Engagement and Service-Learning: Benefits and Essential Strategies

Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.

Senior Scholar, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Successful 21st Century Institutions must be:

• Intentional• Coherent• Focused• Integrated• Responsive• Autonomous in a context of mission-based

accountability• Driven by shared governance across stakeholders

– more democratic

Engagement and Higher Education

• Engagement aligns the intellectual assets (knowledge generation and dissemination) of the institution with public issues and questions as a way of strengthening teaching/research and the community’s capacity.

• Recognizes interdependent knowledge relationships – The nexus of intellectual, political, social, cultural, economic needs and assets

The Benefits of Engagement

• Response to accountability pressures• Counteract the overly-vocational focus of students• Improve town-gown relations• Improve shared governance• Recruitment, retention of faculty and students• Better learning; needs of contemporary students• New forms and modes of research including

undergraduate research• New streams of revenue; donor involvement

Incentives and Reputational Factors are Changing

• Incorporation of engagement into regional accreditation processes

• Federal research funding criteria• Potential for state support (e.g.,VA, KY)• Introduction into classifications/rankings-Carnegie

and US News & World Report• International commitment to engagement• Student demand for service-learning• Evidence of impact on student outcomes

Higher Ed Service-Learning Stats

• More than a third of postsecondary instit.

• Half of all community colleges

• 29% of students in SL (Compact members)

• Most SL focuses on tutoring/mentoring youth, health, environment, social issues

• Most partnerships are with non-profit organizations or schools

SL in Schools

• 69% of schools engaged students in service

• Approx 15 million students involved in SL

• Profound impact on academic achievement, school climate, student engagement

• Effects greater for students from low SES

• Maryland requires SL in all schools

• HS graduates look for SL in college

International Service-learning

• South Africa, India, Phillipines, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway….

• 9 nations at SL Research Conference• Greater emphasis on student voice• Similar goals to US, plus nation-bldg,

development of philanthropy, service, NGO sector, cross-cultural understanding

Overall Impacts of Engagement• Service-Learning is spreading across K-20 • Engagement is diversifying postsecondary

institutions• Global interest is making engagement a core

element of research excellence and institutional reputation/prestige

• Engaged learning matches the “new student”• Engagement is building awareness of the role of

higher education in creating “public good”• Challenges of quality design and practice remain!

Service-Learning:

Combines service activities and learning objectives with the intent that the activity benefit both the recipient and the provider. This is accomplished by linking learning to community-based tasks supported by structured reflections and guided explorations of related aspects of knowledge, skills and values.

Service-Learning Quality

• Academic credit for learning, not service• Rigorous and specific learning objectives• Structured reflection on both learning and

service outcomes• Thorough orientation of students• Community involvement in design; clear

roles and responsibilities• A collaborative approach to teaching

Service-Learning Challenges• Definitions, stereotypes, perceptions – The

problem with the “S” word• Setting clear and specific goals

– For student learning– For community benefit

• Coherence across curricular and co-curricular service-learning; logic of the learning experience– How much? Where in curr? To what end?

• Documentation/measurement of impacts• Visibility – internal and external

K12 SL Research Findings

• More control group studies• Measurement of elements of SL on outcomes

– #1 Duration – at least a semester

– #2 Directness of community involvement

– #3 Cognitively challenging activity and reflection

• The more responsibility, autonomy and choice students have – the greater the effects (Billig, 2005)

Higher Ed SL Research Findings

• Increases retention and progress-to-degree; aligns with needs of the “new” student body

• Makes learning relevant, effective, transforming• Influences career and course of study• Develops social responsibility, multicultural

understanding and leadership• Encourages students to be active in campus and

community life• Must be integrated into courses, major/gen ed

• Improved higher order thinking skills; analysis, understanding complex problems

• Civic responsibility, citizenship• Commitment to service• Career awareness/skills – awareness of options,

clarity of choice, technical skills• Personal outcomes – self-esteem, empowerment• Social outcomes – pro-social behaviors,

reduction of risky behaviors

Other Research Findings

Summary of SL Effects on Learning

Service-Learning

Academic Outcomes

Self-esteemEmpowerment

Prosocial behaviorsMotivation

Engagement

Clearly definedprogrammatic features

Mediating Factors

Successful Strategies• Discuss graduate attributes and learning objectives• Create a plan or pathway for service-learning• Invest in faculty development; incentives• Recognize diverse approaches; start with trial

courses and interested faculty• Create supportive infrastructure• Sustain partnerships relationships• Document and evaluate process and outcomes• Collaborate with other institutions; peer exchange;

build on existing good practices and literature

Trends in Service-Learning

• Attention to explicit learning goals• Service-learning and diversity• Greater involvement of partners as teachers• International service-learning – here and abroad• Service-learning in teacher preparation• Graduate service-learning• Service-learning capstones, minors, 1st Yr.• SL and undergraduate research

Students and Engaged Research

• Duke: “Research service-learning” courses involve students and faculty in research on community-identified needs.

• Similar programs:Brown CornellGeorgetown HarvardPrinceton MinnesotaMichigan Wisconsin

Resources

• Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (umich.edu/~mjcsl)– SL Course Design Workbook

• Campus Compact Introduction to SL Toolkit (Compact.org)• Community-Campus Partnerships for Health• International Service-Learning Research Conference• International Partnership for Service-Learning• American Association of Community Colleges – Horizons• American Association of State Colleges and Universities – American

Democracy Project; Stewardship of Place• Conference on Service-Learning at Faith-based Colleges and

Universities (messiah.edu)• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

(servicelearning.org)

Contact Information

Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.

Senior Scholar

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Phone: 503-638-9424

E-mail:barbarah@etr.org

www.servicelearning.org