Norma-May IsakowOffice for Service-Learning510E Heritage Hall * 996-7080* nmisakow@uab.eduwww.uab.edu/service-learning

Norma-May IsakowOffice for Service-Learning510E Heritage Hall * 996-7080* nmisakow@uab.eduwww.uab.edu/service-learning

Office for Service-Learning Presentation for University of Montevallo

Thursday May 26, 2011

Office for Service-Learning Presentation for University of Montevallo

Thursday May 26, 2011

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What is Service-Learning?What is Service-Learning?

A pedagogical model that intentionally integrates community service, academic learning, and civic learning 

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Service-Learning and Campus Culture Service-Learning and Campus Culture

• President Carol Garrison’s Welcome

• “You will find many unique opportunities at UAB. UAB is intently focused on offering students a wide array of learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom . . . “

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UAB 21: Our Vision for the 21st CenturyUAB 21: Our Vision for the 21st Century

• Goal I: Transforming Undergraduate LearningWe will provide a student-centered, collaborative learning experience to prepare diverse students for rewarding careers and lives that benefit society and our regional and global economy.

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UAB: QEP Degrees of ExcellenceUAB: QEP Degrees of Excellence

• Ethics and Civic Responsibility (ECR)• The role of a university is to prepare

students to function effectively and engage responsibly in both the academic community and post-graduation life.  Excellence and integrity should be academic, personal, and professional goals for everyone.  Effective and responsible living depends upon the ability of individuals to strive for excellence, to make informed and ethical decisions, to accept responsibility for one’s choices, and to practice good citizenship as part of multiple larger social units.

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RECOGNITION & PUBLICITYRECOGNITION & PUBLICITY

UAB has received the highest federal recognition for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement•2008 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for the Advancement of Teaching• 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to America’s communities•Presentations at Regional and National Conferences on SL and Civic Engagement

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Understanding Academic Service LearningUnderstanding Academic Service Learning

Meaningful Community Service

Enhanced Academic Learning

Purposeful Civic Learning

Volunteering Yes No No

Internship No Yes No

Co-Curricular Service-Learning

Yes No Yes

Academic Service Learning

Yes Yes Yes

Adapted from Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, Service-Learning Course Design Workbook, Companion Volume Summer 2001, Jeffrey Howard, Editor MJCSL

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Processes of Academic Service LearningProcesses of Academic Service Learning

• Engagement in service activities with a selected community partner in a mutually beneficial relationship based on a spirit of collaboration.

• Reflection upon larger issues that affect communities through readings and submission of weekly structured reflections.

• Integration of community engagement and academic learning through in class discussions and experiential activities, critical thinking papers, and a final presentation.

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Benefits of Service Learning for StudentsBenefits of Service Learning for Students

For Students

• Enriches student learning of course material and "brings books to life and life to books".

• Engages students in active learning that demonstrates the relevance and importance of academic work for their life experience and career choices.

• Increases awareness of current societal issues as they relate to academic areas of interest.

• Broadens perspectives of diversity issues and enhances critical thinking skills.

• Improves interpersonal skills that are increasingly viewed as important skills in achieving success in professional and personal spheres.

• Develops civic responsibility through active community involvement.

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Benefits of Service Learning for CommunityBenefits of Service Learning for Community

• Allows the energy and enthusiasm of college students to contribute to meeting needs educational, human, safety, and environmental needs of local communities.

• Fosters an ethic of service and civic participation in students who will be tomorrow's volunteers and civic leaders.

• Creates potential for additional partnerships and collaboration with the campus

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Benefits of Service Learning for FacultyBenefits of Service Learning for Faculty

• Enriches and enlivens teaching and learning.

• Creates new areas for research and scholarship, and increases opportunities for professional recognition and reward.

• Regarded as involving significant teaching and learning about civic responsibility in review of QEP initiatives

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Service-Learning ResourcesService-Learning Resources

• www.uab.edu/service-learning • Tips and tools for Faculty & Staff,

Students, Community Partners• Sample service-learning syllabi for

every discipline• Highlighted UAB Community Partners

for service learning• Useful forms for structure Service-

Learning Experience• Reflection and Assessment tools • Upcoming Service-Learning Events

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Service-Learning Course DesignationService-Learning Course Designation

The Service Learning Course Rubric is designed to help analyze the extent to which a course satisfies each of the required elements. • Enhanced Academic Learning • Purposeful Civic Learning • Relevant and Meaningful Service with

the Community • Integration Strategies

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Service-Learning Course Rubric

Quality Indicator

Strong(Element is in place and

operating at  effective level)

Emerging(Element is present but needs

improvement for effective practice)

Minimal (Element is missing)

Enhanced Academic Learning 

*Course intentionally relates service to student  academic learning *Partners, specific service activities, and duration of service  enhance  academic  learning  * Credit is awarded for student demonstration of academic learning

*Service experience incidentally relates to academic learning*Partners, service activities and duration of service do little to contribute to academic learning*Some credit is awarded for academic learning but mainly credit is awarded for service

*Service is not related to student academic learning in course*Credit is awarded solely for doing service or for quality of service 

Purposeful Civic Learning 

*Course intentionally helps students understand community needs,  the context of their service, and how they can impact their community *Credit is awarded for demonstration of the above 

*Course incidentally helps students understand community needs, the context of their service, and how they can impact their community*Credit is not awarded for demonstration of the above 

Course does not help students understand community needs, context of their actions, and how they can impact their community 

Relevant and Meaningful service with/for the community

Student service:*Is  well organized* Correlates with course academic and civic learning goals *Responds to a community need as identified by the community  

Student service:*Is fairly well organized*Correlates somewhat with academic and civic learning goals*Somewhat responds to a need identified by the community 

Student service:*Is not well organized*Does not correlate with academic and civic learning goals*Does not necessarily respond  to a need identified by the community 

Integration  strategies support learning from service experiences and enable its use towards meeting course objectives(i.e. learning activities that encourage integration of experiential and academic learning) 

Ongoing  integration activities  promote critical reflection and analysis include *classroom discussions *individual structured reflections (journals)*presentations*paper assignments 

Integration activities exist but not on an ongoing basis e.g. include only a final paper or presentation 

Students may be required to record their service activities but there are no activities for integration experiential and academic learning

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Designated Service-Learning CoursesDesignated Service-Learning Courses

• Biology Field and Lab Science Education and Mentoring/SL BY 399  

• Business Management: Service Learning/SL MG 490 Capstone in Psychology/SL PY 490

Civic Engagement/SL  SBS 303• Community and Service:  Using Media for Social Change/SL  D

CS 350• Community-Based Practicum in Psychology/SL  PY 397

Dollars and Sense: An Introduction to Business, Economics, and Personal Finance/SL  LCB 101

ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM-MAKING/SL DCS 401/HON 316/ARS 406 & 407                          

• *EXPLORING BIRMINGHAM LCS 101-607 Freshman Seminar• Food Security National and Global Issues/SL  SOC 490

Foreign Language Internship/Service Learning/SL  FLL 333• Geriatric Services & Social Work/SL  SW 205• Health Sciences Management Internship/SL  AHS 481• Homelessness:  Its Causes and Consequences/SL  SOC 472 

• Impacting Community through Service Learning/SL  LCSL 101-618

• *Intermediate Writing and Poetry EH302

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Designated Service-Learning Courses (contd.)Designated Service-Learning Courses (contd.)

• Leadership and Community/SL  GCLH 301• New Urbanism and Smarth Growth/SL  ANTH 371/DCS 266/UA 366• Nursing Honors Sequence/SL  NUR 368 NUR 484 NUR 486• Pathfinders: The Path from Sophomore to Professional/SL  UNIV 204-56• Perceptions of Poverty in America CAS 399 Special Topics/SL • Peer Education/SL  HE 490

Physical Activity Programming for Individuals with Disabilities/SL  PE 450Practicum in Social Work/SL   SW  490Public Health Nursing Theory Practicum/SL  NUR 395 and 396 Respiratory Therapy Directed Study in Respiratory Care III/SL  RST 432

• SCT Tech Honors: Internships/Community Projects/SL  STH 396Service-Learning/Sociological Practice/SL  SOC 488Social Work Values Lab/SL  SW 222

• Sports Management/SL  MG 430• **Student Success in Nursing NUR 100• Untold Stories: Finding and Telling Stories You Haven't Been Told In

History Class/SL  HY291 DCS 291• Using and Preserving Historic Places as Primary Sources: Studying the

Multi-Cultural Heritage of the Southeastern Coast/SL  HY 292/392/682 

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Impacting Community through Service Learning- A Freshman Learning Community Seminar Course Objective – Civic Responsibility

Impacting Community through Service Learning- A Freshman Learning Community Seminar Course Objective – Civic Responsibility

• Develop a collaborative relationship with a community partner

• Develop an understanding and appreciation of the issues and needs of the populations served by our selected community partners

• Work with a community partner to identify a specific need that can be addressed through student involvement

• Develop an awareness and understanding of one’s multiple roles and responsibilities as a citizen of a community

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Impacting Community through Service Learning- A Freshman Learning Community Seminar Course Objective: Effective Communication and Relationship Skills

Impacting Community through Service Learning- A Freshman Learning Community Seminar Course Objective: Effective Communication and Relationship Skills

• Explore foundational concepts of healthy relationships, including empathy, assertiveness, and personal responsibility

• Develop increased self-awareness and understanding of personality and emotional intelligence

• Develop awareness, knowledge and skills for working with special and diverse populations

• Demonstrate use of non-verbal and verbal skills in a helping relationship

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Impacting Community through Service Learning- A Freshman Learning Community Seminar Course Objective: First Year Experience

Impacting Community through Service Learning- A Freshman Learning Community Seminar Course Objective: First Year Experience

•Develop critical and analytical thinking abilities and oral and written expression

•Equip students with academic survival skills

•Provide students with resources and information to assist with successful transition into the college experience

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EngagementEngagement

Students work with a selected community partner for 2 hours/week for 8 weeks for a total of 16 hours for the semester

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Reflection and IntegrationReflection and Integration

•Weekly Class Discussions

•Weekly Structured Reflections

•Final Poster Presentations

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Integrating Service-Learning Experience Integrating Service-Learning Experience

•Community Partner Commitment Form and Service-Learning Agreement

•Weekly Structured Reflections•Mid-Term Critical Thinking Paper

•Time Log•Mid-Semester Joint Assessment•Final Evaluation by Community Partner

•Final Power Point Poster Slide Presentation

UAB National Alumni SocietyService-Learning Poster Competition

UAB National Alumni SocietyService-Learning Poster Competition• Opportunity for students to highlight their service-learning

experiences • Panel of three judges select winners• Judges choose PPT slides to be printed as posters and

exhibited at the Service-Learning Awards • TIME LINE:• UAB Online Drop Box submissions of PowerPoint poster

slides opens Wednesday December 1, 2010• Deadline for submissions

Friday January 21, 2011• Service-Learning Awards Celebration• Thursday February 17, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.• First Prize - $300• Second Prize - $200• Third Prize - $100•

 

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Malachi Ray, Fall 2010, Biomedical Engineering, Impacting Community through Service Learning taught by Norma-May Isakow University of Alabama at Birmingham

Community Partner

Personal Growth through Service Learning

Challenges and Rewards

Impacting the Community Academic Learning

Acknowledgements

The Exceptional Foundation

Our mission is to meet the social and

recreational needs of the mentally and/or

physically challenged individuals in the greater

Birmingham Area.1616 Oxmoor Rd

Birmingham, AL 35209

Being Assertive- Sometimes competition got the best of the participants, so it was important to be assertive and talk to the

members before relations got too strained.

Stereotypes- The mentally disabled are usually associated with many negative

stereotypes, but through my volunteering I discovered them all to be untrue.

Personality Traits- Knowing the traits of individuals ,such as introvert, extrovert,

etc., really helped me to establish rapport.

Empathy- Putting myself in the members shoes really helped me in communicating

with them.

Social Capital- The Exceptional Foundation is hinged on increasing the

mentally challenged ‘s Social Capital

The Exceptional Foundation for letting me become closer to so many special individuals and have fun every single time I

volunteeredEugene Rogers for giving me the

opportunity to volunteer and always being there when I

needed somethingNorma-May Isakow for always being supportive and wanting every student to grow through

Service-Learning

The Exceptional Foundation was started in 1993 with only five mentally challenged participants.

Today that number has grown to over three hundred and fifty members. My main role in

volunteering was to help provide social activities for the mentally and physically disabled. This included playing many sports, helping with art

classes, and also keeping a healthy environment for all members. I also had the goal to help the

members gain more self-confidence and learn basic skills, such as better communication, to help them

live a better life. The community is impacted by The Exceptional

Foundation by dismissing all negative stereotypes of the mentally challenged. Also, The Exceptional

Foundation helps raise awareness about how special and exceptional these people are.

I have become more aware of all the different types of disabilities, but also how much more fun they usually have in a day

than I do. I may smile a few times a day, but many of the members never stop smiling. I have grown by seeing how much joy they have in their lives, and I hope I can learn

from them on how to get it. I plan on becoming an optometrist, which means I would have many mentally and physically disabled people as diseases, such as Autism, are growing everyday . Volunteering with many of these people

already will have increased my awareness and given me a basis of communication.

Many of the mentally challenged communicate in various ways, including many I did not

understand.However, through time and patience I learned how to communicate with everyone, even if it

meant a crash course in sign language.It was a challenge for me to go into an

environment never knowing what really to expect. However, there was a reward in this by learning how to really be an individual. It gives

me so much joy to see so many people just being themselves, and not caring what society says.

They are who they are, plain and simple.

Assignment of GradesAssignment of Grades

• Service-Learning Assignment Total 390 Points• Community Partner Commitment Form 10 points• Service-Learning Agreement 20 points• 8 Weekly Structured Reflections 80 points (10 per reflection)• Mid-Term Critical Thinking Paper 75 points• Mid-Term Time Log check 5 points• Service Learning Attendance as reported in Final Time Log 80 points (10 per service-

learning week)• Final Evaluation by Community Partner 20 points• Final Power Point Poster Slide Presentation 100 points

• Attendance and Class Participation (this includes evidence of readings, participation in discussions, etc.). If you miss a class, you must see the instructor about making up any missed activities or in-class assignments. Failure to do so will result in deductions from Participation Grade 50 Points

• Dragon Quest Activity 50 points• Academic Advising Assignment Part I 20 points (5 of these points are for

scheduling your appointment by 8/24)• Academic Advising Assignment Part II 30 points• Healthy Lifestyles Seminar (earn points by attending class on 9/16) 10 points• Time Management (earn points by attending class in library 9/23) 10 points• Career Services (earn points by attending class 10/5) 10 points• Library Resource Instruction (earn points by attending in library 9/23) 10 points• Academic Integrity ((earn points by completing Online Module) 10 points• Financial Management (earn points by completing Online Module) 10 points• TOTAL: 600 POINTS

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CAS 399: Special TopicsPerceptions of Poverty in America CAS 399: Special TopicsPerceptions of Poverty in America

• Course Objectives:• Develop an understanding of a

spectrum of socio-economic issues relating to poverty in the United States;

• Develop critical and analytical thinking skills regarding federal and state policies toward working families; and

• Explore strategies to address poverty in the United States.

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CAS 399: Community PartnersCAS 399: Community Partners

• Impact Alabama Save First Initiative to provide essential tax preparation services to members of our local community

• Alabama Possible Blueprints College Access Program to create college-positive culture in Woodlawn High School

• Another pre-approved initiative of the student’s own choice

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Reflection and IntegrationReflection and Integration

•Weekly Class Discussions

•Weekly Structured Reflections

•Final Critical Thinking Paper and Presentation

Assignment of GradesAssignment of Grades

• Attendance and participation in discussion showing evidence that you’ve done the assigned reading 20%

• Training, Testing (where applicable) and Service with Community Partner Service Sites 30%

• Weekly Structured Reflections on Blackboard33%

• Final Critical Thinking Paper and Presentation17% (12% + 5%)

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Conclusion: Linking Passion and Skills Conclusion: Linking Passion and Skills

• “Students come to college to learn, but they also should find a sense of purpose in life — a calling. [Service-Learning] is one way to inspire students and instill in them the skills they need to effectively pursue their passion and effect real change in the world. . . . In short, [Service-Learning] moves people from having ideas to having the skills to do something about it.”  David Siemers,

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Students and Service LearningStudents and Service Learning

• "Service learning has completely revolutionized my educational experience at UAB. I have been given the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience that directly relates to my future career goals while interacting with amazing UAB faculty and community members whose wisdom and guidance have greatly advanced my academic and personal development.“- Jonathan Woolley