Student staff: a village philosophy

ABSTRACT

In institutions of higher education, we seek to engage students in the act and art of life-long learning. We also seek to capture this talent-rich and moldable population to provide support in areas of need. By using a village philosophy, we not only develop a responsible and effective group of student resources, we also teach them to develop others (a lifelong art), simultaneously developing a highly functional and effective support group.

As a manager of students, do you find yourself using the same old phrases: do this, follow directions, don't do that, come in for this shift, etc.? What if the students became vested in the success of their job and their institution? What if they took ownership of the processes they performed? What if they cared about improving and fine-tuning the function of their team so it performed in an outstanding manner?

By utilizing a village philosophy, you go beyond teaching job skills to developing life long learning skills, community values and the ability to work as part of a team. At Illinois Wesleyan, our Help Desk and Service & Repair areas have done just that. Students create their own schedules, advertise positions, interview candidates, make hiring recommendations, and internally correct behaviors. They research, analyze, create and implement methods for improvement based on trends. They contribute to and have ownership of the successes and failures of their particular areas.

Does it really work? What do students say?

Index Terms

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Management of computing and information systems

      • Project and people management

        • Computer and information systems training

        • Project management techniques

        • Project staffing