This is it.  The end of another year and my last post for a while.  Yes, I know.  I’ll miss you, too.

I guess I’m feeling a little sentimental because my two temporary partner’s in crime are graduating next weekend and going on to graduate school.  Cameron and Emma have been wonderfully helpful over the last two years, and Kimberly and I will miss them both!

Since we’ve been talking about the value of experiential learning opportunities over the last several years, I decided to ask Cameron and Emma if they’d like to write something short about their work experience at Augustana and its impact on their learning and development.  They jumped at the chance, so I’m gonna check out of here a little early and let them have the last word of the 12/13 academic year.

Cameron’s thoughts . . .

The ability to work on campus has become a crucial piece to my educational puzzle. Not only has it helped me financially support myself, but it has become a cornerstone of who I am. Through my work I discovered my career and future plans. The experience gained over the past two years allowed me to explore my interests in a way I could not have done so otherwise. Like many other positions on campus, my job allowed me to more closely align myself with a career.  The hands-on experience also gave me an edge over others as well as valuable resources I can always come back to for support.

Understandably certain positions may not lend themselves to the same level of career planning clarity, but even on the smallest level working on campus offers a new community of people to go to and feel more connected to the college. Without my position I would not have met nearly as many wonderful people who have helped me through the challenges I’ve experienced while at Augustana. So even if the job is as simple that as a cashier in the bookstore or assistant during food services, they are all beneficial.  Student work positions can be more focused on being a learning experience instead of just a job.  

Emma’s thoughts . . .

Having a student job here at Augustana has been beneficial to my educational and academic progression. Personally, this progression has stemmed from my ability to integrate the theoretical knowledge I have gained in classes to real-world studies and research. Instead of simply learning how to build a survey, I’ve been able to actually construct one. I did not just learn the theory behind calculating a logistic regression, I actually performed it. Student jobs should aim to teach students the possibilities, frustrations, and benefits that come from real-world work or research in their field. Because I have been able to use my knowledge gained from my courses, I am much more confident in my ability to perform research studies in graduate school and in my career field. Student positions should not be a series of tasks to provide students with a paycheck. Instead, they should encourage and push students towards tackling projects that have implications for either the practical or academic world.

In accordance with integrating what is learned in the classroom to the workplace,
student workers should be encouraged to implement their personal and unique knowledge and experiences into their work. This chance to share my perspective as an Augustana student was very valuable to my identity and confidence as an academic and a researcher. Student workers should be given the opportunity to share their opinions, experiences, and knowledge and be able to see these unique contributions bring value to the discussions and work we see happening around us every day. Learning to vocalize our opinions, findings, and observations is essential in preparing undergraduate students for the next stage of their career- whether that is graduate school or a job.

While my involvement as a student worker in Institutional Research has increased my
skills and knowledge in many areas of statistics, research, writing, etc., it is these experiences of academic integration that stand out as the most beneficial to my growth as a student and a researcher. In the future, more student positions should implement this hands-on, practical application approach. Integrating knowledge from the classroom to the real world is an essential part of the learning process and student growth.

There’s no question that I got pretty luck in hiring both of these students.  They’ve jumped into the deep and murky water of college impact research and survived to tell the tale.  Moreover, they’ve made contributions that genuinely made Augustana a better place for future students.

So congratulations to Cameron and Emma.  And congrats to all of our graduates.

One piece of advice – and this goes to everyone who is expected to walk up onto the stage next Sunday.  Don’t trip!  It will be caught on camera by someone and end up on Youtube!

Make it a good summer,

Mark