Service Learning December 9, 2004 Dr. Edward Zlotkowski Senior Fellow, Campus Compact

THE SCHOLARSHIP OF ENGAGEMENT I am convinced that…the academy must become a more vigorous partner in the search for answers to our most pressing social, civic, economic, and moral problems, and must reaffirm its historic commitment to what I call the scholarship of engagement. The scholarship of engagement means connecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems…Campuses would be viewed by both students and professors not as isolated islands, but as staging grounds for action. The scholarship of engagement also means creating a special climate in which the academic and civic cultures communicate more continuously and creatively with each other. Ernest Boyer (1996), The Journal of Public Service and Outreach

Economic Development Service-Learning Student Volunteerism Faculty Outreach Shared ResourcesExtension Services Civic Awareness & Deliberative Dialogue Internships & Practice Circle of Higher Education Civic Engagement Initiatives

Service-Learning Characteristics Meets academic learning objectives Involves experience with a community-based organization or group Involves structured reflection or analysis Is based upon principles of academy-community partnership and reciprocity

The Four Quadrants of Service-Learning Program Design Student-Centered Structured Learning Community-Centered Unstructured Learning Academic/ Expertise Focus Community/ Common Good Focus Service-Learning

Four Quad Typology A alone: Standard curriculum B alone: Student life C alone: Academic culture D alone: Work of community organizations B C A D

Possible Combinations A + B: Course with civic awareness C + D: Faculty community work A + C: Course with field work B + D: Community service A C B D

Possible Combinations II A + B + D: Service-learning course A + B + C + D: Faculty documented and evaluated service-learning course A + D: No reflection or documentation A + C + D: Documentation and assessment but no reflection A C B D

Public Engagement Personal Contact & Direct Service Problem-solving Projects Research With (Participatory Action Research) For (Commissioned by Community) About (Inclusion of Community)

Possible projects identified Faculty and partner(s) discuss/design projects In-class introduction of projects/ student preparation and pre-service reflection On-site Orientation (possible project contract) Project implementation and ongoing reflection Project completion (product delivery)/ presentations and post-service reflection Faculty-partner debriefing and project assessment Project portfolio created and filed

AAHE Service-Learning in the Disciplines Series Accounting Biology Communication Studies Composition Engineering Environmental Studies History Hospitality Management Management Medical Education Nursing Peace Studies Philosophy Political Science Psychology Religious Studies Sociology Spanish Teacher Education Womens Studies * Related Volumes: Economics, Mathematics

NSEE Engagement Categories Active Learning Academic Challenge Faculty-Student Relationships

Peter Ewells 3 Categories What We Know About Learning What We Know About Promoting Learning What We Know About Institutional Change

What We Know About Learning The learner creates his or her learning actively & uniquely Learning is about making meaning for each individual by establishing and reworking patterns & connections Every student learns all the time, both with us & despite us Direct experience decisively shapes individual understanding for each learner Learning occurs best when people are confronted with a compelling and identifiable problem Beyond stimulation, learning requires reflection Effective learning is social and interactive *Source: Peter Ewell, Organizing for Learning, AAHE Bulletin, Dec. 1997

What We Know About Promoting Learning Effective Approaches: Emphasize application and experience Involve faculty who constructively model the learning process Emphasize linkages between established concepts and new situations Emphasize interpersonal collaboration Involve curricula that develop a clear set of cross- disciplinary skills publicly held to be important Emphasize rich and frequent feedback *Source: Peter Ewell, Organizing for Learning, AAHE Bulletin, Dec. 1997

What We Know About Institutional Change A fundamental shift of perspective A systemic approach A relearning of roles Conscious and consistent leadership Systemic ways to measure progress and guide improvement A visible triggering opportunity *Source: Peter Ewell, Organizing for Learning, AAHE Bulletin, Dec Change requires:

Key Factors Affecting Service-Learning Institutionalization 1.Specific Link to Mission 2.Individual Driver 3.Location in Structure 4.Visibility in Documents

The man who embraces a new paradigm at an early stage must often do so in defiance of the evidence provided by problem-solving. He must, that is, have faith that the new paradigm will succeed with the many large problems that confront it, knowing only that the old paradigm has failed with a few. A decision of that kind can only be made on faith. Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions