From Student Affairs Officer to Scholar-Practitioner Increasing Engagement through the Scholar-Practitioner Research Lab

Contact Info Whitney Brown, MS Assistant Director Assessment, Research, & Staff Training University of Maryland, Baltimore whitney.brown@umaryland.edu https://umaryland.edu/campuslife/assessment

Session Format Research and the Scholar-Practitioner A Starting Point Case Example: UMB Scholar-Practitioner Research Lab Taking the Next Step Questions, Comments, and Reflection

Today’s Outcomes As a result of attending today’s session, you will be able to … Identify at least one way research differs from assessment. Define in your own words what it means to be a Scholar-Practitioner. Plan at least one clear next step you can take to get involved in research and scholarship.

Why is this important? As we push ourselves to engage in the process of continuous learning and sharing what we have learned through research and scholarship, it will in turn benefit our students, our colleagues, and ultimately our field.

Quick Baseline Check Go to Socrative.com Click Student Login Enter room name CLSASSESSMENT to participate in a quick assessment!

Quick Refresher!

Research Research guides theory and tests concepts, and has broader implications for higher education. (Erwin, 1991)

Assessment Assessment guides good practice and typically has implications for only one institution. (Erwin, 1991)

How Does Research Differ From Assessment? Extensive time, resources, and expertise Often utilizes control groups and controls for variables in a closed environment Intended to investigate or provide evidence towards a theory or hypotheses Can be applied broadly Limited time and resources Takes a snapshot of your target audience Helps professionals make better decisions for their students Does not seek to generalize to all students Assessment and research are also similar in many ways, both involve: asking the right questions collecting data – both qualitative and quantitative analyzing results using the results to provide evidence and/or make decisions http://baselinesupport.campuslabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/204304485-The-Difference-Between-Assessment-and-Research

Scholar-Practitioner Defined “ A scholar-practitioner understands the importance of practice and research informing each other and the need to ground work in theory and evidence and create measurements that demonstrate impact as well as explore phenomena. (Kupo, 2014, p. 96)

Where do I start? Reflect: What are you already doing? Determine your baseline knowledge Identify the resources and support you have, as well as those that you need Read and read, and then read a bit more Think small to start

Activity Break: AER Competency 5 minutes Work individually or in small groups Use ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies AER Rubric handout as a guide

Case Example: Scholar-Practitioner Research Lab (SPRL) SPRL website

SPRL: The Why “Student Affairs professionals have valuable things to say” (Hatfield & Wise, 2015, p. 1) Foster a culture that supports involvement in research and scholarship Provide opportunity for growth and development of our team Contribute to the field of Student Affairs Priority of our leadership

SPRL: By the Numbers Total Members: 17 Depts. and Schools Represented: 10 Project Data Manuscripts accepted for publication: 1 Manuscripts submitted: 3 Manuscripts in progress: 2 Poster presentations: 1 Conference presentations: 4 (est.) Other projects in progress: 9 (est.)

SPRL: Projects Research for publication Dissertations Masters theses White papers Book reviews Poster sessions Conference presentations  Requested projects Data review

SPRL: Lessons Learned Start small – in size of group and in choice of projects Everyone needs to know the basics Buy in from leadership is ideal but not required Breakdown silos by collaborating with departments across campus Someone must take the lead and keep projects moving forward

SPRL: The Future Graduate Research Assistantships Writing Accountability Groups (WAGs) Grant funding opportunities Varied forms of scholarship Shared responsibility among members Collaboration with the Writing Center Formal skill development

Activity Break: What are your next steps? 5-8 minutes Work individually or in small groups Use Taking Your Next Step worksheet as a guide Questions adapted from Kupo’s 2014 article titled Becoming a Scholar-Practitioner in Student Affairs. (In New Directions for Student Services)

Thank you for attending! Please go to Go to Socrative.com Click Student Login Enter room name CLSASSESSMENT to share your one word reflection on today's session. Contact Information Whitney Brown 410-706-2826 whitney.brown@umaryland.edu https://umaryland.edu/campuslife/assessment

Similar Sessions at NASPA MONDAY The Scholar-Practitioner: Applying Research to Practice, Promoting Scholarly Writing, and Increasing Academic Partnerships and Campus Collaborations 3:40-4:30 PM; 225 B - Convention Center TUESDAY Publishing in NASPA's Scholarly Journals 10:00-10:50 AM; Republic AB - Grand Hyatt

Similar Sessions at NASPA TUESDAY   From Practice to Research: How to Engage in and Publish Your Scholarship While Working in the Field 11:05-11:55 AM; 206 B - Convention Center Making Theory Real: Practitioners and Scholars Apply Student Development Theory 11:05-11:55 AM; Texas B – Grand Hyatt

Similar Sessions at NASPA TUESDAY   Scholar-Practitioner Workshop 12:10-1:00 PM; Grand Ballroom Salon A - Marriott Rivercenter Scholarship is Leadership: Advancing a Research and Publication Initiative in Student Affairs 3:40-4:30 PM; Presidio AB - Grand Hyatt

Resources Research Competency ACPA/NASPA Competency Areas for Student Affairs Practitioners Consider online research methods courses through Coursera, EdX, Lynda, etc.  Managing References RefWorks EndNote Zotero Writing UMB Writing Center Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Johns Hopkins Writing Accountability Groups UMB School of Medicine Scientific Writing Accountability Groups Annotated Bibliography Data Analysis How to Choose the Right Analysis Consider online basic statistics courses through Coursera, EdX, Lynda, etc. Journals Higher Education (general) NASPA ACPA Journal Finder

References ACPA & NASPA, Joint Task Force on Professional Competencies and Standards. (2016). Professional competency areas for student affairs educators rubrics. Washington, DC: Authors. Campus Labs. (n.d.). The difference between assessment and research. Retrieved from http://baselinesupport.campuslabs.com/hc/en-us/articles/204304485-The-Difference-Between-Assessment-and-Research Carpenter, S. (2001). Student affairs scholarship (re)considered: Toward a scholarship of practice. Journal of College Student Development, 42(4), 301-318. Erwin, T. D. (1991). Assessing student learning and development: A guide to principles, goals, and methods of determining college outcomes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Furr, S. (2015, March 18). Being a scholar-practitioner [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.myacpa.org/entity/standing-committee-women/blog/being-scholar-practitioner Kidder, R. (2010, Spring). Part 1: The scholar practitioner: Administrators engaging in the research process. Developments. Retrieved from http://www2.myacpa.org/publications/developments. Kupo, V. L. (2014). Becoming a scholar-practitioner in student affairs. New Directions for Student Services, 89-98. doi:10.1002/ss.20103 Hatfield, L. J., Wise, V. L. (2015). A guide to becoming a scholarly practitioner in student affairs. Stylus Publishing, LLC. Sterling, VA. Hoffman, J. L., & Bresciani, M. J. (2010). Assessment work: Examining the prevalence and nature of learning assessment competencies and skills in student affairs job postings. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 47(4), 495-512. Roper, L., & Newhart, D. (2016). Nuts and bolts of publishing [PDF document]. Retrieved from: http://studentaffairsassessment.org/structured-conversations Sriram, R., & Oster, M. (2012). Reclaiming the “scholar" in scholar-practitioner. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 49(4), 377-396.