I have long considered myself to be technologically savvy, but in the landscape of higher education, this looks very different than simply being able to adeptly pick up new systems to add to my repertoire. The rubric for this competency is broken down into four distinct areas: Technical Tools and Software, Data Use and Compliance, Digital Identity and Citizenship, and Online Learning Environments. With consideration to each of these categories, I believe that I border on the boundary of foundational to intermediate. I believe that while I have gained valuable knowledge up to this point in my career and education, the importance of this competency cannot be understated. I have a large amount of learning to do to be at an advanced level of competency.

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I have experience with many technologies as they pertain to the collegiate field from with work at various college campuses through my career. This ranges from use of multiple student information systems, to both hardware and software specific to certain populations of students, most notably, veterans. The Data Use and Compliance category of the rubric is where I feel my competency is highest, though still, not at the advanced level. While I have learned the ethical transmittal and usage of data from work in the field, it is also a topic heavily discussed in coursework at Buffalo State in my HESAA master’s program. Courses such as HEA 618 Student Affairs Administration discuss FERPA at length, and this is a continued theme through other courses such as HEA 624 Internship I, as well.

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Digital Identity and Citizenship is also a category in which I believe that I have a strong intermediate level of competency. Having worked in higher education for 15 years, it has been impressed upon me the importance of cultivating an online presence that maintains professionalism. Social media has become a critical tool of outreach for colleges and universities over the past decade, and with that, it is important to keep accounts for both professional and personal purposes. This has been a topic of conversation frequently throughout my time in the HESAA program. HEA 618 Student Affairs Administration gave us the opportunity to study and discuss real-time the consequences of expressing personal opinions on a public, professional forum with the case of a Dean from a religious institution who expressed controversial views on their twitter account and was immediately asked to resign. It is critical for high ranking officials to have the digital literacy necessary to “proactively cultivate a digital presence and reputation that models appropriate online behavior and constructive engagement with other virtual communities” (ACPA & NASPA, 2016, p. 33).     

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The area in which I believe that I have the greatest need for development is in Online Learning Environments, where I am currently at a foundational level. My knowledge here has been gained experientially through my own coursework at Buffalo State, and from other college courses that I have taken between the time that I graduated with my bachelor’s to the present. I have had very little formal experience from a design and implementation standpoint for using these online learning environments. One of the most progressive steps that we can take in higher education is to embrace these digital platforms to integrate multiple types of accessible leaning. Universal design is something that I believe can be achieved through mastering this competency area – by using technology to bridge the gaps in students’ learning and bolstering those who learn differently than their peers by utilizing different technologies to formulate solutions for same problems. Although my competency here is foundational, it is my belief that with the proper education and motivation, all higher education professionals will be able to adopt technologies to create inclusivity in learning. My goal as a student is to take advantage of workshops and conferences relating to digital innovation, and networking through professional events with practitioners in the field that are doing this work.