Overview and Benefits
It takes a special set of skills to effectively hire, orient, motivate, train, and develop student employees. Therefore, Learning and Development, in partnership with the Pomerantz Career Center and the UI STEP program is pleased to offer a certificate program for UI faculty and staff which supports the UI strategic goal of undergraduate student success. The Supervising Today's Students Series (STS) focuses on developing skills for individuals who supervise and/or represent undergraduate students, while providing insights on how to best lead and support student employees.
All faculty and staff are invited to take part in the series or select courses which are most pertinent to their individual needs. All courses are open to all regardless of participation in the certificate program. Participants who complete all STS series requirements will be eligible for a certificate. To be awarded a certificate, participants may complete any six courses of their choice. The courses do not have to all be done in one semester.
In the past 7 years, the Supervising Today’s Students series has awarded 304 certificates to campus supervisors. In 143 workshops, we have had a total of 3,060 university employees attend. If you have any questions about the series, please contact Josh Frahm at josh-frahm@uiowa.edu or at 319-353-2838.
Courses
January 26, 2023 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
The pre-employment process is the first step in creating a top-of-the-line employment culture within your department. During this session, we will focus our discussion on how to attract the top student candidates by improving your workplace culture through highly effective processes at each level of pre-employment. We will focus on job advertisement, creating effective job descriptions, a culture defining interview process, and setting expectations for the student before they start. Gain the competitive edge with your pre-employment processes by attending this workshop.
February 8, 2023 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Effectively training front-line student employees is vital to the quality of customer service your organization can provide, but training students has some unique challenges. This course will address those challenges while offering participants an opportunity to explore training as a process that begins with your hiring procedures and continues throughout employment. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with each other while designing or updating their own student employee training program using a conceptual framework.
February 15, 2023 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Have you ever tried to learn something or teach something to one of your students that seemed fairly simple, yet the key idea was unable to be grasped? If so, you may have experienced a clash in learning styles. When this happens, communication can break down and learning fails. This can be a frustrating experience for everyone. Through this workshop, our goal is to help you understand your own learning style in order to give you the ability to teach others more effectively. We will also have each participant think about and discuss their own training philosophies and how they can be improved with a better understanding of how your student employees learn best.
February 28, 2023 | 9:30 am pm – 11:00 am
My students are hired, so now what? Leading students can be an overwhelming job, but supervisors will leave this course with tips on how to communicate and build relationships with students while at the same time setting boundaries. Students today are asking for opportunities to be challenged in their workplaces, and as supervisors we have the opportunity to model leadership and set the example for our students so they may perform well and develop into strong leaders in their own right. We will also be exploring best practices in student employee supervision and the challenges and opportunities of leading students today!
March 6, 2023 | 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Have you ever found it difficult to get a grasp on the new generation of workers? Through this workshop we attack the stereotypes of each generation in the workplace and discover what is important to the workplace success of your student staff. We will aim to understand the social and cultural changes that have created a generational disconnect, while understanding that we all still have a lot in common. Our goal through this workshop is for you to walk away with several applicable strategies that will assist in your supervision of students and help you to inspire a more robust work ethic with your student workers.
March 22, 2023 | 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Students gain many helpful academic and career skills from student employment. Sometimes, though, they don't readily connect that what they learn in their campus job will help them succeed in college now, and in work later in life. There are many benefits to helping students make academic/work connections. This workshop will share information about IOWA GROW®, a nationally recognized, time effective method for helping students make connections between work and academics. Participants will learn how to have effective IOWA GROW® conversations that improve job satisfaction, supervisor-employee relations, and overall student success.
March 30, 2023 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may search for student employment on campus, but do not want to disclose that they’re on the spectrum. Without knowing a student, how can you accurately identify a student’s strengths and skills in the interview? In this session, we’ll learn about the characteristics of ASD, the benefits of employing students with ASD, some of the challenges they may face in the workplace, and how to navigate the process of hiring and supervising students with ASD. This workshop will provide tips for current and potential supervisors of students with ASD and leave time for questions and discussion among attendees and facilitators.
April 10, 2023 | 9:30 am – 11:00 am
The key to having a successful workplace culture, and in turn a successful workplace, starts and ends with your employees. In this case, that involves student employees. This workshop will focus on getting your students on board with your departmental culture from day one. Our presentation will focus on how to set clear expectations, set appropriate goals for your employees, create open and winning relationships, and go through how to hold your employees accountable. We look forward to discussing many tips and best practices in a positive and interactive setting.
Course Instructors in Session Order
- Josh Frahm, Associate Director, Student Employment Programs | Pomerantz Career Center
- Lindsay Moen, Public Services Librarian | Special Collections & University Archives
- Dusty Persinger, Academic Support & Retention Coordinator | Academic Support & Retention
- Anita Cory, Student Organizations Investigator | Dean of Students
- Spencer Stumpf, Senior HR Specialist | Organizational Development
- Teri Schnelle, Director | Projects & Partnerships
- Vickie Houser, Assistant Director | Student Disability Services
- Josh Frahm, Associate Director, Student Employment Programs | Pomerantz Career Center
A very special thanks to our course instructors for their willingness to share their expertise and knowledge with our campus community!
Enrollment
Open enrollment will occur for each semester. Please register for each class separately when listed on the Employee Self Service site. Available sessions default to alphabetical order and all courses connected to this series will be listed as "STS: course title". Also, watch for our advertising channels (brochures, web, listserv) for current offerings.