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I would be remiss if my artifact for the Student Learning and Development Competency was not about my work with the Student Development and Leadership Program (SDL) in the Department of Recreation and Wellness (RecWell).  The SDL program is a series of training-based workshops intended to enhance the leadership and development of student staff holistically.  In my graduate assistantship I was charged with the responsibility of planning, implementing, and assessing these monthly workshops for all student staff (staff, supervisors and graduate assistants).
 

One of the biggest challenges this year from previous years was ensuring the programming was relevant for all levels.  Student Supervisors and Graduate Assistants were required to attend unless they had class, which made it easy to program to the high end of the spectrum in terms of RecWell knowledge.  That said, all other staff, especially those hoping to get promoted were encouraged to attend and offered incentives for doing so. 
 

In planning these events, I developed learning outcomes for each program, created theoretical ties to Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders, and linked the intended program to other initiatives across the Division of Student Affairs.  Additionally, part of engaging student leaders in the SDL program was teaching them about the theories we were utilizing.  The video artifact included explains how we utilized theory as part of the common language to enhance student learning and development throughout the year.  The student leaders adopted this language as a way to problem solve, grow, and learn from each other across the areas of RecWell.