IOW

A G

RO

W® Q

UICK

GU

IDE

How can you use the nine outcomes?The nine outcomes of student employment listed above can be used in your conversations with students. You can use the outcomes to help prompt students when they are thinking about what they’ve learned in their job and how it connects to what they’ve learned in the classroom and vice versa.

For example:

Supervisor says, “What are you learning here that’s helping you in school?”

Student says, “I don’t know…”

Supervisor says, “Well, what about time management? What have you learned about time management working here that you have used outside of work?"

For example:

Supervisor says, “What are you learning in class that you can apply here at work?”

Student says, “Hmmm…”

Supervisor says, “You mentioned that you are taking a communications course. What have you learned about verbal communication in that course that you could use here?"

For example:

Supervisor says, “Can you give me a couple of examples of things you’ve learned here that you think you’ll use in your chosen profession?”

Student says, “I haven’t learned anything here that will be useful in my career.”

Supervisor says, “What about working effectively with with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences? What have you learned about working with diverse others here that you could use in your future career?"

vp.studentlife.uiowa.edu/grow

How does IOWA GROW® connect to the outcomes of student employment?

OUTCOMES OF STUDENT EMPLOYMENT STUDENT EMPLOYEE SURVEY QUESTION

1. My job has helped me improve my writing skills.

2. My job has helped me improve my verbal communication skills.

3. Because of my job, I am able to work effectively with individuals with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and cultures.

4. My job has helped me develop more effective time management skills.

5. My job has helped me develop conflict negotiation skills.

6. My job has helped me use critical thinking skills to form opinions and solve problems.

7. My job has helped prepare me for the world of full-time employment.

8. My job has helped me learn more about career options.

9. I can see connections between my job and my academic major/coursework.

REFLECTING

CONNECTIN

G

LEARNING

vp.studentlife.uiowa.edu/grow

1. writing

2. verbal communication

3. diversity

4. functioning independently

5. conflict negotiation

6. problem solving

7. preparation for real-world employment

8. learn about career options

9. see connections between work and academics

The Division of Student Life has outlined nine outcomes, measured in the Student Employee Survey, that we expect students to gain as a result of being an employee in the Division.

CON

TAC

T:

Sara

h H

anse

n

sara

h-ha

nsen

@ui

owa.

edu

Teri

Sch

nelle

teri-

schn

elle

@ui

owa.

edu

FOR

QUES

TION

S OR

MOR

E INF

ORM

ATIO

N AB

OUT I

OWA

GROW

® VIS

IT TH

E WEB

SITE

:

vp.stud

entlife.uiowa.edu/grow

The Division of Student Life's m

ission is to foster student success by creating and prom

oting inclusive educationally purposeful services and activities w

ithin and beyond the classroom. A

s the largest employer on

campus, it is our goal to m

ake student employm

ent a high-impact activity,

one that requires students to reflect on their learning and connect their learning w

ithin and beyond the classroom, through Iow

a GRO

W®.

Iowa G

ROW

® (Guided Reflection on W

ork), an initiative created within

the Division of Student Life, uses brief structured conversations betw

een student em

ployees and their supervisors to help make the learning

that is occurring through student employm

ent more visible to the

student. Supervisors in the Division are expected to have tw

o Iowa

GRO

W® conversations (individual or sm

all group format) w

ith student em

ployees each semester.

Our data, collected yearly, continue to show

tremendous benefits for

students who participate in w

ork-academic connection conversations

with their supervisors. Students w

ho participate in Iowa G

ROW

® are more

likely to agree that their job helps them:

• improve their w

riting and verbal comm

unication skills

• gain multicultural com

petence

• develop time m

anagement and conflict negotiation skills

• use critical thinking skills to solve problems

• prepare for real-world em

ployment

• learn about career options

• gain the ability to see connections between w

ork and academics

The nine outcomes of the student em

ployment experience result in

transferrable skills (or competencies) that w

ill benefit students both now

and in the future. These are the nine outcomes w

e measure each year in

our survey of student employees.

Supervisors are very important assets in helping students learn about the

skills they are developing with us through w

ork/academic conversations.

These types of conversations are new for som

e supervisors, while others

have been having these conversations with their students all along. The

Iowa G

ROW

® program sim

ply helps provide additional structure.

The Division of Student Life is a leader across the U

nited States in providing an im

pactful student employm

ent experience. The materials in

this packet help support supervisors in having Iowa G

ROW

® conversations w

ith their student employees.

"Wor

king

for U

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Cat

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me

to st

ep in

to a

lead

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ip ro

le th

at

I nev

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ough

t I'd

ach

ieve

as a

soph

omor

e in

colle

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've

lear

ned

som

e in

cred

ible

le

ader

ship

skill

s tha

t will

be

cruc

ial t

o m

y ac

adem

ic li

fe n

ow a

nd m

y ca

reer

late

r in

life.

Th

is jo

b ha

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ght m

e re

al-li

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ills t

hat t

ie in

with

exa

ctly

wha

t I'v

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en le

arni

ng in

m

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asse

s. It'

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at to

see

my

wor

k lif

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d ac

adem

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fe co

me

toge

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."

- Oliv

ia H

arm

on, U

nive

rsity

Hou

sing

& D

inin

g

®®

“A large part of w

hat I am learning at Student

Life Marketing +

Design is com

munication.

This includes leading m

eetings, effective email

comm

unication, and speaking with people

in various fields of expertise. Developing m

y com

munication skills here at w

ork helps me

comm

unicate better with m

y professors as well as

my classm

ates when w

orking on class projects.”

- Shelby Cain, Iow

a Mem

orial Union

TH

E PROG

RA

M:

IOW

A G

ROW

® uses brief, structured conversations between student

employees and their supervisors to help m

ake the learning that is occurring through student em

ployment m

ore “visible” to the student. T

hese conversations focus on four key questions:• H

ow is this job fitting in w

ith your academics?

• What are you learning here that’s helping you in school?

• What are you learning in class that you can apply here at w

ork?• C

an you give me a couple of exam

ples of things you’ve learned here that you think you’ll use in your chosen profession?

IOW

A G

ROW

® is focused on making student em

ployment a "high-

impact activity" - one that requires students to reflect on their learning

and connect their learning within and beyond the classroom

.

AWA

RD

S AN

D R

ECO

GN

ITIO

N FO

R IO

WA

GRO

W®:

• Cited in the A

AC&

U publication, Ensuring Quality &

Taking High-

Impact Practices to Scale by George K

uh and Ken O

’Donnell

• Highlighted in Jeffrey Selingo’s book, College U

nbound

• Featured in T

he Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on W

hat M

atters Most by Felton, G

ardner, Schroeder, Lamberr and Barefoot

• Cited in G

eorge Kuh’s article, M

aybe Experience Really C

an Be the Best Teacher, Chronicle of H

igher Education

• Over 100 colleges and universities have consulted w

ith us on adopting IO

WA

GRO

W®

13-2081-3

REFLECTIN

G

CON

NEC

TIN

GLEA

RNIN

G

CO

NT

RIBU

TIN

G TO

STU

DEN

T SU

CC

ESS:

IOW

A G

ROW

® participants w

ere much m

ore likely than non-participants to report that cam

pus employm

ent helped them build key

competencies such as conflict negotiation, tim

e managem

ent skills, ability to w

ork effectively across difference, and comm

unication skills. G

ROW

® students are m

uch more likely to be adept at articulating

their learning in the key areas that employers are seeking (N

ational A

ssociation of Colleges and Em

ployers) and to connect their learning across different contexts, a critical thinking skill at the core of a liberal arts education.

View

the most recent data on our w

ebsite: https://vp.studentlife.uiow

a.edu/grow.

LOO

KIN

G TO

IMPLEM

ENT

IOW

A G

ROW

®?

Please contact Sarah Hansen (sarah-hansen@

uiowa.edu), A

ssociate V

ice President for the Division of Student Life at the U

niversity of Iow

a, for more inform

ation or to set up a consultation on im

plementing IO

WA

GRO

W®

in your setting.

Please visit the IOW

A G

ROW

® w

ebsite: vp.studentlife.uiow

a.edu/grow for m

ore information.

“A large part of w

hat I am learning at Student

Life Marketing +

Design is com

munication.

This includes leading m

eetings, effective email

comm

unication, and speaking with people

in various fields of expertise. Developing m

y com

munication skills here at w

ork helps me

comm

unicate better with m

y professors as well as

my classm

ates when w

orking on class projects.”

- Shelby Cain, Iow

a Mem

orial Union

TH

E PROG

RA

M:

IOW

A G

ROW

® uses brief, structured conversations between student

employees and their supervisors to help m

ake the learning that is occurring through student em

ployment m

ore “visible” to the student. T

hese conversations focus on four key questions:• H

ow is this job fitting in w

ith your academics?

• What are you learning here that’s helping you in school?

• What are you learning in class that you can apply here at w

ork?• C

an you give me a couple of exam

ples of things you’ve learned here that you think you’ll use in your chosen profession?

IOW

A G

ROW

® is focused on making student em

ployment a "high-

impact activity" - one that requires students to reflect on their learning

and connect their learning within and beyond the classroom

.

AWA

RD

S AN

D R

ECO

GN

ITIO

N FO

R IO

WA

GRO

W®:

• Cited in the A

AC&

U publication, Ensuring Quality &

Taking High-

Impact Practices to Scale by George K

uh and Ken O

’Donnell

• Highlighted in Jeffrey Selingo’s book, College U

nbound

• Featured in T

he Undergraduate Experience: Focusing Institutions on W

hat M

atters Most by Felton, G

ardner, Schroeder, Lamberr and Barefoot

• Cited in G

eorge Kuh’s article, M

aybe Experience Really C

an Be the Best Teacher, Chronicle of H

igher Education

• Over 100 colleges and universities have consulted w

ith us on adopting IO

WA

GRO

W®

vp.studentlife.uiowa.edu/grow

vp.s

tude

ntlif

e.ui

owa.

edu/

grow

REFLECTIN

G

CON

NEC

TIN

G

LEARN

ING