Criterion 4- Student Growth & Development

Introduction

Student growth and development are integral to my teaching and program leadership approach. So many of the students with whom I work have either “stepped out” of their college experience for a variety of factors, many of which were not directly related to academics. For them, life “got in the way.” Applied Leadership students often balance their coursework with family, a full-time professional job, and community-based volunteer commitments. 

During the pandemic I saw a change in the demographics of Applied Leadership students. They were younger than in previous years, and many had been previously enrolled in a different major on campus or at another college or university.  Due to personal issues or preferences, they stepped out of their previous programs and enrolled in Applied Leadership, seeking a different modality to earn their degree. Following the pandemic, I anticipated the student demographics would return to pre-pandemic characteristics. Instead, I found greater interest from traditional-aged students, who demand fully online, asynchronous courses and more flexibility to remain in school and find academic success. The new reality of the program required me to adapt as the program director and faculty member. 

As a faculty member, I connect with professionals returning to school to finish their degree and younger students who may not be working in a professional capacity. My approach has been to help them see that some commitments, like athletics, are equivalent to working full-time, and they need the same time management skills as their peers who are professionally employed. Post-pandemic, I also saw more students in the program and my courses who were working full-time or working several part-time jobs to finance their education. They often lived off-campus and had more anxiety and mental health challenges. 

As an advisor, I address broader issues than what courses to take to graduate. I employ a psychosocial model for mentoring students in which I approach advising from a pastoral perspective (Livingstone & Naismith, 2018). I focus on academic motivation, belonging to an “academic family”, identifying and addressing obstacles, tackling stress, providing emotional understanding, and offering tools to move forward. In recognition of my service and excellence as an advisor and educator, I received a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from Vice President Morris in spring 2023. 

My support role as a faculty member and advisor starts when prospective students first inquire about the program and does not end with graduation. I cultivate relationships with alumni to help them achieve their professional and academic goals. As the program has grown, so has my advising load, with 123 advisees in fall semester 2024. As you read in Criterion One, I hired a full-time program advisor/recruiter to actively prospect and handle the unique transfer issues of our students, as well as a probationary faculty member to teach and advise students in the program. This investment has increased the time available for these advising interactions and, in my opinion, has improved their richness. 

I need to work smarter, not just harder. As a result, I sought to develop a systematic approach to course selection advising.  This approach allows me more time to work on the psychosocial elements of advising. This is where I can make the most impact on student success. Developing this systemic approach was a primary reason I invested my semester-long sabbatical in "repackaging" the Applied Leadership courses into a carousel schedule, which repeats each year and allows students to time their degree completion more efficiently. My sabbatical also included the revision and improvement of the Applied Leadership Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) process. This was necessary because students with significant experience in leadership demand CPLto reduce the time and cost of degree completion. 

Over the last four years, I have become more involved in thesis/APP committees for Sociology and Non-Profit Leadership graduate students. My role has been to advise graduate students on how to engage in data collection, focus their research, and improve time management. I have also developed a good reputation in the Department as an editor with expertise in form and style. 

As enrollment in the program has increased to more than 150 students per semester, and with a significant degree of flexibility inherent to the program, I determined that working smarter was the key to continuing to successful program growth. To accomplish this, I proposed a sabbatical that included working across campus to build a set of recommended courses to complete the degree. These courses could be offered on a rotational basis (the carousel schedule) each year, giving students a pathway to completion for either the part-time student or those who seek a fast track to the finish line. 

During my sabbatical in fall semester 2023, I met with the College of Business to identify key courses where I could garner a number of seats in existing online courses for my Applied Leadership students. Similarly, I collaborated with Non-Profit Leadership, Sociology, and MSU ONLINE to identify sections of commonly needed general education courses for Applied Leadership students. Despite this collaboration, I still identified six (6) new courses needed to fill the gaps in the curriculum. These include Ethical Leadership, Financial Literacy for Leaders, Leading Virtual Teams, Performance Evaluation and Coaching, Project Leadership, and Teamwork. Knowing that I didn't have the time to develop all of these courses, I engaged my teaching partner in Applied Leadership, Dr. Moses Masibo, and Management Professor Dr. Cheryl Trahms to share in the course development. One course was offered spring 2024, and the other five will be offered in the 2024-2025 academic year. 

My sabbatical project resulted in greater efficiency in scheduling. For example, instead of two AOS301 Intro to Applied Leadership courses each semester, we are now offering only one, with the possibility of adding another section as needed to accommodate student demand. In our first semester of the scheduling initiative (fall 2024), the AOS courses filled more quickly and had fewer empty seats. Students are informed of the available courses for each semester and they can plan their credits for graduation. If they seek to add a minor or dual major, we advise them individually. This has already resulted in reduced advising time and more faculty time that can be invested in other ways.

Fall 2023 Sabbatical Project- Credit for Prior Learning

Interest in leveraging one's experience and non-credit training for credit increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. Students increasingly seek to reduce the number of credits needed and tuition cost for degree completion. Since 2021, I have processed 18 CPL internal assessments (110 credits) for students (see the table below). The increased demand for prior learning assessment necessitated a more streamlined and consistent process. Therefore, the second part of my sabbatical project was to refine the credit for prior learning process for Applied Leadership students. In 2022, I reviewed prospective CPL requests to identify gaps. In fall 2023, I developed standard communication about the process and an interest form students so our advisor/recruiter can distribute CPL information and collect the basic information to determine if CPL is appropriate. I now receive an initial form with a copy of the student's resume prior to meeting with the student. This informs my questions to the student at our first meeting. It also provides an opportunity for exploration of whether there is potential for internal assessment, along with a basic estimate of how many credits may be possible through internal assessment, and how many credits a student is seeking. 

Some students have non-credit training or certifications where clock hours and learning objectives can be directly aligned with learning objectives for the program. Others have experiences they would like translated into leadership credits (e.g., an Olympic athlete or years of business ownership experience). For these students, I developed the Applied Leadership Portfolio Workbook with competencies that align with the course student learning objectives to demonstrate CPL eligibility. The workbook facilitates independent work. In contrast, other universities in our System offer a free portfolio building course that requires additional faculty resources. Our more self-directed approach does not impose additional burden on the program's resources.  

I met with the Registrar and other members of the Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network (CPLAN) to ensure the documents I produced met the standards and best practices for internal assessment. With this systematic approach, my colleagues in the Applied Leadership Program can also share in the internal assessment work and increase our capacity to offer CPL to prospective and current students. 

Career & Continuing Studies Support

Many Applied Leadership students enter the program as student athletes or with full-time professional employment. Their goal is often to move into a leadership role within their employer's organization or seek new opportunities. At the same time, traditional-aged students and athletes are focused on finding their career paths. These students are often either changing their major because they are dissatisfied with their current major or struggling to gain entry to a program or remain in it (e.g., Nursing or Social Work). This is why the first conversation I have with recruits is to explore their career goals and identify if graduate studies or continuing education will be required beyond the bachelor's degree. 

Career counseling is part of my DNA. Many of my professional roles involved career or business development for underrepresented populations. Each year, I provide student recommendations for graduate school or serve as a reference for job opportunities. Below is an example of a recommendation letter I produced for graduate program admissions. Since 2021, I have provided 26 graduate school, employment, and scholarship recommendations.This is significantly increased from the 16 recommendations provided between 2016 and 2020. I attribute the rise in recommendation requests to an increase in program graduates. 

Future Outlook

To facilitate the anticipated growth in the program and not lessen the individual attention each student receives, I will continue to develop the carousel schedule for Applied Leadership. The next step is to integrate new advising tools, such as a pre-prepared schedules that can be distributed to students each semester before registration to recommend their schedule. Students who are satisfied with their plan register for their courses. Those who seek to change their plan can be offered individual advising appointments. Investing my time in this endeavor will free up advising time, so we can focus on struggling students or help more graduating students apply for graduate school or seek new employment opportunities.  This is important, as I anticipate both populations will increase as the number of students selecting the Applied Leadership major grows. I will continue to work with Athletics to facilitate pathways for student athletes and their recruits to find academic and athletic success to graduate and achieve their career goals. 

I anticipate our CPL process will streamline the internal assessment procedures in partnership with the new CPL role in Academic Affairs (Carrie Miller).  Together, we can develop a broader set of best practices for CPL at MSU Mankato that will increase our ability to compete for recruits who have applicable experience and training. I already have interest from South Central Community College's (SCCC) Emergency Medical Technician Program to develop a CPL pathway for their graduates/alumni. This is based in part on the positive experience several EMT faculty have had in the Applied Leadership program.