M.Ed.

in Higher Education Program Learning Outcomes: Self-Assessment

Now that you are completing the M.Ed. in Higher Education, please rate your level of competency with the 10 learning outcomes (See
Below). You first completed this assessment in HI ED 490. While you may not have kept that version, wed like you to think back
when you first started the program and give yourself an honest appraisal of where you were with regard to the program learning
outcomes when you began. Then give yourself a score for now in the Nearing Completion, and finally what you would like to
achieve in the future.

Novice Average Mastery

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

M.Ed. Expected Program Learning Initia Nearing

Outcomes
Academic Literacies and Habits of Mind:
1. Critical reading proficiencies
(especially analysis of research and
scholarly journal articles) to deal
effectively with theoretical, empirical,
and policy material in higher education
2. Critical writing proficiencies to analyze
problems of practice, draw upon and
apply concepts studied, and synthesize
ideas into relevant and useful
conclusions
3. Critical thinking skills that require
suspended judgment and the application
of relevant theory to varied areas of
practice, both in written material and
oral communications
4. Becoming a responsible, proactive,
reflective, life-long learner
Future
l Completion
I still have to improve in the area of reading proficiencies. In
many cases throughout this program, I found myself wishing I
5 8 had more time to read the literature on topics and develop a
deeper understanding of the material.
I believe that I have improved dramatically in my writing
ability and have benefited from the constant requirement to
5 8 draw conclusions based on the literature. There is still so much
more to learn and analyze and that is why I give myself an 8.
I do think that I have improved tremendously in this area. I
tackled some very sensitive subjects such as financial aid
modeling, race relations, student success, leadership and more.
Each one of these required me to suspend judgement and apply
5 8
theory to the discussion rather than insert my opinion. I have
found these experiences professionally and personally
rewarding. I believe I can still improve as I still get stuck in my
own head sometimes!
3 8 I have never reflected like I was asked to do in this program
and I have improved dramatically. I find myself constantly

Social Learning and Communication:
5. Ability to collaborate with others, solve
problems, make decisions and engage
in reflective practice
6 8
6. Understanding of purpose, audience,
and context for written communication
and oral presentations
3 8
7. Use information and communication
technologies
4 6
reflecting on my work and wanting to learn more about delicate
subjects and situations. I have improved but I think I have a
long way to go!
I believe that I started higher in this category than most others
as I really enjoy working in groups and value that experience.
Nevertheless, I had not done so in an academic setting in a
rather long time and this exercise improved my ability to liaise
professionally. I have appreciated the group projects and more
than anything, love how I was able to hear perspectives from
outside of admissions. That was quite valuable and has
influenced my work tremendously. I still think that because
admissions is so fast-paced, that I have not mastered this area
and must be very purposeful in my efforts to work with others
and reflect.
I definitely improved in this area. Prior to this program, I barely
ever thought about the audience that was reading my emails,
reports, data, presentations. I was rather nave and self-
absorbed thinking if it wasnt understood, it was the other
persons problem. This program taught me the importance of
understanding your audience in order to most efficiently
collaborate. Without it, you'll never get anywhere. I cant give
myself a 10 because while I think I have mastered the
understanding, the implementation is sometimes still difficult
given how fast-paced admissions work is.
Im much better at information technologies than I am at
communication. I work well with data and am adept at
programs like Excel. Nevertheless, when it comes to
communication I still have a lot to learn. My projects are not
creative, nor are they very visually appealing. I need to
improve my learning and I hope to enroll in some continuing
ed courses related to design and marketing after this program! I
hope that this will help my understanding.
 Practical and Professional Capabilities:
8. Draw upon key theories, concepts and
research findings to assess current
issues and challenges facing higher
education
2 8
9. Collect and analyze data to improve
practice in particular administrative
areas of higher education
5 8
10. Clarify values and apply the standards
of professional and ethical practice as a
future leader in this field
3 7
I was so nave at the beginning of this program: I thought I
already knew about important theories related to Higher
Education. Ultimately, I knew nothing. I now have a much
better understanding of the theories, concepts and research
findings that can help us serve our students and campuses. I
feel as if a whole new world has been introduced to me and I
am enjoying it! Due to time and personal constraints, I wasnt
able to attain mastery and thus, I will dedicate myself to
improvement even after the program is over.
I have very much enjoyed the courses and projected that
required me to analyze large swaths of data and I believe that
because of the research component of this program, my skills
have improved. I believe no one has ever truly mastered
anything (life-long learning!) so I gave myself a 9 because I
can still improve. For example, my knowledge of statistical
analysis is still lacking.
You can never truly master ethics because life will also throw
you curve balls. I and my values will constantly be challenged,
especially in admissions where competition is so fierce and it is
so easy to cut corners. I have thought very critically about what
I value in our work and I know that as I progress in my career, I
will improve in my ability to apply ethical standards to my
work. Im dedicated to ethical practice already but know that I
am not done!