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Canadian Association of Community Service Learning

Regional Conference

Canadian Association of Community Service Learning

Regional Conference

Higher Education for the Public Good & the Place of Community Service

Learning

Tony ChambersUniversity of Michigan

University of Toronto

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Outline of commentsOutline of comments

• The public good of higher education• Thinking about community; thinking

about society• Community service learning –

challenges & best practices• Last thoughts… • Discussion

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Foundations of Higher Education /Society Foundations of Higher Education /Society Civic Prosperity Civic Prosperity

•Since its beginning, the relationship between postsecondary education and society has been contentious

•To this day, the relationship requires considerable negotiation and compromise.

•Important to keep in mind that the outcome is civic and social prosperity, and engagement (including service learning, and education) are vehicles to achieve prosperity.

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THE PUBLIC GOOD OF HIGHER EDUCATION

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Terms…..Terms…..

• Higher Education?• “For” versus “as”• “The” versus “a”• Public • Good

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What connection do people make between higher

education and the public good?

Key QuestionKey Question

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11%

3%

60%

77%

27%

19%

Less important About the same More important

The American Council on Education, Nov 2001

The Starting Point:The Starting Point:

Does Higher Education Matter?Does Higher Education Matter?

Compared to ten years ago, would you say getting a

higher education today is more important, less

important, or about the same?

Compared to ten years ago, would you say getting a

higher education contributes more or less to

our society, or about the same?

Kellogg Forum, April 2002

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67%

70%

71%

76%

19%

18%

16%

16%

17%

16%

15%

16%

15%

14%

65%

64%

63%

61%

61%

57%

54%

13%

Attracting people to the state

Creating a sense of state pride

Keeping young people in the state

Bringing money into the state

Good quality of life

Attracting businesses & employers

Keeping the state's economy strong

Creating jobs

Enhance research & technology

Technologically competitive

Well-trained workforce in state

Fairly important Very important

Why Do Public Higher Education Why Do Public Higher Education Institutions Matter?Institutions Matter?

Source: The American Council on Education

Please tell me how important good public colleges and universities are to each of the following:

89%

85%

85%

83%

80%

80%

80%

77%

77%

75%

73%

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56%

67%

69%

69%

72%

85%

The Goals of Higher EducationThe Goals of Higher Education

Source: Ford Foundation

Providing education in basic skills

Career training or re-training

Preparing people to function in a diverse workforce

Creating a better quality of life in your state

Preparing people to function in a more diverse society

Preparing people for effectiveparticipation and leadership

% saying each is a very important goal of higher education

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What should a student gain from college?(% saying "absolutely essential"…)

71%

68%

63%

61%

60%

57%

44%

32%

What Should Students Get Out What Should Students Get Out of College?of College?

Source: The National Center for Public Policy & Higher Education

A sense of maturity and how to manage on their own

An ability to get along with people different from themselves

An improved ability to solve problems and think analytically

Learning hi-tech skills, such as using computers and the Internet

Specific expertise and knowledge in careers they have chosen

Top-notch writing and speaking skills

Responsibilities of citizenship, such as voting and volunteering

Exposure to great writers and thinkers in subjects like literature and history

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Don't know/ Refused

2%

Somewhat disagree

17%

Somewhat agree45%

Strongly disagree

9%

Strongly agree27%

Women (76%) are more likely than men (66%) to

believe that active citizenship is a main goal

of higher education.

Adults in more rural areas (80%) are more likely than more urban adults (69%)

to believe that active citizenship is a main goal

of higher education.

Active Citizenship as a Goal of Active Citizenship as a Goal of Higher EducationHigher Education

Women are now the majority of those enrolled

in degree-granting institutions (60%).

Please tell me if you agree or disagree with the following statement:

“One of the main goals of higher education is to teach students how

to be active citizens.”

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I'm going to read you some issues colleges & universities face today. Please tell me how

good a job you think higher education is doing on that issue…

(% saying…)

7%

15%48%

40%

41% 6%Preparing students to be

active citizens

Building a relationship withsurrounding communities

Preparing students for acareer

Good Excellent

African American respondents (18%) are more than twice as

likely as Caucasian respondents (7%) to say that colleges and universities are doing a poor job on preparing

students for a career.

African American respondents (22%) are more than twice as

likely as Caucasian respondents (10%) to say that colleges and universities are

doing a poor job on building a relationship with the

surrounding community.

How Are Colleges and How Are Colleges and Universities Doing?Universities Doing?

63%

47%

47%

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ConnectionsConnections

Focus Group Responses:

What does higher education provide? What is its role? Responsibility? Relationship?

IndividualsIndividuals

CommunityCommunity

SocietySociety

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The Array of Higher Education Benefits

Increased Tax Revenues Greater Productivity Increased Consumption Increased Workforce Flexibility Decreased Reliance on

Government Financial Support

Reduced Crime Rates Increased Charitable Giving /

Community Service Increased Quality of Civic Life Social Cohesion / Appreciation

of Diversity Improved Ability to Adapt to

and Use Technology

Higher Salaries and Benefits Employment Higher Savings Levels Improved Working Conditions Personal / Professional Mobility

Improved Health / Life Expectancy

Improved Quality of Life for Offspring

Better Consumer Decision Making

Increased Personal Status More Hobbies, Leisure

Activities

Public Private

Economic

Social

Prepared by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, March 1998

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• Individual personal and economic benefits.

• Economic impact, primarily on local communities.

• Broader social impact (more people making more money with greater appreciation for diversity).

• Impact on civics and democracy (bottom of the list).

Summary: Summary: What Matters Most?What Matters Most?

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A quality product also gives graduates other personal

characteristics… creativity, adaptability, leadership.

Those who become active in civic life tend to have money (resources) & leadership

skills, which means that they are disproportionately college graduates.

Graduates emerge from the academy, equipped to make more money.

More people making more money is good

for the economy

Academia

Civics Economy

Separate spheres, connected only to the degree that the individuals emerging from

academic institutions have an impact on civic & economic life.

Students in….

MISSION:Provide a quality

product, defined as an education that enables

graduates to succeed in the economy.

Workers out...

The Resulting World ViewThe Resulting World View

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• 41% of college graduates believe they can have an impact on making their community a better place to live, compared to 28% of those without any college education

• 42% of college graduates say they are very interested in politics and national affairs, compared to 20% of those without any college education

• 54% of college graduates say they worked on a community project in the last month, compared to 25% of those without any college education

Is That World View Correct?Is That World View Correct?

Source: Social Capital Community

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Obstacles & ChallengesObstacles & Challenges

Boundaries Around the Mission of Higher Education

Main role to educate students for careers. Beyond that, promoting active citizenship seen as a secondary and non-formalized part of experience.

Most are content to see universities engaging mainly in career preparation and don’t particularly want to change that focus.

Some worry that a stronger focus on creating active citizens will impose outside values on students and make additional demands.

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Thinking about community…thinking

about society

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Consciousness Frameworks for Community PartnershipsConsciousness Frameworks for Community Partnerships

• “Needs” Driven Consciousness – Problem focused

• “Capacity development” Driven Consciousness – Community Asset focused

Assets – Individuals Associations InstitutionsWhich framework(s) drive your Community

Service-Learning efforts

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Community Service Learning

Community Service Learning

Where does it fit into higher education’s public good role?

It is one approach to “enliven” the central missions of public higher education… pedagogy, scholarship, & outreach

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Community Service LearningCommunity Service Learning

Service learning is a form of experiential learning where students and faculty collaborate with communities to address problems issues, and simultaneously gaining knowledge and skills and advancing personal development. There is an equal emphasis on helping communities and providing valid learning experience to students.

Service-learning requires that • Faculty members be actively engaged as teachers/mentors

with students. • Students learn new knowledge and skills that contribute to

their education. • Students have the opportunity to reflect critically upon their

experiences. • The service provided meets a need identified by the

community to be served. • Those receiving the service have significant involvement and

control over the activities engaged in by students and faculty. Higher Education Service-Learning Clearinghouse,UCLA

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Principles of Good Practice for Community Service Learning Pedagogy

Principles of Good Practice for Community Service Learning Pedagogy

• Principle 1: Academic Credit is for Learning, not for Service

• Principle 2: Do not compromise Academic Rigor

• Principle 3: Establish Learning Objectives

• Principle 4: Establish Criteria for Selection of Service Placements

• Principle 5: Provide Educationally Sound Learning Strategies to Harvest Community Learning and Realize Course Learning Objectives

• Principle 6: Prepare students for learning from community

• Principle 7: Minimize distinctions between the students’ Community Learning Role and the Classroom learning Role

• Principle 8: Rethink the faculty instructional role

• Principle 9: Be prepared for variation in, and some loss of control with. Student learning outcomes

• Principle 10: Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the course

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So What???So What???

Does Service Learning Translate to Future Public Good Outcomes for Communities, Neighborhoods and

Families?

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*HERI Survey ItemsPost College Survey of 1994 entering class. Surveyed in 1998 & 2004.

*HERI Survey ItemsPost College Survey of 1994 entering class. Surveyed in 1998 & 2004.

• Behaviors (community service, political engagement, consumer behavior, careers)

• Values (helping others, being a community leader)

• Beliefs (self-efficacy, people have equal opportunities to succeed)

• Lifestyle (children, school, watching TV)

*Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA

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Respondents Overview 2004 Post-College Follow-Up

Respondents Overview 2004 Post-College Follow-Up

• 83.5% work full-time • 31.9% hold a graduate degree• 37.2 % are working toward a

graduate degree • 79.2% have no children• 55% in partnership/married

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2004 Post-College Survey2004 Post-College Survey

• 51.2% watch at least six hours of television per week

• 4.9% volunteer over six hours per week

• 15.1% say that becoming a community leader is ‘very important’ to them

• 66.7% boycotted products

• 51.5% signed an email petition

• 13.2% contacted newspaper or magazine

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2004 Civic Engagement2004 Civic Engagement

• 64.5% occasionally or frequently discussed community issues

• 13.1% occasionally or frequently played a leadership role in improving community

• 86.9% voted in a national election

• 34.9% have donated professional services

• 23.6% have donated $ to political org/cause

• 69.4% have donated $ to human/community service organization

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What’s at Stake? What’s at Stake?

• Sense of purpose and mission• Sense of relevance• Sense of voice

Ultimately, the soul of a society…of a democracy.

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Last thoughts on Systemic ChallengesLast thoughts on Systemic Challenges

• Funding - Aligning support with purpose. • Evaluation/Learning Inquiry – Aligning

knowledge with purpose.• Institutional commitment – Aligning the

functions and mission of Institutions.• Community commitment - Aligning assets,

needs and relationships with vision.• Addressing complex social issues with complex

solutions.

DISCUSSIONDISCUSSION

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