When Nikki Harken welcomes a new batch of students into the University of Northern Iowa’s Next Step program, she always makes sure to acknowledge that they may already know some of the topics they’ll touch on at their weekly seminars.
Whether it’s a parent passing down knowledge or a life path that necessitated learning, the UNI assistant professor said not every student walks in completely in the dark about what they need to know after graduation. Still, there are often students who realize after being in the class that there is plenty they still don’t know.
Harken said she’s had students go through the program, which is required for students in the communication and media department, and say they were missing information from what their parents in HR lines of work told them about essential professional practices.
“That’s not a knock against parents, I am a parent of 20-somethings,” Harken said. “There are just things that consistently change that we don’t know.”
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Three years into the Next Step program, which strives to prepare students for more than just their career post-graduation, Harken said in an interview and told the Iowa Board of Regents in its November meeting that students who earned their degrees after taking the course are feeling less anxiety and stress about life after college…