#cssa values

In Leadership Conversations ( LEAD 443 ) we were tasked with doing an assignment that identified what sort of difficult conversation ‘animal’ we acted like. There were multiple descriptors for animals as well as an invitation to create our own animals. The worksheet I was provided detailed the Chameleon as such: “changes colors and sides in a conversation very quickly.  They seem to agree with you one minute and the next seem to challenge you. They frequently say “oh, that’s nice but….., or I totally agree, but….” and insert something that is in direct contrast to what you attempted to say.” I think I am a Chameleon as I often want people to feel appreciated for being heard but then I always have a follow up comment or a contrarian remark. Knowing what ‘animal’ we are allows us to avoid falling into patterns during meetings that might not be productive or beneficial.  

This position helped me learn how to stay on schedule, be kind, thorough, and follow-up appropriately with students. Staying humble and admitting you need to ask for more information from others before giving advice is one of the key skills I’ll take with me into my professional career. 

Technology has been a part of my life since childhood. Seeing its uses in Higher Education has been an interesting facet of learning to adapt to new systems. My internship experience at Western Oregon University had me learn a whole new housing software system from scratch. This was an interesting shift as I was learning a new functional area and a new technology at the same time as being at a brand new institution. Beyond this experience, I have facilitated the transition from Advocate Student Conduct management system to Maxient Student Conduct Management system. This transition has made me relearn how to enter cases, find students, and troubleshoot problems with they arise. Technology in the classroom when presenting curriculum has taught me how to roll with the punches when things don’t work correctly. When using a text survey for a presentation in Research and Assessment I acknowledged that while it was fun to experiment with technology in these enviornments, it is not something that comes naturally or feels ‘easy’ for all teachers all the time.  I would love to learn more about building websites and creating graphics as I continue forward in my career. Technology is not going anywhere and often times it is one of the best ways to increase engagement, accessibility, and relevance to our students. I am open to learning virtually any new software at this point because I have developed the skills of conquering foreign systems with little to no help and all things have turned out okay. Confidence is key, but so is patience when learning how to integrate and utilize technology

My main experience with this area of CSSA Values is in the Research and Assessment course which had us learn how to create comprehensive accurate questions. By learning the difference between qualitative and quantitative study I can better digest the results of higher education research. Understanding that results of a research inquiry might not be comprehensive based on sample size, question wording, and other factors allows me to take a critical lens to those ‘findings’ that might otherwise be taken as new facts that apply to all scenarios. In the future, I hope to be a part of more assessment projects simply because I know they are important as we move into a time where all programming and education is fighting for funding amid budget crises. Defending the purpose of your program often means doing well crafted research and interpreting the data received into a high impact and digestible narrative. 

During my two years in the CSSA program I have grown much when it comes to being able to communicate and advocate social justice, diversity, inclusion and true equity encouraging policies. In my assistantship I have had experience communicating policy and process with students who are international, come from a different culture, speak english as a second language or any combination of the above. As a professional, I now see the importance of making policy language accessible and clear for all levels of language learners. I will carry this forward with me into all roles where I am creating student manuals, instructions, or website content. Additionally, my meetings with students have often revealed a pattern of potential bias or inequity where the policies meant to ensure quality of behavior and intellect over punish those who are from a particular non majority background. I would be sensitive to doing assessment on processes in my future workplace to heal any gaps that might be creating inequities or unfairly targeting one population over another. Beyond this experience, I have had the opportunity to grow closer with students in my cohort and in my classes who identify as multiple aspects that are different than my own. By listening to their experiences, and being lucky enough to have friends who call me out on my practices when they are not diligent, I have developed a reaction to content that attempts to be inclusivity and equity first.