Connecting Student Employment to Student Success

Abstract

Student employment has not always been associated with student success, yet most students work during college and many work in libraries. An especially large number of students work in Access Services. We wanted to leverage our student employment program to enhance our students' connection with their overall educational experience. We redesigned many aspects of our employment practices. We also implemented the Iowa GROW (Guided Reflection on Work) program to learn more about the connections students saw between their jobs, their learning, and their career goals. We will share findings from a 2+ year program and study, along with recommendations for retooling your student employment program and providing evidence of its connection to student success.