our nation.

Date/Semester: Summer 2015

Learning Domains Addressed: Education, Personal Development, Social Justice & Advocacy

Learning Outcomes:

SLO #1: Student will be able to identify strategies for supporting victims of sexual assault.

SLO #2: Student will be able to demonstrate understanding of the issue of sexual assault in higher education in a post-training reflection.

Assessment Rubric: 

	Advanced	Competent	Basic	Poor
SLO #1	Student is able to identify and explain a few strategies for supporting victims of sexual assault. Explanation conveys depth of understanding of the issue of sexual assault and the needs of victims.	Student is able to identify and explain a few strategies for supporting victims of sexual assault. Explanation conveys proficient understand of the issue.	Student is able to identify one strategy for supporting victims of sexual assault.	Student cannot identify strategies for supporting victims of sexual assault.
SLO #2	Student demonstrates proficient understanding of the issue with the context of higher education and includes a review of relevant literature. The student’s reflection demonstrates a sense of advocacy on the issue.	Student demonstrates proficient understanding of the issue with the context of higher education and includes a review of relevant literature.	Student demonstrates basic understanding of the issue with the context of higher education.	Student does not demonstrate understanding of the issue or does not reflect on the issue in the context of higher education.

Evidence:

Reflection: 

       After completing my training, I feel that I have a greater understanding of the characteristics of sexual assault and other forms of personal violence. While I was not entirely sure what to expect or what I would learn from this training, I feel that I am better prepared now to discuss these types of crimes with college students and our campus community in my role as the violence prevention program's graduate assistant. Because my role does not include direct advocacy I may not exercise some of the skills provided in this training, however, I learned how to support survivors by providing accurate and prompt resources. I also learned that the support a survivor receives when they disclose the fact that they've experienced violence can shape their recovery. The most valuable information I received from this training as it relates to my graduate assistantship is that it is not our job as advocates or educators to investigate or ask details about the crime but to listen to the survivor and offer empathy and resources. While some of the presentations mentioned higher education specifically, I feel that I still work to do on my own to research the prevalence and impact of sexual assault on college campuses. With regard to SLO #1 I rated myself as competent as I do feel I have learned multiple strategies and have begun incorporating them into the trainings we conduct in our violence prevention programs. For SLO #2 I rated myself as basic because I relied on the training to inform me on the issue within the context of higher education. I have yet to more thoroughly research the issue on my own but I plan to continue to do so throughout my graduate assistantship.