CSA Competency: Fostering Student Learning

The Student Learning in the Co-Curriculum class helped me reaffirm and validate my role as an educator. During this class, I learned how to develop and assess student learning outcomes. In the following paper, I presented three learning outcomes by using three existing learning experiences that the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education currently offers. I also explained how these learning outcomes are supported by theoretical frameworks and beneficial to supporting the mission of the university and meeting the goals for the cultural center. Writing this paper allowed me to identify how the Chavez Center's programs align with the university's "learn by doing" philosophy and contributes to the learning of students.

I would like to present my philosophy of student learning in the co-curriculum as evidence of my commitment to developing strategies for uniting the curricular and co-curricular dimensions of higher education.

Every quarter I work with at least one faculty member to offer service-learning opportunities through the Cesar E. Chavez Center for Higher Education to the students enrolled in their classes. Last quarter, I worked with a group of thirteen students from Dr. Terri Gomez's class to design and implement a campus-wide Cesar E. Chavez Day of Service and Learning. The goal of the program was to educate the campus community around issues of standards of living in honor of Cesar E. Chavez as a champion for equality across communities.

For the program the students collected school supplies and cash donations to benefit two organizations. They also invited a guest speaker to discuss standards of living issues and the students created and displayed panels to display information about advocates from different communities. As part of their class requirement, the students wrote a reflection paper. Below is a compilation of four reflection papers. These essays demonstrate what students learned through this experience. This is evidence of my appreciation of the academic rigor required of students who desire to successfully navigates their academic careers and evidence of my understanding of the role that I play in providing this rigor as their service-learning site supervisor.