ARTIFACT H 1

Artifact H

Hope E. Howard

Seattle University
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Student Self-Evaluation Rubric #1

Requirements YES NO
(check if present) (check if missing)
1. Required Structural Documents/Organization of the E-Portfolio x
Introduction
Table of Contents
Artifact Summary Sheet (Artifacts A-H)
Artifact Introduction (Artifacts A-H)
Portfolio Learning Outcome Narrative Summary Sheet
Presentation professional (i.e., visually appealing, technology updated)
Organization user friendly (i.e., easy to navigate, clear with links, dropdowns,
etc.)

2. Artifact A: Resume Development x

3. Artifact B: Integrated Mission Statements X
4. Artifact C: Best Academic Work in the SDA program X
-Artifact C1: Sample #1: Best Written Scholarly Paper (SDAD course)
-Artifact C2: Sample #2: Best Written Paper (Jesuit Context and Commitment)
-Artifact C3: Sample #3: Best Powerpoint, Presentation, or
Research/Programming Development

5. Artifact D: Professional Letter of Promise or Letter from an Internship X

Supervisor

6. Artifact E: NASPA/ACPA Competency Assessment X

7. Artifact F: 5 Year Professional Development and Action Plan X
8. Artifact G Distinctive Contribution X
9. Artifact H: Portfolio Process Assessment * X
10. All Artifacts (A-H) are Completed X
11. Portfolio Learning Outcome Narrative: All Sections Completed X
12. Portfolio Learning Outcome Narrative Addresses All 10 Learning Outcomes x

Reflection Narrative

The portfolio process has been critical to my integration of learning and growth in the

Student Development Administration (SDA) program as it has provided the opportunity for me

to pause and reflect. Below are three lessons Ive learned as a direct result of the portfolio

process. As Erin Swezey says, if you can track your experience, you can integrate it. The first,

and perhaps most important, lesson this process has taught me is the importance of taking the
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time to track my experiences, which Heifetz & Linsky (2002) refer to as get on the balcony

(p.55). Portfolio did this by asking me to write about the connections between various

coursework and co-curricular experiences in a culminating project connected to the SDA

learning outcomes. This higher level reflection has allowed me to draw connections in regards to

praxis and how my experience can inform and improve my future practice.

The second lesson I have gleaned from the portfolio process was given to me as feedback

from my committee after my presentation. This is that I need to improve on my ability to be

vulnerable in connecting with others, especially when presenting to groups. My committee

commented that my portfolio was stellar, even going so far as to say that they could not find

mistakes and were very impressed with the quality of work I produced. But their feedback was

to work on making things more personal and less evidence-based. This lesson ties into the first

as the theme is that I need to work on personal introspection and sharing my story. The power of

narrative in connecting with people and making an impact as a leader is something I hope to take

away from this process as an area for improvement.

The third lesson I learned from portfolio is to lean into discomfort. When creating my

portfolio presentation, I had a truly difficult time trying to boil down two years of growth into a

20 minute presentation. I felt the presentation lacked something, perhaps that personal element

my committee was referring to, and I wound up reaching out to my networks to gather

perspectives and ideas on how to improve. I learned that discomfort is a signal of growth. In

forcing me to reflect portfolio got me to start delving into my personal core beliefs and to be

vulnerable with people. It was the pieces of portfolio where I allowed myself to be

uncomfortable that I learned the most out of the process.

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In regards to suggestions for improvement in the process, I have a few thoughts to share

with the faculty. The portfolio process this year has felt somewhat disjointed and disorganized,

as several people (faculty, faculty reviewer, peers, alumni) have had different perspectives on

what is expected, deadlines, and to whom to submit paperwork. The SDA portfolio requirements

document is lengthy and confusing at some points, especially the pages outlining the narrative

summary directions. As SUSDA Professional Development Chair, I held a portfolio preparation

event in part because my graduating peers and I felt that we were not adequately prepared for

portfolio during the first year of the program. This is something I believe could easily be

recreated in future years so that the preparation for portfolio can begin earlier in students time at

Seattle University. Finally, the portfolio process has been incredibly time-consuming. It has

been very challenging to complete on top of coursework and in the midst of job search. This has

resulted in me prioritizing portfolio over job search, spending the time that I would be searching

for a full-time position on portfolio and has been frustrating. All of these suggestions are shared

out of honesty and desire for the program to move forward in a positive direction that centers the

needs and support of its students. I hope the faculty will take these suggestions seriously and

allow me grace in sharing my honest opinions.

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References

Heifetz, Ronald A. and Marty Linsky. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive through the

Dangers of Leading. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2002.