770 Unleash Your Library’s HIPster: Transforming Student Library Jobs into High-Impact Practices Jill Markgraf Introduction At a time when higher education is facing unprece- dented external pressure to demonstrate its value and assess its outcomes, colleges and universities are ea- ger to articulate the myriad ways they benefit students and society. Brick and mortar institutions are look- ing to differentiate themselves from each other as well as from other initiatives such as massive open online courses (MOOCs) and for-profit online providers that could be seen as competitors. One way institutions are doing this is by offering and emphasizing high- impact practices. In higher education, high-impact practices (HIPs) are defined as transformative expe- riences that “require students to connect, reflect on, and integrate what they are learning from their classes with other life experiences.” HIPs enable students to “see firsthand the practical value of their classroom learning by applying it in real-life settings.”1 Studies show that HIPs contribute to student engagement and success. Experiences such as study abroad, collabora- tive research, living learning communities, service learning or internships are commonly cited as HIPs. They share characteristics such as engaging students in sustained and purposeful tasks and decision-mak- ing; they offer students the opportunity to interact regularly and in meaningful ways with faculty, staff or other mentors and receive regular feedback; they expose students to people different from themselves; and they provide opportunities for students to apply, synthesize and reflect on knowledge.2 These experi- ences nurture skills that align with those that employ- ers indicate they value when hiring college graduates. Employers cite critical thinking and problem-solving skills, communication skills, and the ability to apply learning to real-world situations as critical to work- place success.3 Those who employ student workers recognize that most, if not all, of these qualities can be developed and enhanced in student jobs. With inten- tionality and effort, student employment can be recast into a high-impact practice. The Value of Student Work Much has been written about the value of student employment, especially on-campus employment and part-time employment of fewer than 20 hours per week. While some studies suggest a correlation between part-time on-campus student employment and academic achievement,4 other findings are am- bivalent.5 But there is no disputing that a significant number of college students are working (41% of full- time students and 72% of part-time students).6 Mak- ing efforts to incorporate more qualities associated with high-impact practices into the work experience is likely to benefit those students who work while in college. While every campus has a wealth of examples of students engaging in meaningful and enriching work, there is a seeming reluctance to regard these experi- ences as HIPs, which may stem in part from the per- Jill Markgraf is Professor and Head of Research & Instruction, McIntyre Library, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, e-mail: markgrjs@uwec.edu Unleash Your Library’s HIPster: Transforming Student Library Jobs into High-Impact Practices March 25–28, 2015, Portland, Oregon 771 ceived roles and divisions between staff and faculty. Student supervisors are often not faculty, but rather “capable and trusted staff members who take an inter- est in students’ academic progress and general well- being—but, unlike faculty members, are not involved in evaluating their course work….” However, they “often become supportive mentors….[creating] rela- tionships that nurture ongoing ties to the institution.”7 Because it is often staff who supervise students and faculty who oversee students’ academic pursuits, the opportunity to draw connections between the two— an essential element of HIPs—is not fully exploited. Cheng and Alcántara call for institutional policies treating student employment as an “educationally purposeful activity outside the classroom.”8 The Uni- versity of Iowa’s Division of Student Life is answer- ing that call with its IOWA GROW (Guided Reflec- tion on Work) program.9 The program embraces the idea that student employment is a high-impact prac- tice and has institutionalized reflective practices into the student employment experience. Libraries, that typically employ a significant number of students, are well-positioned to propel similar initiatives on college campuses. Librarians Leading from the Middle Academic libraries in the U.S. employ more than 20,000 student assistants annually.10 Librarians su- pervise and work closely with these students, often for several hours per week over several years. The relationship that student employees have with their supervisors and colleagues may be among the most sustained interactions they have with the institution during their college careers. Librarians enjoy similari- ties with non-faculty university staff, such as those in student support services and student affairs. They of- fer services, work with students outside the confines of the classroom, manage facilities, and typically employ a relatively substantial number of student employees. In many institutions, librarians are also integrally in- volved in academic matters, sometimes holding fac- ulty status, often teaching classes, and in most cases working closely with teaching faculty. Librarians are thus uniquely positioned to build connections be- tween students’ curricular and work experiences. Examples of libraries providing meaningful work experiences abound, suggesting that librarians under- stand the value to both students and libraries of creat- ing rewarding work experiences for student employ- ees.11 It is less clear that these experiences, as well as those of other student work experiences on campus, are fully appreciated, acknowledged and promoted as HIPs to students, faculty, staff, administrators, em- ployers and other stakeholders. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire librar- ians hold faculty status and serve on several academic committees, including the academic policies com- mittee, the assessment committee and the university liberal education committee, as well as the university senate. For several years, these committees were fo- cused on revising the university’s liberal education core requirements, and in spring 2014 the campus ad- opted a new Liberal Education Framework.12 Among the goals of the new framework is an integration goal, aimed at connecting students’ academic experiences to other experiences within and outside of the class- room. Throughout the process of developing and implementing this framework, this goal was largely discussed as the integration of courses, and less atten- tion was focused on integrating curricular with extra- curricular experiences. In fact, several faculty were resistant to the idea that extracurricular experiences could address liberal education core requirements. But a librarian saw the emerging Liberal Education Framework as an ideal opportunity to raise awareness of the value of on-campus student work. While fac- ulty employ students, usually as research assistants in a one-on-one mentorship relationship, they are typi- cally less likely to view themselves as “student super- visors” and arguably less focused on the student work experience than are those on campus who employ and supervise more students. Student supervisors, on the other hand, are quite cognizant of the importance of the student work experience, both to the campus and to the student, and aware of the learning experi- ence that a campus job can afford students. However, Jill Markgraf ACRL 2015 772 they are for the most part removed from curricular discussions and decisions. At UW—Eau Claire, many were unaware of the liberal education revisions tak- ing place. A librarian, who bridges these two worlds, drew the connection between the on-campus student experience and the emerging liberal education goals. UW—Eau Claire’s McIntyre Library employs be- tween 50 and 60 students. And while the library could independently enhance the work experience of its students by incorporating characteristics of HIPs and liberal education, real support for and formal recog- nition of the student work experience as an integral piece of a liberal education would require efforts ex- tending beyond the library. Forging Alliances The librarian approached the director of financial aid about a possible collaboration. The director shared a keen interest in the student work experience, rec- ognizing that the university employed roughly 4000 students in a wide range of roles, many of which were high quality experiences but had not been defined or articulated as HIPs. Recognizing the potential impact of the student work experience in light of the new liberal education learning goals, the librarian and the director of financial aid weighed options for be- ginning a campus conversation. The two decided to create a learning community, a professional devel- opment model that was already in place through the campus Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL). The learning communities typically bring faculty to- gether to read and discuss issues related to teaching and learning. Learning communities often develop into “communities of practice” (COPs) that plan and implement projects based on ideas generated by the learning communities. Though a discussion group focusing on the student work experience could have formed and met independently of CETL, the two organizers were determined to offer this profession- al development opportunity under the auspices of CETL. Doing so would underscore the teaching and learning aspect of student employment that was the foundation of the idea. And it would include not only faculty but staff, emphasizing the teaching and men- torship roles of those who work with students outside of the classroom. Initially there was some resistance, as CETL typically provided support for classroom teaching. However, the two made a case for the learn- ing community, citing the liberal education learning goals under development and literature supporting the educational value of student work. Ultimately the “Maximizing the Student Work Experience Learn- ing Community” was offered in spring 2012 through CETL. Twenty one faculty and staff from across cam- pus signed up and met biweekly to discuss selected readings, share philosophies and develop strategies for maximizing the educational value of student work experiences. Sessions focused on four themes: • Contribution of the work experience to the liberal education goals • Supervisor as educator/mentor • Enhancing quality of the work experiences • Defining the parameters of on-campus internships A fifth theme on generational differences in the workplace was added at the request of participants. The series began with participants reading the draft of the university’s Liberal Education Frame- work13 that was being considered, discussed and debated by the university senate, several academic committees and faculty throughout the institution. Not surprisingly, this introduction to the Liberal Edu- cation Framework was the first time that many staff members were made aware of an issue that had been consuming the energies and attention of their faculty colleagues for years. It didn’t take long for learning community participants to identify goals in the new Liberal Education Framework to which the student work experience contributed. For example, the goal to “develop intellectual and practical skills, including… inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, qualitative litera- cy, information literacy, and teamwork and problem solving” immediately had participants talking about the experiences their student employees had that developed these skills. Examples included students Unleash Your Library’s HIPster: Transforming Student Library Jobs into High-Impact Practices March 25–28, 2015, Portland, Oregon 773 conducting interviews and writing news releases for the news bureau, solving technology problems at the campus help desk, developing programming for the residence halls, serving as peer guides for internation- al students and responding to reference questions at the library reference desk. The second segment of the discussion series fo- cused on supervisors as student mentors and edu- cators, exploring the similarities and differences be- tween these roles. There was hesitation among some staff to refer to themselves as educators, and frankly there was resistance among some faculty to cede any part of that role to colleagues outside of the classroom. However, the liberal education goal of “integrat[ing] learning across courses and disciplines, and between campus and community life” offered an invitation— even a mandate—for those in and out of the class- room to collaborate in the liberal education mission. Once learning community participants began to embrace their roles in contributing to the liberal edu- cation experience of their students, the discussions turned to more practical matters such as enhancing the work experiences and helping students to rec- ognize and articulate the value of those experiences. Acknowledging that the development of a meaning- ful work experience began before a student was hired, participants practiced rewriting student position de- scriptions. As the first communication that student employers will have with their student workers, the wording of the position description could begin to model and convey the value of an on-campus work experience. Suggestions included rethinking the title of the position itself to explicitly including a section on the position description that spells out the benefits to the student of holding such a position. For exam- ple, the library changed the title of a student position from “Reference Desk Student” to “Library Research & Instruction Assistant.” Included in the position de- scription was a section with the heading “Benefits” that included: • Development of high level research skills to assist in academic and lifelong learning • Mentoring from library faculty and staff • Opportunity for progressively independent work and increased responsibility • Development of valuable professional skills, including problem-solving, communication, customer service and critical thinking. • Increased awareness of the many different aspects of campus life and activities The interview process is another area that was identified for its potential as a teachable moment. Though many learning community participants ad- mitted to conducting minimal, if any, interviews in their hiring processes, they recognized that this could be the only opportunity some students would get to practice interviewing before they entered the post- graduation job market. Treating the hiring process professionally, by modeling professional behavior, asking “real” interview questions, requesting resumés and references, and even providing some feedback af- terwards, provides students with valuable experience. Learning community members considered approach- es for building upon this theme once students were hired. They discussed using periodic performance re- views as opportunities to guide students in reflecting on their work experience and its connection to their academic endeavors and future goals. Participants turned to the University of Iowa’s IOWA GROW (Guided Reflection on Work) program for inspira- tion. The IOWA GROW program, recognizing that students may not always draw connections between their jobs and classroom learning, promotes conver- sations between students and their supervisors built on four questions: • How is this job fitting in with your academ- ics? • What are you learning here that’s helping you in school? • What are you learning in class that you can apply here at work? • Can you give me a couple of examples of things you’ve learned here that you think you’ll use in your chosen profession?14 As with many of the ideas that were generated during the course of the learning community discus- Jill Markgraf ACRL 2015 774 sions, participants—including the librarian—took these ideas back to their departments and experi- mented with implementing them. In the library, these four initial questions led to discussions with the stu- dents about how their library jobs might be enhanced to strengthen this connection between the student’s academic interests and their job. As librarians learned more about the students’ interests and abilities, they were able to assign projects to the students that would utilize their strengths. One student, for example, was considering a photography major, so he was tasked with developing a collection of stock library photos that librarians could use in teaching, promotional materials and presentations. Another student was en- rolled in an events planning class and was tapped to assist with planning upcoming events in the library. A marketing student was tasked with creating promo- tional videos for the library. Moving Ideas to Action Due to popularity, a second learning community was offered the following semester, and participants con- tinued to consider and implement ideas generated from the shared readings and discussions into their own practices. But organizers were still committed to making an impact at the institutional level. To that end a community of practice (COP) was formed to bring ideas emanating from the learning communi- ties to campuswide action. The COP pulled together eight people, including the librarian, active in student employment on campus. Building on a recommenda- tion that emerged from the learning communities, it set out to create a series of workshops for student su- pervisors that would empower them to see themselves as mentors and educators, and foster the connection between the liberal education learning goals and the work experience of students. The COP developed three 3-hour workshops: • Nuts and bolts. This workshop introduces the concept of “supervisor as educator” and the liberal education learning goals. Participants engage in hands-on activities to develop meaningful position descriptions and en- hance hiring and orientation processes to model professionalism. • Leadership for Supervisors of Student Em- ployees. This workshop focuses on identify- ing and developing leadership styles as they relate to supervising and mentoring stu- dents. Participants use case studies to reflect on their own leadership style predispositions and expand their repertoire of approaches to deal with issues such as providing construc- tive feedback. Participants explore the con- cept of situational leadership for managing and mentoring students in various circum- stances and levels of development. • Maximizing the Student Work Experience. The third workshop in the series expands on the previous workshops by coaching supervi- sors in conducting structured conversations with student employees on identifying and articulating skills they have acquired. Par- ticipants explore more deeply the concepts of high-impact practice and professionalism. A panel of area employers shares their perspec- tives on characteristics and attributes valued in employees. The series of workshops, piloted in 2013, contin- ues to be revised and offered twice a year. Facilitated primarily by members of the original COP, the work- shops are attracting additional presenters and partici- pants who bring diverse and valuable experience and perspectives to the project. The impact of the work- shops is beginning gain traction at the institutional level. The director of financial aid’s position was recon- figured to include “student work” in her title, providing a home and oversight to continued efforts. The univer- sity provost and chancellor have expressed support for the work being done, and workshop evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive. As the university com- munity continues its efforts to develop criteria for as- sessing the new liberal education learning outcomes, it remains to be seen how the work experience will be viewed and incorporated, but the groundwork has been laid and the conversations are in progress. Unleash Your Library’s HIPster: Transforming Student Library Jobs into High-Impact Practices March 25–28, 2015, Portland, Oregon 775 Bringing it Home The value of the librarian’s involvement in the cam- pus student work initiatives has been twofold. First, by championing the potential of student work, she has played a role in raising awareness and quality of student work experiences across campus. Second, by working with a wide range of university colleagues, the librarian has been exposed to the collective ex- pertise and ideas of effective and innovative managers and educators across campus. Gradually these ideas are being implemented in the library. For example, in addition to ideas mentioned above, such as revising the hiring and review processes, the librarian imple- mented regular departmental meetings for her student assistants. The ability to work in teams is a skill valued not only in the university liberal education learning goals, but also by potential employers. Students who staff the reference desk usually do not work together, so implementing regular meetings gave the students the opportunity to meet each other and coalesce as a team. Initially, the meetings focused on training in ar- eas such as customer service, conducting a reference interview, and exploring databases. As students be- came increasingly comfortable with their colleagues, the meetings evolved into brainstorming sessions, where students floated ideas for improving library services. Librarians observed student employees be- coming more engaged and invested in the library, and more confident in sharing ideas for improvement. Seeing the positive outcome from the meetings of a relatively small library department led to the idea of expanding meetings to students in other depart- ments. A recent student meeting focused on devel- oping resumés and articulating student library work effectively—a direct result of the supervisor work- shops. A staff member from the Career Services office facilitated the meeting, and an invitation to this meet- ing was extended to all library student employees. In considering how to best reflect their library jobs on their resumés, students were asked questions similar to those adapted from IOWA GROW and used in in- dividual performance reviews. The group discussion yielded wide-ranging and insightful reflections, aug- menting students’ individual perceptions with those of their peers on the value of their work experiences. For example, when asked what skills they were devel- oping in their jobs, a reference desk student replied, “Asking questions. Listening is more important than having an immediate answer.” A technical services student offered an unanticipated response, “Creativ- ity. When I have to mend a book I’m given free rein in deciding how best to do it.” Her comment sparked a conversation on the creative aspects of jobs that stu- dents hadn’t previously thought of in that way. Assessment As the library becomes more intentional about elevat- ing student work experiences to HIPs, it is mindful of assessing its efforts. A survey of students employed in the library during the past 10 years was conducted in January 2015. Of approximately 250 students and former students contacted via email or Facebook, 96 completed the survey, for a response rate of 38 per- cent. Intended to serve as a baseline survey that can be repeated in a couple of years, after more efforts to implement high-impact practices have been put in place, the initial survey nonetheless provided valuable feedback on student perceptions of their work experi- ences. Students were asked to identify to what extent they believed they learned or developed a set of skills while working in the library. Responses varied de- pending on the nature of the students’ work, with results skewing toward the more numerous techni- cal service students. The ability to work indepen- dently, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills ranked high overall. Students in public service also identified communication skills, customer service and problem-solving among the skills they obtained. Technical service students cited analytical skills, or- ganizational skills, and time management. A majority of students indicated that they had learned or devel- oped skills aligning with liberal education learning goals, such as information literacy (research skills), critical thinking and problem-solving, communica- tion and analytical skills. Jill Markgraf ACRL 2015 776 We have long suspected, as have others on cam- pus who employ students, that the student work expe- rience often influences a student’s future career path. We asked survey respondents if they had enrolled in, or ever considered enrolling in, a graduate program in library science. We then asked those who responded affirmatively (59%) if they had been thinking about it before working at McIntyre Library. Fifty-eight per- cent responded no. If part of a liberal education is ex- posing students to new ideas and possibilities, there is no question that the work experience does just that. Conclusion UW—Eau Claire, as part of the University of Wiscon- sin system, is facing unprecedented budget cuts from the state that threaten to increase the economic bur- den on students while drastically reducing the number of instructors on campus and the ability to maintain or expand traditionally recognized high-impact prac- tices. Yet the university administration has stated that HIPs remain a priority even in the face of substantially reduced resources. At the same time, students are fac- ing increased pressure to work while in school. These unfortunate circumstances may provide a new land- scape in which those who have been resistant to rec- ognizing extracurricular experiences on campuses as valid educational experiences are willing to give them credit, figuratively or literally. Efforts to enhance and recognize the student work experience can only benefit students and colleges, especially in challenging times, and librarians can be the ones leading this charge. Notes 1. George D. Kuh, “Maybe Experience Really Can Be the Best Teacher,” Chronicle of Higher Education, 57, no. 14 (Novem- ber 26): A20. http://search.ebscohost.com. 2. George D. Kuh, High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter (Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008). 3. It Takes More Than A Major: Employer Priorities for Col- lege Learning and Student Success. (Washington, DC: Hart Research Associates, 2013), 12. http:// www.aacu.org/sites/ default/files/files/LEAP/2013_EmployerSurvey.pdf . 4. Gary R. Pike, George D. Kuh, and Ryan Massa-McKinle, “First-Year Students’ Employment, Engagement, and Aca- demic Achievement: Untangling the Relationship between Work and Grades.” NASPA Journal (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, Inc.) 45, no. 4 (2008): 560- 82. 5. Steven C. Riggert et al., “Student Employment and Higher Education: Empiricism and Contradiction,” Review of Edu- cational Research 76 (2006): 63-92. 6. “Characteristics of Postsecondary Students,” National Cen- FIGURE 1 Student Perception of Skills Learned Working in Library (% Indicating “A Lot” Or “Some”) 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 Writing Supervisory skills Management skills Research skills Analytical skills Technology skills Critical thinking Confidence Time management Customer service Problem-solving Communication skills Organizational skills Interpersonal skills Attention to detail Ability to work independently FIGURE 1 Student perception of skills learned working in library (% indicating "a lot" or "some") Unleash Your Library’s HIPster: Transforming Student Library Jobs into High-Impact Practices March 25–28, 2015, Portland, Oregon 777 ter for Education Statistics (May 2014), http://nces.ed.gov/ programs/coe/indicator_csb.asp. 7. Noel-Levitz, Enhancing Student Success by Treating ‘Student Jobs’ as ‘Real Jobs’ [White paper] (2010), 3, https://www. noellevitz.com/documents/shared/Papers_and_Re- search/2010/StudentEmployeeSuccess.pdf. 8. David X. Cheng and Lucia Alcántara, “Assessing Working Students’ College Experiences: a Grounded Theory Ap- proach,” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 32, no. 3 (2007): 309. 9. University of Iowa, Division of Student Life, IOWA GROW, accessed February 1, 2015, http://vp.studentlife.uiowa.edu/ initiatives/grow. 10. Tai Phan, Laura Hardesty, and Jamie Hug, Academic Librar- ies: 2012. NCES 2014-038. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics (2014): 9. http://nces.ed.gov/ pubs2014/2014038.pdf. 11. Jamie Seeholzer, “Making it Their Own: Creating Mean- ingful Opportunities for Student Employees in Academic Library Services,” College & Undergraduate Libraries 20, no. 2 (2013): 215-223, doi 10.1080/10691316.2013.789690; Kate Burke and Belinda Lawrence, “The Accidental Mentorship: Library Managers’ Roles in Student Employees’ Academic Professional Lives,” College & Research Libraries News 72 (2011):99-101. 12. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Liberal Education Framework, Learning Outcomes, and Rubrics, last modified Dec. 30, 2014, http://www.uwec.edu/ULEC/Liberal-Educa- tion-Framework-Learning-Outcome-and-Rubrics.htm. 13. Ibid. 14. University of Iowa. _Ref412131001 _Ref412131002 _Ref412131003 _Ref412131004 _Ref412131005 _Ref412131006 _Ref412131007 _Ref412131008 _Ref412131009 _Ref412131010 _Ref412131011 _Ref412131012 _GoBack _Ref412131013 _Ref412131014