Helping Students Find Time for ServiceLearning in Courses

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Helping Students Find Time for Service-Learning
in Courses

• Dr. Tania S. SmithAssistant ProfessorUniversity
  of Calgary
• EngageNOW Conference Calgary, October 1, 2009

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Curricular CSL

• 2 locations for CSL
• Curricular (within curriculum, credit courses)
• Co-curricular (non-credit programs offered by the
  institution)
• Both are valuable, complementary
• Different from other experiential learning
• Practicum, internship, co-op for credit
• Volunteerism, workplace learning
• Social learning (sports, clubs, family)

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Benefits of Curricular CSL

• Accessible to more students
• Integration with academic learning
• Social development, not just career academic
  development
• Faculty student engagement
• Transformation of curriculum teaching methods
• Problem-based, Inquiry-based, collaborative
• Sustainable community partnerships

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Time for Service-Learning
2008 NSSE student survey data
National Survey of Student Engagement
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Student Time

• 2008 CUSC student survey data

Canada (n 11,981) U of C (n 248 )
Canadian University Survey Consortium
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Student Time for Community
2008 CUSC student survey data
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Time within courses
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Why CSL Needs Time

• Give a significant benefit to community
• Make it worthy of the effort reputation
• 2 aspects of CSL time for Students
• Time for the service activity
• Estimated 10-40 hours / term
• Time for preparation, related academic learning
  and assignments
• Equal or greater in proportion to service
  activity
• 2 aspects of CSL time for Faculty Community --
  not covered here! -- institutional time needed
• Pre-term preparation, Post-term evaluation and
  research

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CSL Preparation Time

• Before service, students learn
• What is CSL and Why are we doing it?
• Who is the community partner?
• organization, people, local histories
• What are the issues and concepts the community
  partner needs us to understand?
• How will our learning be structured?
• How does CSL relate to
• The rest of the course (readings, assignments)
• The students backgrounds personal futures

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CSL Implementation Time

• During service, students do
• Group communication (if group project)
• Partner communication or liaison
• Class visits, telephone, email, real-time
  internet
• Transportation (if class or service off-campus)
• Assignments Reporting Reflection
• Service lectures, readings, etc.
• Service personal development
• Service organizational, social development

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Solution 1 Within Course

• If CSL required for all students enrolled
• Downsize simplify the service
• 1-3 hrs / week of service
• This includes student communication planning
  time needed to conduct service
• One community partner per TA / Faculty
• Easier to integrate community content into course
• Try on-campus projects
• Clubs, offices, task forces, campus issues
• Less student preparation, transportation
• Limit (or omit) group assignments
• Group work usually requires additional time
  within outside of class.

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Solution 1 Within Course

• CSL in registrar-scheduled class time
• Group meetings, Lectures
• CSL presentations (I.e. progress, final)
• Partner visits, field trips
• CSL integrated with content methods
• Some lecture time on CSL
• Some readings cover CSL issues/skills as well as
  course content/skills
• Student assignments CSL or integrated

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Solution 1 Within Course
integrated learning lecture or required
readings on the theme of the CSL project
reflection assignments that ask students to
synthesize academic learning with service
experience
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Solution 2. CSL In Beyond

• If course requires significantly more time
  effort from all students enrolled
• If CSL is optional, an additional unit built on
  top of the course
• If some students volunteer extra CSL time and
  effort on the project
• It is still credit-based learning, not
  volunteerism/co-curricular

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Solution 2. CSL In Beyond

• Alternative assignments for CSL students
• Quality integration requires extra
  individualized instruction for CSL students
• Can be perceived as unfair treatment
• Extra credit hours (3 cr 1 extra credit)
• Administrative policies, paperwork
• E.g. at Missouri State University and Georgetown
  University center for social justice, and  Miami
  University
• Students do the paperwork, obtain signatures,
  submit proof

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Solution 2. CSL In Beyond
Students may be assigned additional readings by
the community partner, I.e. reports by the
organization, literature review on the issue,
additional observation / training in the community
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Solution 3. Directed Study

• Some students interested in CSL, but NO room in
  normal course for CSL
• 3-5 students in concurrent directed study course
• Synergies With the same teacher. Students may
  play a leadership role in the regular course,
  share lecture time in reg. course, do
  complementary assignments, orally present to the
  reg. course
• Costs additional faculty member time, faculty
  member expertise in CSL, student recruitment
  planning
• Alternative Subsequent directed study course
• Useful to conduct CSL follow-up or evaluation

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Solution 3. Directed Study
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Solution 4. Learning Community

• Concurrent enrollment in 2-3 courses on a related
  theme
• 1 of the courses is CSL intensive
• 1 course is primarily academic
• 1 optional course or non-credit workshop focuses
  on integration or skills (I.e. writing, research,
  teamwork, leadership)
• Normal credit for each academic course

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Solution 4 Learning Community

• Benefits
• Collaboration and shared learning for all
• More service hours better preparation
• Interdisciplinarity
• Can be scheduled as
• 1 course with 2x credit in a single term
• 1 Fall Academic course 1 Winter CSL course
• Costs
• Students must be recruited or required
• Registrar must accommodate
• Faculty community time help to plan together

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Solution 4 Learning Community
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Summary Finding Time

• Within course time
• In and beyond course
• Directed study courses
• Learning communities
• Solutions 1-4 arranged in order
• Increasing CSL time, quality, potential
• Short to Long-term implementation
• 1 requires the instructor to be the CSL expert.
  Integration is not easy.
• 4 requires institutional teamwork

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References

• Juganue. (2009). Clock texture. Background
  image deviantART. Retrieved September 27, 2009
  from http//www.deviantart.com/download/79693975/C
  lock_Texture_by_juganue.jpg
• Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC).
  (2008, June). Undergraduate Student Survey.
  Retrieved September 27, 2009 from the University
  of Calgary website http//oia.ucalgary.ca/system/f
  iles/CUSC_2008.pdf
• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
  (2008, August) University of Calgary Mean
  Comparisons. Retrieved September 27, 2009 from
  the University of Calgary website
  http//wcmprod2.ucalgary.ca/oia/system/files/NSSE
  2008.pdf (p. 23, 28)