1. My first top takeaway is drawn from the courses Higher Education Professional Seminar and Foundations in Higher Education. Key components that stood out to me when applying our communication and presentation skills are the 7 C’s: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete and courteous. The most useful tool that I learned to use and that I continue to work on developing is my e-portfolio as this was a totally new concept introduced to me. In addition, I learned to appreciate the value of an institutional history because this can help us identify and understand better-enduring challenges faced in the past. It can explain how historical events have shaped today's system, help us in the process to predict and respond differently and perhaps better to new situations and changes in the system, which can affect us now and in the future. We should be able to take advantage of learning from mistakes or successes done in the past and use the information wisely to help make our institutions stronger. Overall, this course provided me with great insight into how institutions are run, introduced me to new tools that helped me research, and understand better the institution I work for, as well as other institutions.

2. My second top takeaway is extracted from the course Administration in Higher Education. This course introduced me to concepts and ideas that I have been trying to implement. Being more aware of my institution’s organizational sagas and the resource dependencies as a way to better understand the organization's relationship with its constituents. I have also started to use the conceptual approaches for organizational change, such as population ecology, structural inertia, and institutional isomorphism as a way to understand better the institutional dynamics involved to promote change and the role of leaders while envisioning and implementing these changes.

3. My third top takeaway comes from the course Evaluation of Academic Programs. The most useful about this course for me was the group participation and practice of writing an Executive Summary and Student Learning Outcomes, developing our own direct and indirect measure assignment metrics and personal rubrics for those projects according to the adjusted student outcomes. It was essentially a practical experience that can be transferred immediately into actionable isometrics, leaving me more confident in my ability to embark on a similar project at my current job and with better basic knowledge of what needs to be done. A useful tool for me in my current work as an administrator. The group collaboration also helped me in a great deal to bring awareness when working with peers and knowing when to take the lead and when to step aside to give the opportunity to others to showcase their skills and knowledge in order to reach harmoniously a common goal.

4. My fourth top takeaway is found on the course, Foundations of Institutional Research. I have learned how to use and identify different data sources, including national databases to perform basic formula-based predictions using time trends and regression models to predict actual outcomes, while incorporating expert intuition that aligns with insights from previous research. In addition, I learned to identify gaps and areas in need of improvement to advance institutional goals and to better monitor organizational accountability by learning how to relate and compare performance indicators to the organization's objectives. I am grateful to have learned how to present basic research findings and to critically examine and interpret basic results while recognizing the potential rise of ethical concerns. I have gained a good foundation and knowledge related to analysis and reporting in the higher education setting. This course has contributed to my enrichment and understanding of concepts, methodologies, research practices, and information systems that support institutional decision making.

5. My fifth top takeaway arises from the course of Academic Advising and Enrollment Management. Out of all of the HIED courses, I found these to be some of the most relevant and practical. The concept of the Iron Triangle and the Tuition Discounting assignment were the most useful and interesting to me as I think that all of us, regardless of role, can benefit from having a better understanding of how our student body is crafted and the inherent difficulties in balancing multiple institutional priorities. Though, the biggest takeaway was the skill-building exercises, which influenced my academic advising experience and ability to serve as an academic adviser by enhancing my skill abilities and promote student program participation, engagement, service learning, leadership, intellectual support, and personal development toward academic success. It has also improved my ability to further analyze students and record detail notes during advising sessions and brought awareness to keep the separate public and confidential records. The tools provided assisted me in supporting students’ transition to prosper in their academic experiences by being able to impact their general education curriculum and promote student engagement.

​

​

​

​