PROPOSING SERVICE-LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PRESENTATION 2009 University Honors Symposium DuBois Center, NAU Saturday, April 25, 2009 Session 2a 1:00 PM Presenter: Hesham Elnagar

What is Service-Learning? Service-learning is an experiential and active teaching and learning pedagogy that fuses academic study with collaborative service experiences through critical reflective processes. This presentation will address the following: Context Implementation Issues and Challenges Resources

Context: Why at NAU? Why in my course? Given the goals of Northern Arizona University and its strategic planning strategies, service-learning can be fostered and welcomed by various academic units to promote a liberal education. Learner-centered, active, and experiential education When thoughtfully integrated, service-learning works to achieve learning goals and desired outcomes of both the university and individual course- enhanced experiences for critical thinking, reasoning skills, reflection, emotional intelligence, and practical application. Benefits include those for the student, faculty/instructor, community, and university.

The goals of the NAU Faculty Development Teaching Academy, listed below, directly align with the goals and desires of service-learning. Teaching & Learning: The Academy aims to advance teaching and learning practices that support meaningful engagement and deep understanding by learners. – Examples: All implementations of service-learning including, but not restricted to, discipline-based service-learning, problem-based service-learning, service-learning internships, capstone courses, and first-year courses. Research & Teaching: The Academy aims to encourage integration of teaching and research including the scholarship of teaching and learning. – Example: Community-based service-learning research Service & Learning: The Academy aims to foster teaching that enhances student learning and stewardship through community involvement (campus, local, national, and global). – Examples: All implementations of service learning including, but not restricted to, classroom service-learning, international service-learning, and experiential service- learning trips ( Context continued

Cress’ Tripartite form of service-learning. Context continued “The epistemology of service- learning is a promising revolution that has sparked an instructional evolution where access and success are equated with teaching and learning practices that effectively link students with each other and with their communities as critically engaged learners.” - Cress’s Defining a Service- Learning Pedagogy of Access and Success p.2

Context continued Internships Service-learning Civic Courses Community Service Essential Elements of Service- learning, Adapted from Campus Compact Service-learning can be expressed from many perspectives. This figure displays a pedagogy that includes a critical integration of progressive educational techniques with both academic objectives and community relations. It uniquely incorporates a range of ideas such as internships, community based research, service fundamentals, engagement, and academic focus.

Late Adopters – Visit compact.org to familiarize oneself with the efforts and programs that use service- learning. – Review Campus Compact definitions of service-learning and the Presidents’ Declaration on the Civic Responsibility of Higher Education. – Read and review Cress’ Defining a Service-Learning Pedagogy of Access and Success. Mid Adopters – Read and review Cress’ Defining a Service-Learning Pedagogy of Access and Success. – Consider new perspectives to approach service-learning techniques in the classroom, framed around learning outcomes. Early Adopters – Assess the relationships between your service-learning definition and its execution in your course. Do the fundamentals match with the goals of the Teaching Academy? Engage in dialogue addressing these questions and begin to compile recommendations for future adopters. Context Recommendations

Applications of service-learning – Benefits for all those involved – Nonrestrictive – Creativity- multiple classroom setups and ways to create community partnerships – New levels of engagement for community, instructor, student, and university Any setup and level – Seminar, research, first-year, senior capstone, independent study, internships, problem based (favored in hard sciences), discipline based (favored in humanities) Focus and execution – Research, theory, fieldwork – Reflection- fundamental element to integrate ideas of learning and service towards critical engage students’ thinking. Various methods of reflection- group discussion, candid writings (sometimes called journaling), reflective essays integrated with content, photo/video journaling, and directed writings. Implementation: What and How?

Implementation continued Balances in Service-learning. Adapted from Sigmon’s Interpretations of Service-learning. SERVICE service LEARNINGLEARNING learninglearning Robert Sigmon’s three principles of service- learning: 1) Those being served control the services provided. 2) Those being served become better able to serve and be served by their own actions. 3) Those who serve also are learners and have significant control over what is expected to be learned.

Implementation Recommendations Late Adopters – Review The Johnson Foundation’s Principles of Good Practice for Combining Service and Learning. – Review Howard’s Principles of Good Practice in Community Service-learning Pedagogy. Mid Adopters – Review Howard’s Principles of Good Practice in Community Service-learning Pedagogy. – Review cross discipline syllabi at – Apply experiences with new information to clarify goals. Early Adopters – Review cross discipline syllabi at – Begin to compile materials from service-learning courses taught to begin a NAU syllabi database for late and mid adopters.

Issues and Challenges Integration- finding service collaborations that fit with learning and student outcome goals, how to set-up service and learning experience, what kinds of service, how much service Collaboration- communication with community agency or business, safe environment for students, equal relationship where needs of all involved are understood, Facilitation- use of reflection in and out of the classroom, students assessed on learning not service Ethical- requiring service, connecting to learning Superficiality- affirming stereotypes, service and learning connection not strong and understood

Issues and Challenges Recommendations Late Adopters – Review service-learning handbooks, continue to compare sample syllabi, and communicate with current instructors who use service-learning techniques. – Establish clear collaborations where all parties are aware of each others’ needs. – Remember students are not receiving credit or being assessed on their service, but by the meaningful connections made in the course. Mid Adopters – Establish clear collaborations where all parties are aware of each others’ needs. – Assess how collaborations effectively reach learning and service goals. – Course evaluations, student surveys, community surveys Early Adopters – Assess how collaborations effectively reach learning and service goals. – Course evaluations, student surveys, community surveys – Contribute to database and offer suggestions to avoid future issues and challenges.

Spring 2009 Examples at NAU PR 471C- Public Relations Projects and Campaigns – Senior Capstone – 16 junior and senior level students HON 191- Seminar in Critical Reading and Writing – Freshman Seminar – 18 first-year Honors students PRM 203H- Introduction to Whitewater Rafting – Trip Experience – 7 Honors students freshman-senior

Resources: Useful Handbooks for all Adopters The following handbooks include chapters, articles, course examples, sample syllabi, recommendations, and sample forms which address important service-learning questions and issues. Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit: Readings and Resources for Faculty (Second Edition) by Campus Compact – Available through DDS Civic Engagement Across the Curriculum: A Resource Book for Service-Learning Faculty in All Disciplines by Campus Compact – Available through DDS Combining Service and Learning in Higher Education by Maryann Gray – Available at Cline Library Evaluating Service-learning Activities & Programs by David A. – Available at Cline Library Higher Education Faculty Toolkit –

Resources: Useful Websites Campus Compact Faculty Resources – Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning – Maricopa County Service-learning Resources – Maricopa County’s Journal for Civic Commitment – Learn and Serve Service-learning Blog –

Questions/Comments/ Concerns For an online version of this presentation please go to file:///Users/Hesham/Desktop/Thesis/Faculty%20Dev pt.%20S-L%20online.htm If you would like a completed copy of this thesis titled Service-learning and Civic Engagement in American Higher Education or more information on service-learning please contact Hesham Elnagar at