Supervisor Training@Iowa aims to establish a comprehensive approach to supervisory development at the University of Iowa. The online training is intended to assist staff and faculty in supervisory roles with developing common knowledge, strengthening supervisory skills, and promoting consistent, equitable employment practices. The Supervisor Training@Iowa sessions were created in 2019 with the input of more than 200 faculty and staff from across campus and refreshed in July 2023 as part of Iowa's ongoing efforts to prioritize mental health and well-being and increase employee retention.

Any staff and faculty administrative supervisors in a regular appointment may be required to complete the training. The training consists of four courses:

Course Descriptions & Resources

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Foundations

For supervisors to successfully recruit, hire, and retain staff they need to have a foundational understanding of university policies, procedures, and values. This course covers topics such as supervisor roles, change management, UI policies, and more.

Enroll In Foundations Course

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Culture Builder

Supervisors should focus on building a positive team culture as they work to lead their team effectively. This training addresses topics like conflict management, rewards and recognition, employee engagement, professional development, and more.   

Enroll in Culture Builder Module

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Performance Manager

Managing performance requires much more than annual evaluations—it’s an ongoing process of creating a work environment that helps individuals perform to the best of their abilities. This course focuses on performance coaching, evaluation best practices, and how to address performance-management challenges.

Enroll in Performance Manager Course 

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Team Builder

People are the university’s greatest resource and, simply put, many of these people say the UI is a great place to work. This course focuses on attracting new faculty and staff, leveraging the UI employee experience to recruit the best people, and helping them get established in the UI community.

 

Enroll in Team Builder Course

Supervisors' Toolbox

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The Supervisors' Toolbox is a guide to online resources, policies, and training materials and is designed to complement Supervisor Training@Iowa courses.

FAQs

Many people become supervisors with little, if any, formal preparation. Supervisor Training@Iowa aims to provide a consistent foundation for all administrative supervisors at the University of Iowa.

Supervisor training is one of the most often requested trainings from staff leaders, HR professionals, and staff members themselves. Working at Iowa survey results routinely highlight opportunities to improve supervisory skills and feedback.

Generally, all administrative supervisors at Iowa who are in a regular appointment are required to complete Supervisor Training@Iowa. If you see any of the Supervisor Training@Iowa courses in your Unfulfilled Compliances tab in Employee Self Service (My Career | Compliances & Qualifications | My Compliances), you are required to complete these training courses.

The courses are offered online in ICON and are available at any time. Courses can be stopped and returned to at the convenience of the participant. 

If you are a supervisor, you are required to take this training as a compliance. To take the training as a required compliance follow the below steps.

Step 1: Log into Employee Self Service with your HawkID and password.

Step 2: Select the My Career | Compliances & Qualifications | My Compliances.

Step 3: In the Unfulfilled Compliances tab, you will see a list of the compliances you need to fulfill, including any remaining Supervisor Training@Iowa courses.

Step 4: Select the View Details button next to the title of the session you want. The view will expand to show the ICON course.

Step 5: Select Enroll in Course. This will take you to the page in My Training that has the course description and any special instructions.

Step 6: Select Enroll in Session to sign up for that course. ICON courses can be completed at your convenience.

If you are not required to complete the training, but want to register for any of the Supervisor Training@Iowa courses, follow these steps:
  • Step 1: From the courses below, click the direct link for the course you want. You will need to login with your HawkID and password.
  • Step 2: Select the Enroll in Session button.

Because these ICON courses are self-paced, the time to complete them can vary. Listed below are the estimates for each course.

Foundations - 60 minutes
Culture Builder - 55 minutes
Performance Manager - 60 minutes
Team Builder - 40 minutes

When an administrative supervisor is assigned the Supervisor Training@Iowa compliance courses, they have 6 months to complete them.

Completion will be tracked in the university’s Compliances and Qualifications system available through Employee Self Service.

Supervisor Training@Iowa sessions are approved activities for some continuing education credit programs. See below for details.

Continuing Education

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In support of improving patient care, the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

CME Credit Designation: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 3.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses:  Iowa nurses may use certificates of participation in ACCME-accredited education toward their CE requirement for licensure. Please review the Iowa Board of Nursing's website for more information.

Other Health Care Providers:  A certificate of participation will be available after successful completion of the course. (It is the responsibility of licensees to determine if this continuing education activity meets the requirements of their professional licensure board.)

Educational Objectives: 

  • Create an equitable and inclusive team culture
  • Engage employees to maximize performance
  • Enhance performance coaching, management, and documentation
  • Ensure consistent hiring, onboarding, compensation, and related practices

Questions

If you have questions about Supervisor Training@Iowa, please consult the above Supervisor Training@Iowa FAQ, or call Organizational Effectiveness at 319-335-3558 or email uilearndevelop@uiowa.edu.