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GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Service Learning in Higher Education: The Case of Florida State University
Adapted from Learning to Serve: Promoting Civil Society through Service Learning by Maureen Kenny, Lou Simon, Karen Kiley-Brebeck, and Richard Lerner (2002). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
By:
Noha El-Bassiouny
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
“Contemporary colleges and universities aspire to creating successful alumni, people who will contribute positively to their own lives and to the lives of their families and communities. In turn, today’s higher education institutions seek to reach out to communities, and to use their research and educational programs to add value to civil society…” (Kenny, Simon, Brebeck, and Lerner, 2002)
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Service Learning
Integrating community service in university program… teaching students civic integrity…
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Why Service Learning?
• The “me generation” and Campus Compact (www.compact.org) founded by presidents in 1985 to promote community service (now more than 700,000 students and 17 million hours of community service annually).
• Even in Egypt, “student volunteerism has become more integral to the student’s educational experience and satisfaction”.
• Availability of student organizations is a key selection criterion for university choice.
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Why Service Learning? (Cont’d)• According to the authors, “it has become
abundantly clear that service experiences tend to be most effective, in terms of learning, when they are integrated into the academic curriculum and when they draw on and reinforce the institution’s educational mission.”
• Movement for SERVICE LEARNING… Education for Active Citizenship… COMMUNITY-COLLABORATIVE UNIVERSITIES…
• In Egypt, in high school level, it’s applied only in Hayah Academy. AUC has Gerhart Center and the Community PSYC course.
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Florida State University (FSU)
• How did it start?/Stages:– Individual Creativity and Initiative:
Hispanic pre-med student developed volunteer work in rural health clinics.
– Broader Extension of Effort: Later became doctor and lead cohorts of students in the same direction.
– Student Organizations.
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Florida State University (FSU) – (Cont’d)
• How did it start?/Stages (Cont’d):– Departmental Initiatives: The Department of Urban and
Regional Planning in the University’s College of Social Sciences coordinated projects for community service in low-income neighborhoods. Interns applied their skills.
– Administrative Support: Creation of a “Humanitarian Award” to recognize exemplary public service by undergraduates.
– Student Affairs Department created a Campus-Community Partnership Office.
– Task Force to enhance those community service activities.
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Campus-Wide Program
• Creation of a Center for Civic Education and Service (CCES): coordinating support for the whole set of service learning and social involvement programs. The Result:– Affilitations with service agencies in neighborhood
-> a databank of placements and contacts.– “ServScript” system: certifying students’ service
involvements and officially marking transcripts (min. service hours required – at least 20 hrs. per semester).
– Between 3000-5000 students presently participate each semester…!!!
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Campus-Wide Program
• The Result (Cont’d):– Undergraduate course: “Learning in the
Community”.– Service/Outreach Projects: A framework
created to sustain partnership beyond the semester -> Ongoing collaborations and projects with community service organizations.
– Service Corps: Student organization promoting service learning across campus.
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
• The Result (Cont’d):– State-Wide Intitiatives: Developing similar efforts
across the state – beyond campus boundaries.– Faculties and Students Working Together: e.g.:
“Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity and Excellence” (SSTRIDE Initiative for students at risk in science).
– Awards and Scholarships: Enlisting and Recognizing faculty and students involved (through programs or research).
– Local Affiliates of National Organizations.
Campus-Wide Program
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
More than an Academic Education…
• There’s a lot more to learn than knowledge and skills.
• Community-collaborative universities.• Community service central to the scholarly
life of the university.• Wholistic and decentralized effort: For
faculty, contract includes Teaching, Research, and Community Service…
• Value-added contributions.• Creation of Academic and Civic Integrity.• Better Societies.
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
What Can Be Done…
• Action Plan:– Sustainable Program Design.– Delivery.– Evaluation.
• A model that can be replicated in other universities…
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
References
Maureen Kenny, Lou Simon, Karen Kiley-Brebeck, and Richard Lerner (2002). Learning to Serve: Promoting Civil Society through Service Learning. Kluwer Academic Publishers. www.compact.org www.fsu.edu/~service
GUC Research for Lunch - 2007
Thank You
