Date of Award

5-30-2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Education

Department

College of Education, Doctoral Program

First Advisor

Andrea Kayne

Abstract

Institutions of higher education have a unique opportunity to support their students’ holistic development by incorporating elements of high-impact practice into campus jobs. High-impact practices ask students to dedicate significant time and energy to meaningful work, which channels students’ efforts toward productive activities that deepen their learning and is correlated with higher levels of learning outcome achievement and persistence. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly half of today’s college students are employed, which can distract from their ability to be successful in school. Using features of high-impact practice, universities can leverage campus jobs to offer students employment opportunities that support and integrate their classroom learning rather than detracting from it. This dissertation examined one such work environment that incorporates the eight features of high-impact practice into student employees’ jobs. Guided by the National Survey of Student Engagement and large-scale studies on campus employment environments that demonstrate elements of high-impact practice, this dissertation surveyed students who tutor in a university writing center to determine how often their job incorporates elements of high-impact practice into their day-to-day work. It also asked students to describe what they perceived to be the important elements of their work environments. Findings revealed: (1) the writing center in question offers one model for how elements of high-impact practice can be regularly incorporated into student work; (2) student employees frequently indicate that elements of high-impact practice are important to them in their work environment. The most important elements that student employees identified were regular, substantial, one-on-one check-ins with supervisors about their progress and development; opportunities to build skills and knowledge that serve them in other academic and professional contexts; and interactions with a broad diversity of people and ideas. This dissertation offers guidance for how student employment practitioners can create a campus employment experience that provides students with more than just a paycheck by supporting their holistic, long-term development and success. Keywords: high-impact practice, student employment, campus employment, working student dilemma, student engagement, writing center, writing center tutor

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