Running head: COMPETENCY GOAL REVIEW 1

Competency Goal Review

Claudia E. Ko

Montclair State University

COMPETENCY GOAL REVIEW 2

Competency Goal Review

My capstone project addresses the challenge of meeting changing service expectations by

offering resources and data pertaining to training and development of student staff. Before

developing my quality improvement fieldwork project, I chose 6 professional NASPA/ACPA

competencies I felt were important to my Capstone and future career (Retrieved from

[https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FIN

AL.pdf]). I completed my project under the supervision of a higher education administrator who

rated my proficiency in these 6 areas twice, at the mid-point and end of the semester, using a

scale that ranged from unsatisfactory, needs improvement, satisfactory, surpasses expectations to

cannot rate. In this report, I reflect on the competencies I utilized and developed, as well as

competencies my professional development plan will incorporate. Hence, I use NASPA/ACPA

competencies as a frame to discuss what I learned and plan to learn next.

Outcomes Utilized in Capstone Field Experience

The competencies I utilized in my project are described by NASPA/ACPA as “giv[ing]

appropriate feedback to colleagues and students on skills they may seek to become more

effective leaders” and “creat[ing] and assess[ing] learning outcomes to evaluate progress toward

fulfilling the mission of the department, the division, and the institution.” This project required

that I give feedback to the supervisors and supervisees involved, and create learning outcomes

for each initiative outlined in the supervisor resource guide. At both the mid-point and end of this

project my supervisor rated my proficiency as satisfactory for the competency focused on

feedback. My proficiency for the competency focused on learning outcomes increased from

satisfactory to surpasses expectations (Appendix A).

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For the former competency, I agree that my proficiency was consistently satisfactory

throughout the project. I prepared detailed feedback based on the data collected for each student

worker. This process of giving feedback required only collaboration with the student workers. I

learned that in order to give good feedback I had to ask for feedback about how the feedback I

intended to share was worded and delivered. I wanted to understand the impact of the feedback

and how it could be improved. In addition, I used strengths-based leadership to frame feedback

in a way that emphasized areas people excel at. In sum, I utilized this competency to provide

feedback that was appropriate and effective for my intended audience.

For the latter competency, I surpassed expectations because I made the learning outcomes

specific to the capstone site. The learning outcomes are so specific that they will likely need to

be adapted with each new staff year to year. I incorporated learning outcomes into each

component of the resource guide and was careful not to use language that is ablest. I avoided

ablest language because I understood the high value the office has on inclusion. In this way, I

was intentional in my work, taking into account the inclusive culture of the site.

Outcomes Developed in Capstone Field Experience

The competencies I developed are described by NASPA/ACPA as “construct[ing]

learning outcomes for both daily practice as well as teaching and training activities” and

“explain[ing] the application of introductory motivational techniques with students, staffs, and

others.” I prioritized day-to-day issues of the office and integrated motivators into

recommendations. My proficiency for the competency focused on daily practice increased from

needs improvement to satisfactory. The rating surpasses expectations described my proficiency

in the motivation-focused competency at the mid and end of semester evaluations (Appendix B).

For the former competency, the gap identified in the mid-semester evaluation was
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mediated by collecting data. I was challenged to collect and make meaning of quantitative data. I

am grateful that this gap was identified because it provided evidence upon which to ground the

guide. I have met the outcomes of this competency because I fortified my resource guide with

data. In sum, my need to ground work in data resulted in improved proficiency in this area.

For the latter competency, I surpassed expectations consistently from project initiation to

completion. My project argues each individual staff member can be motivated better and with

less effort when leaders understand the diverse learning styles on staff and invest in training and

development that match style preferences. If the motivation component were lost the initiatives

would lose their purpose and not be sustainable. In sum, I met this competency because this

project strives for more return on the same investment by investing in staff motivation.

Outcomes Addressed in Professional Development Plan

The NASPA/ACPA competencies I did not get to fully meet in my project are addressed

in my professional development plan. First, my capstone aimed to improve hiring, training, and

developing student staff. The hiring and recruitment piece was beyond the scope of my project.

As a result, I will look to “develop recruitment and hiring strategies that increase individuals

from under-represented groups to apply for positions” in my next role (Appendix C). I have

learned the scholarly theory I would need to build on this competency from the elective course

that explored diversity issues in higher education. In sum, I will pursue roles that require or

encourage committee work on ethical compliance and equity in the workplace.

Second, the next competency area I plan to work on in is to “establish systems to provide

opportunities for staff to engage in leadership development such as committees, task forces,

internships, and cross-functional teams.” Due to the limited timeline of the semester I did not

implement all the initiatives detailed in the resource guide, however I will share the guide for
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future staff to use. The opportunity to continue this work remains because there are people to

sustain and use the guide in their practice. A goal I have is to present the guide at the student

affairs conference hosted at New York University. I have attended the conference for the past

two years and want to advance my contribution to the field by sharing my work as a presenter. In

short, though the current staff did not engage in development beyond the self-assessment of

learning styles, the opportunity to continue and present this work remains.
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References

NASPA/ACPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators. (2015). Retrieved

January 28, 2018, from

https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencie

s_FINAL.pdf
COMPETENCY GOAL REVIEW 7

Appendix A

Student Identified Competencies – Acquired Competencies

This is the section from my Evaluation where I chose and identified 6 competencies important to

my Capstone and future career. Note that the 6 competencies are divides into 3 categories:

Acquired, Needed for Capstone, and Needed for Future Career. My supervisor rated my

proficiency as it was at the time. We did this twice, mid-semester and at the end of the semester.

Below is a comparison of the progress I made with the competencies I felt I had acquired.

Acquired Competencies

Specific Competency 1
“giv[ing] appropriate feedback to colleagues and students on skills they may seek to become
more effective leaders”
(Acquired)
Intermediate Level Skill, Leadership Competency Area
Rating Comments
(Unsatisfactory, Needs improvement,
Satisfactory, Surpasses expectations, Cannot
rate)
Mar 1: Satisfactory Apr 24: Satisfactory Mar 1: This is a work Apr 24: Students each
in progress, more time received detailed
will allow for greater information based off
feedback and of the input data from
collaboration the survey

Specific Competency 2
“creat[ing] and assess[ing] learning outcomes to evaluate progress toward fulfilling the mission
of the department, the division, and the institution”
(Acquired)
Intermediate Level Skill, Student Learning & Development Competency Area
Rating Comments
(Unsatisfactory, Needs improvement,
Satisfactory, Surpasses expectations, Cannot
rate)
Mar 1: Satisfactory Apr 24: Surpasses Mar 1: No comments Apr 24: No comments
Expectations
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Appendix B

Student Identified Competencies – Competencies Needed for Capstone

This is the section from my Evaluation where I chose and identified 6 competencies important to

my Capstone and future career. Note that the 6 competencies are divides into 3 categories:

Acquired, Needed for Capstone, and Needed for Future Career. My supervisor rated my

proficiency as it was at the time. We did this twice, mid-semester and at the end of the semester.

Below is a comparison of the progress I made with competencies I would need for Capstone.

Competencies Needed for Capstone

Specific Competency 3
“construct[ing] learning outcomes for both daily practice as well as teaching and training
activities”
(Needed for Capstone)
Foundational Level Skill, Student Learning & Development Competency Area
Rating Comments
(Unsatisfactory, Needs improvement,
Satisfactory, Surpasses expectations, Cannot
rate)
Mar 1: Needs Apr 24: Satisfactory Mar 1: Needs to gather Apr 24: Data collected
Improvement more evidence to help improved learning
identify needs in a outcomes evidence to
quantitative format support the research
guide component of
the project

Specific Competency 4
“explain[ing] the application of introductory motivational techniques with students, staffs, and
others”
(Needed for Capstone)
Foundational Level Skill, Organizational & Human Resources Competency Area
Rating Comments
(Unsatisfactory, Needs improvement,
Satisfactory, Surpasses expectations, Cannot
rate)
Mar 1: Surpasses Apr 24: Surpasses Mar 1: No comments Apr 24: No comments
Expectations Expectations
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Appendix C

Student Identified Competencies – Competencies Needed for Future Career

This is the section from my Evaluation where I chose and identified 6 competencies important to

my Capstone and future career. Note that the 6 competencies are divides into 3 categories:

Acquired, Needed for Capstone, and Needed for Future Career. My supervisor rated my

proficiency as it was at the time. We did this twice, mid-semester and at the end of the semester.

Below is a comparison of the progress I made with competencies I would need for my career.

Competencies Needed for Future Career

Specific Competency 5
“develop recruitment and hiring strategies that increase individuals from under-represented
groups to apply for positions”
(Needed for Future Career)
Intermediate Level Skill, Organizational & Human Resources Competency Area
Rating Comments
(Unsatisfactory, Needs improvement,
Satisfactory, Surpasses expectations, Cannot
rate)
Mar 1: Cannot rate Apr 24: Cannot rate Mar 1: No comments Apr 24: No comments

Specific Competency 6
“establish[ing] systems to provide opportunities for staff to engage in leadership development
such as committees, task forces, internships, and cross-functional teams”
(Needed for Future Career)
Advanced Level Skill, Leadership Competency Area
Rating Comments
(Unsatisfactory, Needs improvement,
Satisfactory, Surpasses expectations, Cannot
rate)
Mar 1: Satisfactory Apr 24: Cannot rate Mar 1: No comments Apr 24: Claudia will
leave future
recommendations for
staff development
opportunities