Learn and Serve Higher Education Grant

What is the purpose of Learn and Serve America? Learn and Serve America supports service- learning programs in schools and community organizations that help nearly one million students from kindergarten through college meet community needs, while improving their academic skills and learning the habits of good citizenship. Learn and Serve grants are used to create new programs or replicate existing programs, as well as to provide training and development to staff, faculty, and volunteers.

What is Learn and Serve America? Learn and Serve America is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, which also oversees Senior Corps and AmeriCorps. The Corporation for National Service is a federal agency established in 1993 to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community services activities.

How are programs selected to be funded? The Corporation for National Service funds state education agencies, state commissions on national and community service, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S. territories, which then select and fund local service-learning program. Institutions of higher education and consortia are funded directly. All Learn and Serve America projects are required to match federal funds with resources from the community.

History of the Maryland Community College Consortia In October 2003, the College of Southern Maryland received a grant from the Corporation for National Service in order to help institutionalize Service-Learning at Carroll Community College, the College of Southern Maryland, Harford Community College, Howard Community College, and Montgomery College. In October 2003, a Service-Learning Coordinator was placed at Carroll, Harford and Howard. Coordinators at the College of Southern Maryland and Montgomery College will begin in the summer of At four colleges the Coordinator was placed under Student Affairs. At Howard Community College, service- learning was placed under Academic Affairs.

What was the need for this grant in Maryland? Beginning in 1992, when the Maryland State Board of Education mandated service learning participation as a graduation requirement, students at the K-12 level have been actively involved in service learning. As a result of this requirement, high school students in the State of Maryland must complete 75 hours of service learning, including preparation, action, and reflection. This mandate took effect in the Fall of 1993, impacting the graduating class of In 1997, 42,532 students (99.9%) graduated with their service learning requirement fulfilled. Unfortunately, many Maryland community colleges do not currently incorporate service learning into instruction. This disconnect between Maryland’s high schools and community colleges may prevent students from truly understanding the value of civic engagement as an adult. The aim of the Service-Learning in Maryland’s Community College’s Program is to address the disparity that currently exists in the state between high school and community college service learning programs.

Service-Learning in Maryland’s Community Colleges serves four main purposes: (1)to increase the number of students participating in service learning; (2)to provide faculty incentive and faculty development programs at each participating college; (3)To offer student leaders an opportunity to participate in a service-learning program outside of the classroom and (4)to gather data that supports the educational benefits of service learning.

What are the components of the Service- Learning in Maryland’s Community College’s Grant? Curricular Service-Learning Faculty Fellows mini-grants- which are awarded to permanent faculty members who commit to incorporating service-learning into their classroom and provide pertinent data to their service-learning coordinators. Faculty Development- ongoing training and support for faculty members who wish to learn more about incorporating the service-learning methodology into their classroom.

What are the components of the Service- Learning in Maryland’s Community College’s Grant? Co-Curricular Service-Learning Service-Learning Institute- student leaders will be able to participate in a service-learning project, while learning more about leadership. Leadership modules will be structured to be offered outside of the classroom. Student Leader/Advisor Development- ongoing training and support for students and advisors who wish to learn more about the service-learning methodology.

Initial Year - Year One – Objectives are as follows: Recruit, hire and orient program coordinators; Establish offices and obtain equipment and supplies; Identify and enlist specific faculty interested in participating in the program; Market, publicize and promote service- learning on campus; Enroll, orient, support and evaluate service- learning experiences; Provide orientation and training for students, faculty and community volunteer agencies; Implement modifications based on evaluation results.

Expansion - Year Two – Objectives are as follows: Develop service learning website for each campus; Create and maintain a database to track placements at community organizations; Develop, implement and evaluate a series of service events for participating college campuses as a model for replication; Develop and initiate a co-curricular Service Learning; Explore the possibility of posting service learning experiences on students’ transcripts; Identify additional resources within the college/community for sustaining the program.

Institutionalization - Year Three - Objectives are as follows: Implement and evaluate a course on service learning; Enrich and expand training programs for faculty, students and volunteer coordinators; Procure agreements for the sustainability of the program; Evaluate and modify programmatic elements to recruit and retain students and faculty; Disseminate information about the consortium service learning program through presentations at conferences and workshops.

How will the consortia measure the success of this program? Through class rosters and service learning agreement forms the consortium will report participation of 50 faculty, 1500 students in the classroom, 50 students outside of the classroom, and 125 agencies in the during the first year. By the end of the third-year, 55 percent of the students participating in the Service Learning Institute will have increased knowledge of community service agencies. This will be articulated through reflection activities. By the end of the third-year, 70 percent of the students participating in service-learning through the consortia program will have increased awareness of their ability to interact with people different than themselves which will be measured through the CCAI pre/post test.

A Final Note This program will strengthen service-learning through student leadership and advisor development. The consortia anticipates student leaders and advisors will play a larger role in service- learning by allowing student leaders to participate in service and come together as a group to reflect on those experiences. Additionally, student leaders, who have gone through this program will have the opportunity to lead service-learning reflections The consortia will also build service-learning by offering faculty development and incentives. Through a year-long series of training modules, faculty will receive training on various issues pertaining to service-learning implementation including, adapting courses within their discipline areas, designing effective reflection components, and stimulating discussions about civic responsibility. Funds will be set aside for a faculty incentive program, awarding mini-grants to faculty who attend the faculty development series and incorporate service- learning into their class with a service learning outcome measurement component.