Incorporating Service Learning

No Trivial Pursuit:Implementing Service-Learning in Your CurriculumDr. April HeiseltAssociate Professor and DirectorCenter for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (CASLE)Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology

Center for Teaching and Learning WorkshopApril 24, 2013

IntroductionsDr. April HeiseltAssociate Professor & Student Affairs Program CoordinatorDirector of the Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence (CASLE) Courses taught with service-learning pedagogy:Introduction to Assessment, Administration of Student Personnel Services, Student Affairs in Higher Education, Literature of Student Affairs, Internship in Student Affairs, Day One Leadership Community

Brief Program OverviewCASLE DescriptionWhat is service-learning?Selected service-learning benefitsGuiding principles of service-learning coursesSix models of service-learning courseworkTen steps to implementing service-learning in the curriculumExamples of service-learning coursesQuestion and Answer Period

Center for the Advancement of Service-Learning ExcellenceLearn, Serve, Become. Learn. The Light BulbStudents are able to learn more, with more depth, and critical thinking than in a typical classroom settingServe. The HandStudents give their time to help, assist, provide knowledge, and to in essence give a hand to an entity who needs it.

Become. The Infinite ArrowStudents will take this knowledge with them throughout their experience at MSU and into the future as independent, critical thinkers, who (ideally) will want to become civically engaged, active citizens.

ReferencesLearn and Serve Americahttp://www.learnandserve.org

National Service Learning Clearinghouse SLICE(Service-Learning Ideas and Curricular Examples) http://www.servicelearning.org/slice

Northwest Service Academy Reflection Toolkithttp://bennioncenter.org/documents/faculty/Reflection_Toolkit.pdf

What is service-learning?

Service-learning is NOT One-time volunteering experience

One sided (only the student or community benefits)

Logging community service hours in order to graduate

Service assigned as a form of punishment

An add-on to other assignments

What is Service-Learning? Service-learning is a pedagogy . . .

A method of teaching and learning linking meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to

Meet the needs of a community organizationEnrich the learning experience and enhance student understanding of course materialTo teach civic responsibility and critical thinking Strengthen communities

88Whats the difference between community service and service-learning?

Community Service ExampleStudents removing trash from a city streambed.Valued, one-time service that helps a community and is important.

Service-Learning ExampleStudents remove trash from a city streambed Take trash back to campus and analyze what they foundGo into the community and share their results with residents of the neighborhoodProvide suggestions for the futurelike ways to reduce pollution The students continually reflect and critically think about their experience

Service-Learning BenefitsSome Student BenefitsHands-on use of knowledge that increases relevance of academic skills and deepens understanding of core academic concepts and theories

Increased sense of self-efficacy

Valuable and competitive career guidance and experience

Increased sense of civic responsibility

Some Faculty BenefitsNew perspectives on learning and increased understanding of how learning occurs

Opportunities to tap into expertise of community agencies as co-teachers

Identifying areas for research and publication related to current trends and issues

Feel a renewed sense of connection to their work

Connecting the community with the curriculum

Builds partnerships between the university and other organizations

Engages parents and adults in supporting student learning

Creates short- and long-term solutions to pressing community needs

Development of a pool of potential employees

Some Community Benefits1515Some University BenefitsEnhanced teaching, research, and outreach activities

Faculty and student engagement in local and state community issues

Positive community relationships

Increased development and preparation of university graduates

Access to wisdom and experience of community agencies as co-teachers

What do I need to know when designing a service-learning class?

Four Guiding Principles for Service-LearningEngagementReflectionReciprocityPublic Dissemination

EngagementDoes the service component meet a public good? How?

How have school-community boundaries been negotiated and how will they be crossed?

MSU Day One Leadership students work with the Starkville in Motion community group for Walk to School Day promoting exercise and healthy habits for children and their families. ReflectionEver wonder why there is a hyphen in service-learning?Eyler and Giles (1999), state that reflection is what facilitates a students making connections between their service and their learning experience.The hyphen in service-learning represents this connection.

Reflection is key in service-learning.Encourages students to link their service experience to course content and to critically think about and reflect upon why the work they are doing is relevant.

Misunderstanding ReflectionConfusion about how to conduct reflection

Not an emotional process

Not enough to plant a student in a service-learning setting with the hope they will blossom and grow and come away with something theyve learned.

On-going process that when done carefully yields deeper and more meaningful growth for students.

Adapted from: http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/he_facts/he_reflection/

Expanded based on Kolbs Cycle of Experiential Learning (1984) ReciprocityEveryone involved in service-learning acts as both a teacher, and a learner.

Participants are perceived as colleagues, not as servers and clients (Heffernan, 2001).

MSU Architecture students present designs to Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity board members and homeowners.Public DisseminationIs service work presented to the public or made an opportunity for the community to enter into a public dialogue?

For example: Do oral histories that students collect return to the community in some public form?

How is information made public? To whose advantage?

Six Models of Service-Learning Heffernan, K. (2001). Fundamentals of Service-Learning Course Construction. Providence, RI: National Campus Compact, Brown University. Price: $62.00

1. Pure Service-LearningWhat is looks like:Students are sent into the community to serve.

These courses have as their intellectual core the idea of service to communities by students, volunteers, or engaged citizens.

They are not typically lodged in any one discipline.

2. Disciplined-Based Service-LearningWhat it looks like:

Students are expected to have a presence in the community throughout the semester

Students reflect on their experience regularlyStudents use course content as a basis for their analysis and understanding

3. Community-Based Action ResearchWhat it looks like:Students work closely with faculty to learn research methodology while serving as an advocate for the community partner.

The results of the research are communicated to the community partner so that the information can be used to address community identified needs.

Projects can support the ongoing community-based research of faculty.

4. Service InternshipWhat it looks like:More intense than typical service-learning courses.Students work 10-20 hours a week in a community setting.Students produce a body of work that is of value to the community or site. Students maintain regular, on-going reflective opportunities that help them analyze their new experiences using discipline-based theories.

5. Capstone CourseWhat it looks like:These courses build upon students cumulative knowledge in a specified discipline and demonstrate the integration of that knowledge with real life issues.

Upper-class students can explore ways their disciplinary expertise and competencies translate into addressing community needs.

6. Problem-Based Service-LearningWhat it looks like:Students or teams of students act as consultants working for a client (the community).

The students determine a particular community need or problem.

This model presumes students have some knowledge they can draw upon to make recommendations to the community or develop solutions to the problem.

Work in ProgressGrab a piece of paper and a pen

Start brainstorming as we move through the steps

Feel free to ask questions as we move through the process

Be ready to share/discuss ideas at the end of the workshkop

Ten Steps to Implementing Service-learning in the Curriculum

1. Brainstorm the ways you could add service-learning to your class. A. Service-learning can be effectively used in every academic discipline. (Really!) B. Think about how your course content connects with the community. C. Consider what kinds of volunteer opportunities might be available at the linkage point.

2. Identify community partnerships.A. Choose the best opportunities with the most potential foryour students.

B. How many partners are needed?This depends 25 students might use a single school that provides an array of programsDetermining the number of sites is based on the capacity of the community partner

Visit the Sites and Meet the RepresentativesOpportunity to get a first-hand look at the site

Ask:What is your mission?

What population is served?

What mission-related needs could be met through student effort?

What community issues does/will the project address?

Talk with the Community Partner about your classDiscuss learning objectives

Share your syllabus

Describe the students level of knowledge and skill

Discuss start dates, semester breaks, and last date students will perform service

If Its A Good FitAskHow many students can the partner accommodate?

What days and times can the students come to the site?

Who from the organization will supervise the students?

What resources will be provided for the students?

Create A Written AgreementExpectations of student behavior

Service start date and ending date

Identify a Communication PlanStudents with site supervisorSite supervisor and instructor

Contingency plans what if the site needs to close?

Role of community partner in evaluation of the student Written AgreementArticulate problem-solving techniques followed by all parties

Contact information for site supervisor, and instructor

Signatures of student, site supervisor, and instructor

Copies provided and original kept on file

3. With service site(s) in mind, consider your goals and motives in using service-learning.A. What are you trying to accomplish for your students, yourself, and the community?

B. Review your course objectives and list two or three specific and measurable service-learning goals and objectives.

4. Based upon your goals and objectives choose a service-learning model.

A. Decide how you will incorporate community service into your course.

B. One time service project? Service-learning throughout the course?

5. Alter your syllabus to reflect the change. A. To be successfully integrated the service experience must be more than just as an add-on to an already full syllabus.

B. How will you allocate class time for discussion of the experience?

Tips In Developing A SyllabusService-learning is directly related to course goals and objectivesExplain role of service in the courseWhat the service entailsExpectation of service outside of classRule of thumb:A 3-credit hour course = 2 to 3 of hours of service outside of class per week (this can be changed at the discretion of the instructor)

Exemplary Service-Learning Syllabi . . .Include course assignments that link the service activities and the course content

Describe reflection activities

Articulate professional expectations (confidentiality, professional dress)

Provide students with opportunities to be both teacher and learner (via presentations, etc.)

Exemplary Service-Learning Syllabi . . .Address liability issuesRisk ManagementStudent Travel Insurance

Provide alternative sites (students need a choice of sites in case the site provides moral, religious, or other concerns)

6. Explain and promote the ideas behind including service-learning in your class.

A. Explain the benefits to the students and the community partner.

B. Make your commitment clear and encourage students to take advantage of the opportunity for both the personal and academic growth that service affords.

7. Develop specific service-learning objectives for student experiences.

A. Done as a class, or faculty can create the objectivesup-front.

B. Example: In a Psychology course, the objectivemight be understanding the dynamics of groupformation or gender roles and their functions in aproject.

8. Teach students how to harvest the service experience for knowledge.

A.Students need to be taught to focus on these objectives and related questions as they participate in the service setting.

B.Example: The Math student is working on a Habitat for Humanity project. She thinks about the algebra or geometry used in developing the architectural plans.

9. Link the service experience to your academic course content through deliberate and guided reflection.

A.Reflection is what links the learning to the service.

B.The nature and type of reflection determines its outcome.

C. There are a variety of ways for students to reflect. Consider what will work best for your objectives.

Be sure and celebrate!Provide the students with an opportunity to be the teacher and explain their learning process

Celebrate the service and learning that has occurred Invite the community partner(s), parents, families

10. Evaluate Your Service-Learning Outcomes A. Students are being graded on the academic product,not their hours of service.

B. Use the same standards used in evaluating any otherwritten or oral presentation: Did the student masterthe course material?

C. Utilize formative and summative researchtechniques to measure your success in achieving yourobjectives.

Evaluation IdeasStudent Learning OutcomesPre and post measures of students sense of civic engagementQualitative analysis of students reflection journals to see if there were changes in student attitudes and perspectives

Impact on the community partnerProducts as tangible evidence of impactAssess community partners satisfaction with the service-learning partnership

FacultyCompatibility of the service with the course objectives and the community partners needs

What ideas did you come up with?Architecture and Service-LearningARCH 201: Introduction to Computer Aided DraftingVirginia Highlands Community CollegeGives overview of use of computers as applied to architectural drawing. Covers software capability of the system by generating, moving, editing, or deleting the basic elements. Includes a service-learning option where the students will go the Faith in Action building located in Abingdon, VA. At this existing structure site, the students will take measurements needed to design an addition to the Faith in Action building.

Foreign Language and S-LFrench 3295: Special Topics in Cajun FrenchLouisiana State UniversityStudents study the particularities of the French spoken by Cajuns and Creoles in Louisiana and apply this knowledge to an authentic language documentation project. Students interview fluent senior citizen Cajun French speakers, then preserve representative samples of their French speech in their oral histories and other narratives. Students transcribe, edit and translate these samples, and incorporate them with visual support into a multimedia presentation that are presented to the Cajun speakers as a family heirloom and to the T. Harry Williams Oral History Collection as a linguistic and historic artifact.

Sports Administration and S-LKIN 4517: Sports AdministrationLouisiana State UniversityStudents participate in the management functions of planning and organizing and the human side of administration with regard to motivation and performance, the communication process and managing conflict and stress. Specifically, the service engagement will involve working with Louisiana Senior Olympic Games (LSOG) in conjunction with the annual State Games. LSOG is a non-profit organization and this work will expose students to the realities of community service (limited resources, volunteerism, etc.) and to community needs within a specific population.

Concluding ThoughtsService-learning is only as good as the class that is createdTakes time and effort, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges

It is essential to close the loop from beginning to end in a service-learning course.

58Questions?Contact InformationApril K. HeiseltAssociate Professor and DirectorCenter for the Advancement of Service-Learning Excellence Department of Counseling and Educational PsychologyP.O. Box 9727 Mississippi State, MS 39762 (662) 325-7919 aheiselt@colled.msstate.edu