Learning Framework

Student Affairs puts student success at the centre of all we do. In communities of care, we share power with students and support their journeys as they create their own meaningful, impactful, and integrated experiences.

Goals and Outcomes

The Student Affairs learning framework reflects the goals and outcomes we strive to support students in achieving when they engage with our offerings. For each learning goal listed in the accordions below, there are examples of general or common outcomes provided. These learning outcomes fall under three categories that incorporate a land-based growth metaphor, which represent the scaffolding of student learning and development.

“Planting” Outcomes

Often foundational. For example: learn, reflect, identify.

“Growing” Outcomes

Often intermediate. For example: explore, connect, develop.

“Blooming” Outcomes

Often more advanced. For example: apply, lead, co-create.

Understanding Purpose

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to explore their passions and goals, and better understand what motivates their actions and decisions at university and beyond.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will reflect on their passions and goals to better understand what motivates their actions. Students will describe their hopes and expectations for their university experience. Students will learn about opportunities and resources that can help them explore their passions and goals.
Growing	Students will develop their goal-setting skills. Students will engage in opportunities to explore passions and goals outside of their field of study. Students will develop their capacity to reflect on, acknowledge and articulate personal growth.
Blooming	Students will mentor their peers in exploring their passions and goals at university and beyond.

Identity Exploration

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to explore what they are curious about and develop their academic, personal, and professional identities.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will reflect on their values, beliefs, perspectives, and biases and how they may be influenced by colonial and other oppressive systems and structures. Students will gain a stronger understanding of who they are and who they want to be in various aspects of their lives (e.g. as a student, coworker, friend). Students will identify ways in which their values can be enacted in various aspects of their lives (e.g. as a student, coworker, friend).
Growing	Students will gain confidence in articulating their identities to others. Students will explore and examine diverse beliefs and perspectives, through a decolonized lens, to inform current and shape new beliefs and perspectives. Students will connect with others on topics related to their identities.
Blooming	Students will support their peers in examining belief systems and structures and in exploring and developing their identities.

Self-Advocacy and Agency

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to develop their purposeful and respectful self-expression, self-advocacy and agency.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will reflect on their personal, academic, and professional needs. Students will identify supports/resources that would support them in meeting their needs. Students will learn about different methods of respectful self-expression within different contexts.
Growing	Students will develop help-seeking and resourcefulness skills. Students will develop their self-advocacy skills through considering the contexts, audience, etc. for their self-expression. Students will gain confidence in expressing their strengths and needs in different contexts and to different audiences.
Blooming	Students will communicate their strengths and needs in different contexts and to different audiences. Students will lead spaces for themselves and other students to self-advocate (e.g. student government, advocacy groups).

Skill Development

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to develop and integrate relevant and adaptive transferable skills.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will identify adaptive skills that will support their physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Students will learn about ideas behind the impact and importance of various adaptive skills (e.g. time management, sleep, nutrition). Students will learn about opportunities and resources that can support them in developing adaptive skills.
Growing	Students will develop adaptive and transferable skills to support their personal, academic, and/or professional success (e.g. time management). Students will develop adaptive and transferable skills to support their well-being. Students will gain confidence in navigating unexpected challenges using adaptive skills in various aspects of their lives.
Blooming	Students will create personalized schedules or routines that enable the practice of adaptive skills. Students will use their adaptive skills to achieve desired outcomes (e.g. savings goal, grades).

Honour the Whole Person

Student Affairs contributes to environments in which students can connect with and celebrate all facets and intersections of their identity as part of their university journey.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will identify/learn the facets and intersections of their identity. Students will articulate an overarching narrative across their identities. Students will feel safe/encouraged to celebrate their and others’ identities.
Growing	Students will connect with others with shared and diverse identities. Students will develop empathy in connecting with others with shared and diverse identities. Students will explore different ways to celebrate facets and intersections of their identity.
Blooming	Students will co-create experiences for themselves and other students that celebrate diverse identities. Students will feel celebrated in facets and intersections of their identity. Students will demonstrate empathy in connecting with others with shared and diverse identities.

Respectful Interpersonal Relationships

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary for respectful and empowered interpersonal relationships in all aspects of their lives.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will reflect on what respectful and empowered relationships look, sound, and feel like. Students will identify when relationships may be harmful. Students will learn about university resources and opportunities that can support them in sustaining respectful and empowered relationships.
Growing	Students will develop relevant (e.g. self-reflection) skills to facilitate a respectful and empowered relationship with the self. Students will develop relevant (e.g. active listening) skills to facilitate respectful and empowered relationships with others. Students will gain confidence in communicating their boundaries to others in various interpersonal relationships.
Blooming	Students will maintain respectful and empowered relationships in various aspects of their lives. Students will feel respected and empowered in their relationships.

Belonging and Connected in Community

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to feel welcomed, accepted, and valued as members of our community so that they can create meaningful academic, personal, and professional connections at the university and beyond.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will identify communities to which they belong or would like to belong. Students will feel welcomed/accepted/valued as members of the university and beyond. Students will learn about how students can contribute to a welcoming and respectful environment at the university and beyond.
Growing	Students will connect with their peers in various communities to begin creating meaningful connections. Students will connect with professionals at the university and beyond to support their academic and career goals. Students will develop their community building skills.
Blooming	Students will co-create experiences for themselves and other students that facilitate belonging (e.g. student-led clubs, events, programs). Students will create meaningful connections at the university and beyond.

Integration of Learning

Student Affairs provides opportunities for students to integrate their curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will identify the knowledge and skills they gained in curricular and co-curricular activities. Students will identify opportunities to integrate their curricular and co-curricular experiences. Students will reflect on their curricular and co- curricular experiences to identify strengths and areas for growth.
Growing	Students will make connections between their experiences to understand and articulate learning and growth thus far. Students will develop their short-range and long- range planning skills to intentionally pursue selected experiences. Students will gain confidence in their ability to succeed in new contexts using learning from prior experiences.
Blooming	Students will apply what they’ve learned in the classroom in new contexts. Students will communicate their experiences as integrated and supportive of their goals (e.g. to find a new job).

Co-create Just Communities

Student Affairs works with students to ensure our communities at the university and beyond are a more just, equitable and inclusive experience for all, addressing anti-Black racism, colonialism and oppressive systems.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will reflect on how their own identities shape their experiences within university and other communities. Students will learn about how students can contribute to equity and inclusion within university and other communities. Students will learn about the ways in which they can enact change within university and other communities.
Growing	Students will connect with peers to discuss their experiences and desires for changes to university communities. Students will connect with resources that can empower and support them in enacting community change. Students will develop their skills in collecting and interpreting student experience data to inform community change.
Blooming	Students will co-create the processes and activities through which diverse students are welcomed into the university community. Students will co-create communities that resonate with the diverse student population. Students will co-create and contribute to research and data that will support and inform community change.

Co-create Systemic Change

Student Affairs works with students to co-create opportunities for the voices and experiences of equity-deserving students to be heard, elevated, and incorporated into changes to our support systems, services, and programs.

Outcome	Examples
Planting	Students will reflect on how their own identities shape their experiences with our support systems, services, and programs. Students will learn about systemic barriers to equity and inclusion. Students will learn about ways in which they can enact change in our support systems, services, and programs.
Growing	Students will connect with peers to discuss their experiences and desires for changes to our support systems, services, and programs. Students will connect with resources that can empower and support them in enacting systemic change. Students will develop their skills in collecting and interpreting student experience data to inform system change.
Blooming	Students will co-create the processes through which the voices and experiences of equity-deserving students are heard, elevated, and incorporated into systemic change. Students will co-create strategies and plans for contributing to more equitable and accessible support systems, services, and programs. Students will co-create and contribute to research and data that will support and inform systemic change.

The ten goals of the Student Affairs learning framework are presented in a way that starts with an individual student’s self-knowledge and development, and moves outwards in concentric circles of increasing connection, community, and spheres of influence. The goals do not represent an order of student development, but rather it is a way for Student Affairs staff (and others) to think about the ripple effect of our work on the experience of students.