Graduates should have the personal skills necessary to relate effectively with students as individuals. Specifically, students should be able to:
-
assess the developmental and personal needs of individual college students;
-
make positive contributions to the personal development and learning of individual students;
-
assist students in accessing and utilizing a wide range of services and programs designed to benefit them.
Creating a Plan to Improve Job Performance
Sanford (1966) asserts that both challenge and support is essential and must be present in order for development to occur. As a student affairs professional, it is important to provide students with the necessary support or resources they need in order to succeed and overcome the challenges they face. One of the students I supervise was having job performance issues. The student was not completing tasks on time and not paying attention to detail in their work. In order to fix the problem, I met with this student and we discussed the issue at hand. The student was aware that this was a problem and together we created a plan to get her back on track. See below to view the student's plan.
Student's Plan to Increase Job Performance
- Set realistic deadlines and meet deadlines for job assignments. Let supervisor know if deadline given is appropriate
- Set aside a specific time weekly to perform job related tasks
- Ask for assistance from supervisors and other programming team members when needed
- Communicate with supervisor if not able to meet deadlines or attend meetings, need assistance completing tasks, or other job related responsibilities
- Meet with supervisor weekly for one-on-ones to discuss progress with plan
One-on-ones with Student Staff Members
Through conversations with my student staff, I have discovered many of them needed resources on campus to assist with their situation. For example, one of my students was struggling academically and lacked motivation in work and in school. I referred this student to the learning center and counseling center to seek assistance. I also made sure to follow up with the student weekly so I could be updated on the student's progress.
Counseling: Issues and Practices Course
In the Counseling: Issues and Practices course, I learned vital information on how to respond to student crisis on campus. For an assignment, I looked into the University of California, Riverside’s emergency and crisis plan to educate myself on the protocols in place, which is extremely important in my student affairs position at the university. The class also provided me with important information on symptoms and resources for students who may be experiencing eating disorders, psychological or mental disorders. Click here to review the crisis intervention paper.
