RATIONALE
The ACPA/NASPA Competencies reflect the knowledge and skills and that are essential to good practice in student affairs. As you explore your career in student affairs, it is important to engage in self-reflection about your current level of competency in each area, to identify areas of strength and challenge, and to create a plan for future professional development.
ASSIGNMENT
Throughout the semester, you will engage in a process of self-assessing your current level of competency in the areas described key to student affairs practice by ACPA/NASPA. Each competency draft should include:
A “brief” definition of the competency
A statement of your current competency level (i.e., pre-foundational, foundational, intermediate, advanced) and why (give examples)
Your thoughts on your next steps for advancement
Each competency self-assessment should be at least one “full,” double-spaced page and no longer than three pages.
You will submit drafts of your competencies for feedback and will then submit a final version at the end of the semester. The final version of your competencies should also include an introduction and a conclusion to situate your self-evaluation. For example, your introduction might explore how you became interested in student affairs and your conclusion might provide some insight on what kind of work you hope you do after graduation and the key areas of growth you’ve identified going forward.
EVALUATIVE CRITERIA
Your self-assessment will be graded based upon the depth of your reflection, your use of evidence or examples to support your self-assessments, the ability to create a plan for future development, and the overall quality and clarity of your writing
Focus on only the following compentencies for this essay:
Advising and Supporting
Social Justice and Inclusion
Organizational and Human Resources
Values, History, and Philosophy
Personal and Ethical Foundations
Include the following feedback as well:
Overall, you did a good job! It is clear you have participated in some intensive self-reflection. This is powerful and important. General statements were made regarding ways to challenge yourself and develop skills. I encourage you to look through the ACPA & NASPA Competencies and identify one or two specific tasks within each of the rubrics. This will give you a concrete example of how to move forward and further deepen your skill base. Once you identify the task(s), include them in your self-assessment. This will help the reader understand how you know what you know and assist you in the development of a clear development plan. Suggestions Review for clarity Review for APA Style Identify skills/tasks you would like to work on for self-improvement
