Fall 2013 Fieldwork at CSUF Student Access Center

Title: Fieldwork at California State University Fullerton's Student Access Center
Term: Fall, 2013 

Description: California State University Fullerton (CSUF) is a public, four-year, Hispanic Serving institution located centrally in the Orange County which allows it to be an easy access for students living in the surrounding cities.  This is a positive aspect to the commuter school which is serving roughly 37,000 students for fall 2013. CSUF is known as the biggest CSU campus and the most affordable college in California.  It won national rankings for “Top Public Universities”, “baccalaureate degrees awarded to minority students”, “awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics”, and “Exemplary Programs” in student leadership (As cited in Fullerton website).  Being a diverse campus, it serves a wide range of students rarely found in homogeneous schools such as: commuter, non-traditional, low-income and/or transfer students.  Also, CSUF is known for having a high transfer rate.  With this, there are many majors and minors to explore and pursue as CSUF offers 55 bachelor’s degrees and 52 graduate degree programs (As cited in Fullerton website).  Additionally, CSUF has a 25:1 faculty-student ratio which provides individualized attention for student success.  Located in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences is the Student Access Center where students have a safe space to study, conduct student organizational meetings, form academic bonds, and build relationships with the student assistants.  The center aims to support student success by providing resources, hosting scholarship meetings, and offering academic and Career Center workshops.  Students of all majors are welcomed to use the center from the hours of operation on Mondays through Thursdays between 9:00am to 7:00pm.

Learning Outcomes: 

• SWiBAT Demonstrate her knowledge of transfer students
• SWiBAT Compare and contrast techniques used for advising
• SWiBAT Gain a better understanding of organizational leadership and the university's organizational chart.  
• SWiBAT Design and present a series of student success workshops.

Assessment Rubric:

1. For the first learning outcome, articles will be given by site supervisor regarding the student population.

-           Student will report back to the supervisor regarding student characteristics, challenges, and ways transfer students persist in school. 

2. This will be done by meeting with at least three academic advisors to gain knowledge about the requirements and process.

-           An exam will be administered about the general educational and university graduation requirements.

3. This will be accomplished through discussions with the site supervisor

-           Student will reflect on how organizational leadership affects the institution and how it will affect her future career in Student Affairs. 

4.   The project I will be working on is assessment of study skills workshops designed to inform students about the skills needed to maintain a good academic standing.  This will be accomplished through assisting in the planning and delivery of four interrelated workshops for students.  A special focus is to target first year students and transfer students.  Changes in the students’ study behaviors and knowledge of campus support systems will be used to measure the project at the end of the semester.  

Evidence: I have provided photos of my Fieldwork site and the workshop powerpoint.  All learning outcomes were met except for number two which was partially accomplished due to lack of time academic advisors had to meet with me.  Each learning outcome received a "4-advanced" for fulfilling the requirements except for learning outcome number 2.  Learning outcome 2 was given a "1-basic" for meeting 1/3 academic advisors.

Reflection:  Research stated transfer students were mostly first year students and/or students of color.  Many of these students come from low income families and may have familial obligations which prevent them from attending a four year institution due to cost and distance.  I learned many transfer students are at risk for academic probation because of campus cultural differences, not being academically prepared, and not having the knowledge of academic requirements at the four year institution.  I reported back to my supervisor and discussed the student characteristics, challenges, and ways transfer students persist in school.  As student affairs professionals, we should assist students transition with the guidance of Schlossberg’s Transition theory (1981).  By being a support system and providing strategies for coping, students will have a higher chance in transitioning to the campus and persisting in their studies.  Although I cannot relate to transfer students, there are similarities they face that first year students encounter such as transition, time management, and social and academic integration.  For future application, I hope to be able to relate to transfer students and share experiences to develop strategies for academic success.  

Student learning outcome two was partially accomplished through meeting an academic advisor to gain knowledge about general education requirements.  I learned about the importance of general education because it helps students see multiple perspectives, learn about themselves, and be exposed to diversity and various cultures.  Students gain skills such as comparing and contrasting, communication, critical thinking, and writing which can be used for job related skills.  General education prepares students for the complexity and changes in the world.  Although I did not meet with three academic advisors, the quality of information gained made the experience provided a foundation for my knowledge in advising.  

The last learning outcome was completed through discussions with the site supervisor.  I learned about the various positions which make up the organization in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and how the chain of command is in effect.  For instance, if a student has a complaint about a department, the student must contact the department chair and if the conflict cannot be resolved, the issue is presented to the Dean.  Students cannot contact the Vice President unless the previous steps are completed.  My learning outcome was assessed through reflection of how organizational leadership affects the institution and how it will affect my future career in Student Affairs.  I learned the organization of a higher institution would affect my job because based on the shifts in the institution, the roles of certain Student Affairs positions may change too.  In addition, it is important to have a high degree, gain experience, and have networks in order to move up in the field. 

            Student Success Workshops was a great learning experience of public speaking, contacting Student Affairs staff, improvising, and advertising.  My first Student Success Workshop was conducted on October 2, 2013 with three students attending the presentation.  Although the number of students was very low, the quality of engagement made the experience worthwhile.  One student wrote on the feedback form, “To tell you the truth, offering the workshop was good enough for me, and I thank you for that!  I liked the slides and how you and Mr. McKenzie had us participating and gave us positive feedback on our responses. Although we had a limited time, I bet it would of been great if we had 20 more minutes to wrap the presentation up and to finish the slides.  Overall it was very informative and I am really trying to use my 8 day calendar :) Thank you once again.”  The responses helped me learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the presentation such as participation and positive feedback in addition to being able to present all the intended information within an hour.  

The second workshop ended up being a casual conversation about academic probation and time management.  The two students were very engaged in the conversation and being able to share experiences helped the students become more at ease with their concerns while I realized I had more to offer than I thought.  Surprisingly, the students enjoyed my advice about learning by teaching others and balancing their time with academics and leisure.  The conversations gave students the opportunity to learn about the material, about themselves, and be more confident in their studies.  For the third and fourth workshops, my supervisor and I agreed to have a faculty guest speaker to discuss time management and utilizing faculty.  Unfortunately, for the third workshop, students did not attend possibly due to poor outreach.  With this, flyers were posted, students received a mass email a week in advance and the day before the event, posted a reminder on Facebook, and an announcement was made in the center the day of the event.  The fourth workshop was successful and students gave positive feedback on what they learned and wished for more workshops.  They stated time is a commodity so they should not multitask or procrastinate.  Procrastination was an important reminder for students to not waste their time worrying because that time spent could have been used for productivity.  It is also essential to take breaks in between studies and to manage time wisely.