Unleash your library’s HIPsterTransforming student library jobs into high impact practices

Jill MarkgrafProfessor, Head of Research & InstructionMcIntyre Librarymarkgrjs@uwec.edu715-836-5357

High Impact Practices“High-impact activities require

students to connect, reflect on, and integrate what they are

learning from their classes with other life experiences.”

– George Kuh, “Maybe Experience Really Can be the Best Teacher,” Chronicle of Higher Education

What students do in

High Impact Practices:• Apply knowledge to other

situations

• Perform purposeful tasks

• Use critical thinking to make decisions and solve problems

• Interact with people different from themselves

• Get feedback/mentoring

• Apply knowledge in new settings

• Perform purposeful tasks

• Use critical thinking to make decisions and solve problems

• Work well in teams—especially with people different from themselves

Employers wantgraduates who can:

Survey of Student

Employees

• 250 students from 2005-present

• 96 responses (38%)

• Baseline

High impact practice

Student work experience

Reflect

Connec

Librarians lead

from the middle

Extracurricular

FacultyStaff

Curricular

Develop intellectual and practical skills,

including, for example, inquiry and analysis,

critical and creative thinking, written and

oral communication, quantitative literacy,

information literacy, and teamwork and

problem solving.

Integrate learning across courses and

disciplines, and between campus and

community life.

Maximizing the Student Work experienceLearning community

Read articles and discussed topics including:

• Connection between jobs and liberal education goals

• Enhancing quality of the work experiences

• Supervisor as educator/mentor

Recommended Next steps:

Individual level• Revise student employee PDs• Clarify expectations and boundaries• Revise evaluation process to include reflection• Enhance training for students

Campus level• Create student supervision training workshops

Student Supervisor

Workshop Series

• Nuts & Bolts

• Maximizing the student work experience

• Leadership skills for supervisors of student employees

Workshop 1:

Nuts & Bolts

Supervisor as educator Liberal education learning goals Helping students connect

Workshop 2:

Maximizing the Student Work Experience

Enriching positions Employer perspective panel Conducting guided reflection

How is this job fitting in with your academics?

What are you learning here that’s helping you in school?

What are you learning in class that you can apply at work?

What are you learning that you’ll use in your chosen profession?

University of Iowa http://vp.studentlife.uiowa.edu/initiatives/grow/

Workshop 3:

Leadership Skills for Supervisors of

Student Employees

Leadership role as supervisor/educator/mentor

Leadership styles/Situational leadership

Giving Constructive Feedback

Bringing it home:

Photo: uweauclaire instagram

Bringing it home

Assist at the Reference Desk by answering basic student reference questions…

Bringing it home

Assist students, faculty, staff and community members by answering basic to progressively complex reference questions, in person, by phone, chat…

Bringing it home

Contract:Clarify expectationsCommunicate values

Bringing it home

Enhanced training

Team building

Bringing it home

Performance reviews

Bringing it home

Expanding the model

Value of libraries

Student work

experience =

impact value

No (41%)

Have you enrolled in or considered library school?

Yes (59%)…before working in McIntyre Library?

notbefore(58%)

Yes (59%)

Liberal education

exposes student to

new ideas and

possibilities. The library student work experience does that.

Yes (59%)

NOW’s the time• Students incur more of the cost of their

education

• Fewer resources to maintain/increase traditional HIPs

• Increased competition

• Increased demand to demonstrate ROI

to recognize student work experience as high-impact practice

Thank you

We can lead the charge

Jill Markgrafmarkgrjs@uwec.edu