Student employees are not only staff, but individuals in transition and development. The skills, experience, mentorship, and guidance they obtain through this work contributes to who they become personally and professionally! Supervision can have a significant impact in their development and might require increased consideration
When supervising student employees, whether on-campus, remotely or in hybrid situations, we have seen how important it is for supervisors to have a continuous awareness of the student’s performance, well-being, and learning. It is important to be strategic in setting up structures to ensure this – for the benefit of the student and the department.
— Cathy Keates, Director of Career Services and Experiential Learning
Introducing the Experiential Learning WrapAround
We encourage supervisors to use an experiential learning (EL) approach to enhance your and your student’s success. The EL WrapAround is a low-time-commitment, high-impact experiential learning strategy that supervisors and students can use to engage in productive conversations about how to get the most out of an on-campus student role. The EL WrapAround can be facilitated in all types of work arrangements – remote, in-person or hybrid. The EL Hub offers workshops (in-person and remote) for both supervisors and students to support the implementation of the EL WrapAround and to train both staff and student supervisors in how to effectively guide students through the skills reflection process. The EL Hub can also design customized workshops for units with higher volumes of students or who experience limitations on the amount of time they can devote to guiding student reflection. Participation in the EL WrapAround is a requirement for all Work Study and SWEP roles, but is available to all student positions on campus.
Onboarding
Onboarding students successfully is very important for effective and successful supervision of student employees. Be sure to establish clear expectations, structures, and relationships in relation to the nature of the role (remote, in-person or hybrid) during the onboarding process. Onboarding is also the perfect time to introduce the Part 1 of the EL WrapAround Learning Reflection Form!
Supervising
Supervising students can be different than supervising regular staff. Students are in a unique stage of life and come into the workplace with varying degrees of experience, academic, co-curricular and personal commitments. By using an experiential learning approach to supervision, you can create more opportunities for discussion and reflection with your student staff, which will help you get the most out of their time in your workplace, while also contributing to their career development. If you are new to supervising students or experiential learning, the EL Hub offers regular in-person and remote workshops to help you apply our recommended strategies for successful supervision of student employees and volunteers.
The Hiring Students Toolkit helped me be more confident and effective working remotely with student staff this summer and helped them feel more engaged and connected to our office. With these resources and workshops, I’m looking forward to hiring a new student to support our office this fall.
— Kevin Collins, Student Development Coordinator, Student Experience Office
Supervise for Success: Resources and Workshops
General Supervision Resources
- Supervising Student Employees Checklist
- Providing Feedback on Performance
- Supervisor Resources and References
- Home Office Safety standard operating procedure (SOP) & checklist (Environmental Health & Safety)
- Students Employed by Queen’s: How to Manage Email and Other Records (Records Management and Privacy Office)
Remote Supervision Resources
- Onboarding Remotely Tipsheet (PDF, 169 kB) (CEWIL Canada)
- Supervising Remotely Tipsheet (PDF, 144 kB) (CEWIL Canada)
For additional resources, please visit our EL WrapAround website.
Workshops
Below is a list of our regular “Supervise for Success” and EL WrapAround Workshops for staff and students. The EL Hub will be offering these in both in-person and remote settings this year so please consider attending a workshop yourself or recommending these to your colleagues or students you are supervising.
Supervisor Workshops: Supervisors can register by emailing el.hub@queensu.ca
- Supervise for Success: How to Implement the EL WrapAround
- Supervise for Success: Strategies for Effective Student Supervision
Student Workshops: Students can register directly in MyCareer.
- Getting the Most out of your Queen's Work or Volunteer Experience: Part 1 of the EL WrapAround Learning Reflection Form
- Assessing your Skills Development: EL WrapAround Mid-point Reflection
- Articulating your Skills and Planning for the Future: Part 2 of the EL WrapAround Learning Reflection Form
- Student Leaders: Strategies for Supervising Your Peers
For workshop blurbs and times, please visit our EL WrapAround website.
Additional training opportunities
- Intercultural Awareness: offered by QUIC and Four Directions
- Land Acknowledgements: offered by the Office of Indigenous Initiatives
- Indigenous Cultural Safety: offered by Four Directions
- Positive Space: offered by the Human Rights and Equity Office
- From Diversity to Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate: offered by the Human Rights and Equity Office
- For more trainings, visit the HR Learning Catalogue and Student Wellness Services
Thank you for supporting a vibrant co-curricular student experience!
Please contact el.hub@queensu.ca if you have any questions.