ARP 760: Internship in Educational Leadership

Artifact of Learning
Danny Oliveira
San Diego State University
Spring 2014

ARP 760 ARTIFACT OF LEARNING

The artifact that I chose to demonstrate my learning in this course is

the SDSU Commuter Life Student Assistant Manual. These manuals will
serve as a resource and guide for student assistants that will be hired to staf
the Commuter Resource Center in the next academic year. The manual
begins with an overview of the organizational charts of the Division of
Student Afairs and the Student Life & Leadership department. The job
descriptions, qualifications, and responsibilities of the various student
assistant positions are followed by the departments policies and procedures
document. Checklists for daily duties and responsibilities, closing shift
procedures, and assignments for Fridays end of work week are followed by
instructions for completing accurate timesheets.
I selected this artifact because it was one of the primary learning
artifacts or internship deliverables that I developed for this department.
Although I also developed social media marketing and a programming
manual, this student assistant staf manual was the project that was
completed to my satisfaction. The programming model that I developed was
problematic from the start of this internship. Although I learned the
importance of a programming model and how it informs the thematic
framework of the departments programs, my understanding of how to
develop a programming model was hindered by a lack of guidance, resource
materials, and examples of efective programming models. Although I
developed a programming model for the Commuter Resource Center, I was
unsatisfied with the lack of depth of my model beyond identifying

ARP 760 ARTIFACT OF LEARNING

programmatic themes and categorizing educational workshops under these

themes.
The course learning outcomes demonstrated in this internship
experience include the development of specific professional skills and technical knowledge
relating to the direct delivery of one or more particular postsecondary leadership areas. I
eventually learned what a programming model is and how it provides a thematic framework for
educational programs. I have developed the skill of crafting a programming model. The course
learning outcome of exposing students to emerging technologies and related contemporary issues
was demonstrated in my development of social media marketing tools. I created a Facebook
page and a Twitter account for SDSU Commuter Life which I used to promote various campus
programs, events, and activities for commuter students to engage with the campus community.
The Program Learning Outcome most clearly demonstrated in this
internship experience is the articulation and application of the foundational
principles of access, equity, and learner success in postsecondary education
(PLO 8). Commuter students face unique challenges to their access to
campus resources, programs, and events. The Commuter Resource Center is
established to address these inequities for this large demographic of
students on this campus. Specific educational programming to address
these students needs and their success have been established and continue
to evolve on this campus. The social media marketing tools, programming
model, and staffing manual that I created are all demonstrations of
communicating ideas and concepts efectively in written and spoken word
(PLO 10)

ARP 760 ARTIFACT OF LEARNING

This course gave me an opportunity to pursue my professional goal of

expanding my professional network with classmates in my cohort and with
other professionals. I worked indirectly with my classmate Cameron Eaves
who is the Graduate Assistant for Commuter Programs. She shared some of
her resources and materials that I used to develop the programming model
and student assistant staf manuals. I used her workspace when she was out
of the office to complete my internship hours. I also expanded my network
through my supervisor and other professional staf in Student Life &
Leadership.
This course also challenged me to address my personal goal of
developing a daily routine in order to develop personal and professional
balance. It was necessary to adhere to a strict weekly schedule of work,
classes, study time, and internship hours in order to complete the required
135 hours for the internship. Although there were occasional instances when
I had to adjust my internship hours when my workstation wasnt available,
my routine of three days per week at this internship fit well with my work
schedule and allowed for personal time as well as regularly scheduled time
for reading of course materials.
I felt the course was well organized with four class meetings to reflect
and share experiences as well as Blackboard discussion boards. These
meetings and online discussions helped connect my internship experience to
the course learning outcomes. The internship experience in the Student Life
& Leadership department could have been improved with more foresight and

ARP 760 ARTIFACT OF LEARNING

preparation by my supervisor. I believe this was the first time that she had a
student intern working for her. It was evident that the idea of having a
student intern came from her superiors. I was charged with developing a
programming model and a staffing manual for the Commuter Resource
Center. However, my supervisor had great difficulty in communicating
exactly what these models were supposed to consist of and could not
produce examples for me to refer to. This caused considerable confusion,
agitation, and delay in developing these models. Upon further research into
the SDSU Strategic Plan working group for Commuter Student Success, I
found out that an established programming model from Residential
Education was supposed to serve as a framework for programming. This
important document was unbeknownst to my supervisor, a further example
of a lack of foresight in developing this internship experience. Although I
was successful in developing the desired deliverables, what I drew from this
experience was the importance of an efective supervision relationship.
Becoming a good supervisor is a skill that I will need to develop in the future.
Ive learned the importance of establishing an efective orientation for new
employees as a foundation for an efective working relationship based on
frequent and efective communication.