From the Bulletin Board to Blackboard : Online Tools for Student Management

Abstract

To accommodate the increasingly hectic lives of student workers, Lauinger Library's Access Services Department explored ideas that would both empower our student employees and better optimize their work performance. Through the adoption and implementation of multiple technologies, student employee management was enhanced in three core areas: communication with student staff, centralization of departmental knowledge and policy and evaluation of student work. Technologies such as Blackboard, Google Calendar, and Survey Monkey have allowed us to simplify the student substitution process, quickly disseminate departmental alerts and policy changes, implement a peer evaluation process and quantitatively evaluate student training through online quizzes. These changes and more have streamlined the day-to-day management of 53 student workers and increased student work productivity resulting in better service to our patrons.