USU

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What Our Students Learn

Email Etiquette is an annual training taken by our Student Assistant Employees during the Spring semester to better prepare them for workplace communication. Students embark on a video module where they virtually interact with real-life scenarios related to proper email etiquette. At the conclusion of the training, students take an online assessment to measure their learning.

Email Etiquette 2021

In 2021, we sent one- and two-question quizzes that student assistants received via email for five months. The Email Etiquette Helpful Tips served as constant content reminders. We provided incentives for students to participate in the monthly email etiquette quizzes.

88

Student employees took part in the training.

4

Clarified confusing questions.

Sent monthly Email Etiquette Helpful Tips (October – February).

Provided incentives for participants.

Email Etiquette 2020

In 2020, we sent a one-question quiz that student assistants received via email for five months. The Email Etiquette Helpful Tips served as constant content reminders.

119

Student employees took part in the training.

5

Clarified confusing questions.

Sent monthly Email Etiquette Helpful Tips (October – February).

Provided incentives for participants.

2019 Average Score: 89.5

2020 Average Score: 84.6 (-4.9)

Email Etiquette 2019

In 2019, learning strategies included a monthly one-question quiz that student assistants received via email for four months. The Email Etiquette Helpful Tips, served as constant content, reminders. This intervention further closed the learning gap resulting in the assessment’s highest outcome.

315

Student employees took part in the training.

6

Clarified confusing questions.

Sent monthly Email Etiquette Helpful Tips (October – March).

Provided incentives for participants.

89.8%

(+15) of students scored 80% or higher.

(Missed goal by .02%)

2018 Average Score: 83.1

2019 Average Score: 89.5 (+6.4)

The Goal was to get 90% of participants to score 80% or better.

Email Etiquette 2018

In 2018, three strategies were employed to help student assistants better understand the components of a professional email. Confusing questions were re-written, an info-graph of answers to the most missed questions in 2017 was emailed to students weeks in advance as a review, as was a short video of email tips. Scores improved over 2017 results.

304

Student employees took part in the training.

3

Refined confusing questions.

Created info-graph to create awareness.

Info-graph video created to provide tips.

74.8%

of students scored 80% or higher. (+13.2)

2017 Average Score: 81.6

2018 Average Score: 83.1 (+1.5)

The Goal: 90% of participants to score 80% or better.

Email Etiquette 2017

Email Etiquette 2017 was launched the following year and included one intervention (plan of action) aimed at improving scores by improving access to the online learning module.The USU Computer Training Lab was reserved for student employees who do not regularly work at computer workstations.

300

Student employees took part in the training.

1

Reserved the USU Computer Training Lab to allow student employees to access a computer.

61.6%

of students scored higher than 80% (-4.32)

2016 average score: 78.4

2017 average score: 81.6 (+3.2)

The Goal: 90% of participants to score 80% or better.

Email Etiquette 2016

In 2016, the University Student Union launched Email Etiquette, a training module that tests the skills and knowledge of student employees about proper email usage and development.

252

Student employees took part in Email Etiquette.

0

No additional information/training was given.

65.92%

of students scored higher than 80%.

Average Score: 78.4%

The Goal: 90% of participants to score 80% or better.

Full Comparison: Average Score

Email Etiquette: Average Score (2016–2019)

 

Email Etiquette: Average Score (2016–2019)

2016: 78.4

2017: 81.6

2018: 83.1

2019: 89.5

Full Comparison: % of Students that Scored 80%

Percentage of students that scored higher than 80%

 

Email Etiquette: Average Score (2016–2019)

Spring 2016: 65.92

Spring 2017: 61.6

Spring 2018: 74.8

Spring 2019: 89.8


StrengthsQuest

For more than a decade, the University Student Union (USU) has used Gallup’s StrengthsQuest® to help its employees harness their naturally occurring talents into strengths.

StrengthsQuest founder and researcher Donald O. Clifton asserted that each person has natural ways of feeling, thinking and behaving. By taking those patterns and combining it with time spent practicing, developing skills and building a knowledge base, each person can elevate their natural abilities into behaviors to be applied at school, work and in personal relationships with near-perfect performance. The desired outcome is to build bridges to understanding, communication and practice that enhance the way that people work and interact with one another.

Listen as 34 USU student and staff employees each describe how they put into practice one of their top talents.