Service Learning

1
Service Learning

• Strengthening
• Higher Education
• Closing The Gaps

2
Texas

• Its no surprise that Texas is in the bottom 10
  states in the percentage of students who go to
  college or, in other words, the percentage of
  adults 25 or over who hold college degrees.

3

• In Texas only 5 out of 10 hs graduates or 50
  go on to college within 15 months of graduation

4
California

• Sends 2 out of 3 hs graduates to college within
  15 months of graduation its no coincidence that
  they also have the largest economy

5
Nationally

• Only 6 out of 10 hs graduates or 60 go on to
  college within 15 months of graduation

6
ACT

• The American College Testing Service 2007
  annual survey of college readiness found that
  only 18 of Texas hs graduates are college ready.

7
So What Do We Need To Do?

• As Educators . . .
• As Administrators . . .
• As Faculty Members . . .

8
Make Going to College a Primary Value

• Ysleta school district in El Paso has their
  kinder kids walk across the stage to receive
  their diplomas, wearing sashes bearing the name
  of the college / university they want to attend

9
Some Challenges in Higher Education

• Developmental Education
• Financial Aid

10

• 11 of students who go into developmental math in
  college never complete a college credit bearing
  course successfully
• 33 of students who go into developmental reading
  in college never complete a college credit
  bearing course successfully
• 24 of students who go into developmental writing
  in college never complete a college credit
  bearing course successfully

11

• If you come from a poor family in the bottom
  quintile you have a 15 chance of completing
  your B.A. degree
• OR
• If you come from a well-off family in the top
  quintile you have a 75 chance of completing
  your B.A. degree

12
But

• If you are African American, Latino, Native
  American your odds of completing college
  decline dramatically
• 80 of all growth in Texas over the next 25 years
  will be in our Latino population

13
More Importantly

• White adults, 25, have completed 12.9 years of
  education
• African American adults, 25, have completed 12.1
  years of education
• Latino adults, 25, have completed 9.9 years of
  education the average has NOT completed 9th
  grade

14
Texas Population Increase

• By 35 between 2000 and 2015
• Texas Hispanic population is expected to grow
  from 32 to more than 42 in the same period
• African Americans and Hispanics will comprise 53
  of our projected population by the year 2015

15

• According to the National Survey of Student
  Engagement NSSE historically underserved
  students benefit more from engaging in
  educationally effective practices . . . in
  terms of earning higher grades and persisting to
  the second year of college.

16

• The important aspect of these projections by
  state demographer Steve Murdock is that both of
  these ethnic groups have been historically
  under-represented in institutions of higher
  education. These groups account for 51 of the
  population age 15-34, but only 36 of the states
  college enrollment.

17
Today . . .

• More students are entering college than ever
  before. However, according to the Education
  Trust, only 60 of students enrolled in a
  four-year college earn a degree within 6 years.
  Of the African American and Latino students at
  these s schools, more than half fail to graduate.
  Even more disturbingly, only 7 of young people
  from the poorest one-quarter of American families
  currently earn a bachelors degree by age 26.

18
Economic Competitiveness Education

• Vote More
• Exercise More
• Eat Healthier
• Safer Cities Austin is 5 in the country in
  terms of educational attainment and is the 5th
  safest city in the U.S.
• Volunteer and contribute more to charities

19
In Contrast . . .

• Cameron County is the 7th poorest county in Texas
  with a 40 high school drop out rate

20
Service Learning

• In the face of this troubling trend, more
  colleges and universities are looking to service
  learning as a means to stem the tide of attrition

21
A Vital Force for Educational Change

• The current movement is best understood as an
  aspiration to bring theory and practice, schools
  and communities, thought and action, closer
  together connecting the community experience
  with academic learning and linking social action
  with critical reflection

22

• Service learning advocates differentiate their
  practice from volunteer service by evoking the
  concept of reciprocity between server and the
  served. In other words, I serve you in order
  that I may learn from you. You accept my service
  in order that you may teach me. The essence of
  service learning is team work collaboration
  as opposed to egocentric and the individual

23

• For many faculty members, its a creative method
  for relating the abstractions of disciplinary
  study to the realities of human need
• For community based organizations, it is an
  invitation to participate in the process of
  higher education and as a mechanism to enlist the
  talents of student volunteers
• For students, it is an opportunity to integrate
  the life of the mind with the habits of the heart

24

• Service learning rests on the cognitive tenet
  that while, we remember only 10 of what we
  hear, 15 of what we see, and a mere 20 of what
  we see and hear, we retain 60 of what we do, 80
  of what we do with civic guided reflection, and
  90 of what we teach or give to others (Alamo
  Community College Faculty Handbook for
  Understanding and Implementing Service Learning
  in the Classroom, 2003).

25

• An academically rigorous instructional method
  that incorporates meaningful community service
  into the curriculum. Focusing on critical,
  reflective thinking and civic responsibility,
  service-learning involves students in organized
  community service that addresses local needs,
  while developing their academic skills, sense of
  civic responsibility, respect for others, and
  commitment to the community (Academy of
  Management, 2002).

26
Five Components of Quality Service Learning

• Vision and Leadership
• Curriculum and Assessment
• Community-School Partnerships
• Professional Development
• Continuous Improvement
• Pickeral, Terry. Service-Learning Policies
  and Practices A Research-Based Advocacy Paper.
  2008.

27
Vision and Leadership

• Leadership is shared by many people on a
  university or community college campus. For
  successful engagement and learning, it is
  critical that the president, board members,
  faculty, administrators, students, and community
  partners contribute meaningfully to the
  leadership picture. This kind of multi-level
  leadership effort is characterized by a
  well-understood plan, clear and consistent
  communication, and a pervasive sense that service
  learning is not just an option, but an essential
  and necessary part of every students educational
  experience.

28

• Student achievement and success is therefore
  contingent upon the institutionalization of
  service-learning.
• Institutionalization was more likely to occur
  when leaders connected service learning with
  other campus reforms, endorsing service learning
  as a strategy to implement the mission statement.
• To illustrate, Billig found when there was
  consistent support from the campus and
  leadership, and when service learning was
  included in the schools mission, strategic plan
  or policies, the institutionalization of service
  learning resulted.

29
Curriculum and Assessment

• Alignment of Service-Learning with Standards
• Billig, Root, and Jesse (2005) found that using
  service learning to teach standards or curricular
  objectives was the strongest predictor of all
  academic outcomes. Instructors who aligned their
  service learning activities with standards had
  students who scored higher on measures of
  academic efficacy and engagement than those who
  did not.
• Clarity of Goals and Learning Connections
• Ammon, Furco, Chi, and Middaugh (2002) found that
  the factors that seemed related to higher
  academic impacts were clarity of academic goals,
  clear connections between goals and activities,
  reasonable scope and support through reflection
  activities.

30
Community Partnerships

• Sally Berman (2006) reported that community
  partners benefited from attendance at
  professional development sessions on
  service-learning. Practice was better supported
  and more consistent when community partners were
  present at these sessions
• Emphasize Teacher Quality and Link to Teacher
  Performance
• Teacher quality influences student achievement
  more than many
• other factors, including class size and
  student demographics
• More specifically, teachers must ensure
  consistency with goals and available materials
  and resources

31
Professional Development

• Whether novices or experienced service-learning
  practitioners, they need structured time to learn
  new skills, explore possible projects, share
  insights with colleagues, and develop curriculum
  and assessments.
• Since service-learning is a teaching methodology,
  not a prepackaged curriculum, service-learning
  professional development can be found in
  different forms, including seminars, one-on-one
  work between faculty and service-learning
  coaches, and coursework for professional
  certification and graduate credit.
• In a study of districts in California that
  implement service-learning, Ammon et. al (2002)
  reported that teachers who received structured
  professional development experiences before
  implementing service-learning projects were more
  likely to report greater success and fewer
  challenges.

32
Continuous Improvement

• Provides an opportunity for faculty, students and
  community members to learn from and support each
  other on a regular basis, to improve practice, to
  take responsibility for their own learning, to
  celebrate successes and to reflect upon student
  contributions
• It is important to think strategically and
  comprehensively about the manner in which
  continuous improvement efforts are structured

33

• Assessment and Evaluation
• Billig, Root and Jesse (2005) found that
  service-learning assessment and program
  evaluation, including progress and process
  monitoring, were related to students enjoyment
  of subject matters,
• civic knowledge and efficacy.

34

• Written Feedback and Reflections
• Shumer (1997) concluded the process of
  learning from experience is dynamic it requires
  methods of reflection and feedback to continually
  monitor its flow and direction.
• Greene and Diehm (1995) demonstrated that
  students who received more frequent written
  feedback on their written reflections were more
  likely to find their experiences valuable than
  those who received checkmarks or non-written
  reflections. Research also indicated that
  students were more personally
• invested in the service.
• Schunk and Pajares (2002) reported that
  students developed a sense of efficacy
  based, in part, on feedback and whether they are
  given enough opportunity to improve to meet
  standards.

35

• Curriculum-Based Measurement
• One form of scientific progress monitoring is
  curriculum-based measurement (CBM). Research on
  CBM shows its utility for identifying students
  in need of additional or different forms of
  instruction and its effectiveness in helping
  teachers plan more successful instructional
  approaches and programs of instructional
  components, specific teaching and learning
  strategies, assessments, classroom management,
  school climate and personal relationships

36
Service Learning Models

• Pure
• Discipline-Based
• Problem-Based
• Capstone Course
• Service Internship
• Undergraduate Community-Based Action Research

37

• PURE
• These are courses that send students out into
  the community to serve. These courses have as
  their intellectual core the idea of service to
  communities by students, volunteers, or engaged
  citizens. They are not typically lodged in any
  one discipline.

38

• DISCIPLINE-BASED
• In this model, students are expected to have a
  presence in the community throughout the semester
  and reflect on their experiences on a regular
  basis throughout the semester using course
  content as a basis for their analysis and
  understanding.

39

• PROBLEM-BASED
• According to this model, students (or teams of
  students) relate to the community much as
  "consultants" working for a "client." Students
  work with community members to understand a
  particular community problem or need. This model
  presumes that the students will have some
  knowledge they can draw upon to make
  recommendations to the community or develop a
  solution to the problem architecture students
  might design a park business students might
  develop a website or botany students might
  identify non-native plants and suggest
  eradication methods.

40

• CAPSTONE COURSE
• Designed for majors and minors in a given
  discipline and offered almost exclusively to
  students in their final year. They ask students
  to draw upon the knowledge they have obtained
  throughout their coursework and combine it with
  relevant service work in the community. The goal
  of capstone courses is usually either to explore
  a new topic or to synthesize students'
  understanding of their discipline. These courses
  offer an excellent way to help students make the
  transition from the world of theory to the world
  of practice by helping them establish
  professional contacts and gather personal
  experience.

41

• SERVICE INTERNSHIP
• Students work as many as 10 to 20 hours a week
  in a community setting and are charged with
  producing a body of work that is of value to the
  community or site.
• Unlike traditional internships, service
  internships have regular and on-going reflective
  opportunities that help students analyze their
  new experiences using discipline-based theories.
  These reflective opportunities can be done with
  small groups of peers, with one-on-one meetings
  with faculty advisors, or even electronically
  with a faculty member providing feedback.
• Service internships are further distinguished
  from traditional internships by their focus on
  reciprocity the idea that the community and the
  student benefit equally from the experience.

42

• UNDERGRADUATE COMMUNITY-BASED ACTION RESEARCH
• A relatively new approach that is gaining
  popularity, community-based action research is
  similar to an independent study option for the
  rare student who is highly experienced in
  community work.
• Community-based action research can also be
  effective with small classes or groups of
  students. In this model, students work closely
  with faculty members to learn research
  methodology while serving as advocates for
  communities.
• Heffernan, Kerrissa. Fundamentals of
  Service-Learning Course Construction. RI Campus
  Compact 2001,pp. 2-7, 9.

43
Frequently Asked Questions

• Does SL change or modify the course objectives /
  outcomes?
• No. SL is a pedagogy to achieve the
  existing course objectives
• Are students receiving academic credit for
  community service hours?
• No. Students are given credit for the
  learning, not the service

44
FAQs

• Is student reflection required?
• Yes. This is a central aspect that
  distinguishes SL from other forms of education.
  This feature is important because reflection
  enables students to integrate their experiences
  with the curriculum content. Reflection is a
  tool used by the instructor to evaluate student
  learning

45
FAQs

• Should all faculty members use SL?
• No. It is recommended that any interested
  faculty member explore and investigate a suitable
  need and format for SL in their respective
  courses. As a pedagogy, it is important to
  understand the theoretical underpinnings and
  practical application of SL

46
FAQs

• Is service learning applicable in all disciplines
  or is it discipline specific?
• SL can be applied to ALL disciplines. What is
  essential is recognition of the particular
  objectives of a course and the degree to which
  these objectives might be met and / or enhanced
  through SL

47
FAQs

• Is SL just busywork assigned to students so
  that faculty members have more free time?
• No. Faculty should engage in SL out of a
  commitment to student serving and learning.
  Quality SL is not easy faculty who engage in it
  should be recognized, commended and rewarded by
  their colleagues and campus.

48
Certificates, Minors, and Majors in Service
Learning

• Assumption College
• Minor in Community SL
• Bryant University
• Major, Sociology and SL
• CSU Monterey Bay
• Minor, SL Leadership
• College of St. Catherine
• Minor, Civic Engagement
• Colorado School of Mines
• Minor, Humanitarian
• Engineering
• DePaul University
• Minor, Community Service Studies

• Emory Henry
• Major Minor, Public Policy and Community
  Service
• George Mason U
• Major, Concentration in Public and Community
  Engagement
• Humboldt State University
• Minor, Leadership Studies
• Indiana University
• Minor, Leadership, Ethics, and Social Action
  
• Kansas City Art Institute
• Certificate, Community Arts and SL

49
Continued

• Slippery Rock University
• Minor, Community Service SL
• SUNY-Stony Brook
• Minor, Community SL
• University of Baltimore
• Major, Community Studies Civic Engagement
• UCLA,
• Minor, Civic Engagement
• University of Kansas
• Certificate, SL
• University of Massachusetts-Boston
• Major, Community Studies
• University of Missouri
• Minor, Leadership Public Service

• Murray State University
• SL Scholars Certificate
• Northwestern University
• Certificate in SL
• Portland State University
• Minor, Civic Leadership
• Providence College
• Major Minor, Public and Community Service
  Studies
• Saint Louis University
• Certificate, SL
• San Jose State University
• Minor, SL
• Salt Lake Community College
• Certificate, SL Scholars Program

50
Continued

• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• Certificate, SL
• University of San Francisco
• Minor, Public Service
• University of Wisconsin-River Falls
• Certificate, Public Service Scholars Program
• Vanderbilt University
• Major, Concentration in Community Leadership
  Development

• 4 Basic Tenants
• Students introduced to issues
• Use of particular methodologies
• Field-based experience
• Capstone academic experience

51
Service Learning Goals

• Implement programs and activities to ensure that
  every student has at least 2 service learning
  experiences prior to graduation
• Support faculty in developing SL courses and
  designate those in the courses in the course
  catalogue

52

• Promote faculty research and scholarship in SL
  and ensure that your institution develops a
  statement on SL and recognizes it in the tenure
  process
• Develop an institutional infrastructure
  supportive of an Office for SL and CE

53
SL Courses should

• Promote civic engagement by extending academic
  learning from the classroom into the community
• Help students understand the course principles by
  recognizing their knowledge application through
  community service
• Engage students to examine and inquire about real
  life community issues, i.e. hunger, poverty,
  obesity so that they can begin to effect change

54
5 Step SL Process

• Preparation
• Planning service activities and making sure
  that each faculty member, student, and community
  partner understands what is expected

55

• Action
• This is the actual service activity.
  Meaningful action means that the service is
  necessary and valuable to the community.
  Effective SL projects should challenge and
  stretch the students both cognitively and
  intellectually. The action should include the
  task to be completed, when it should be
  completed, and the person responsible for
  ensuring its completion. There should be clear
  links between the service activity and the
  objectives of the course.

56
Reflection

• Offers students the opportunity to critically
  think about their SL experience and how to apply
  their respective insights to broader academic and
  social contexts.
• It can occur through individual and / or group
  or oral and / or written communication such as
  journaling.
• Students discuss and consider their values,
  ideals, and opinions related to SL action.

57
Celebration

• This step recognizes the contributions made by
  faculty, students, and community agencies and
  provides a sense of closure to the SL activity.
• It helps the partners to feel good about their
  accomplishments students are more likely to stay
  involved if they take ownership and feel good
  about their involvement.

58
Student Assessment Project Evaluation

• Student assessment addresses how faculty will
  assess student learning to ensure that learning
  objectives are met. Assessment methods may
  include student program evaluations, community
  partner surveys, and personal meetings with
  stakeholders. Pre and post examinations can be
  constructed to show how much students learn
  during the semester.

59
Continued

• A SL class evaluation may take a number of forms
  such as tests, quizzes, essays, papers, reports,
  oral presentations, portfolios, of the service
  performed, reflection journals, e-journals,
  threaded discussions, focused web-based chats,
  exhibits, and / or demonstrations.

60
Continued

• Assessment / Evaluation should be integrated
  throughout the process rather than be considered
  as the last step. The SL Planning Committee asks
  each faculty administering a SL class to assess
  the student learning and document the SL project
  by including the student, faculty, and community
  partner representative. Feedback and suggestions
  are gathered for future improvement.

61

• BEST PRACTICES
• Austin Community College
• Our Lady of the Lake University
• Prairie View A M
• Rice University
• Southern Methodist University
• Texas Tech University
• Tulane University
• UT Brownsville

62
Stem in Action Community Impact Program Model

• Texas Campus Compact TXCC and Austin Community
  College District (ACC) present the STEM in Action
  Community Impact (STEM in Action CI) program
  model for incorporating civic engagement (CE) and
  service learning (SL) components into science,
  technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
  curriculum at the high school, community college,
  and university levels. The program, funded by The
  Office of the Governor with Wagner-Peyser funds
  in the amount of 102, 040, will develop a model
  of civic engagement and service learning
  opportunities for students pursuing education
  degrees with certifications in STEM

63

• The program is designed to provide opportunities
  for college students at ACC pursuing teaching
  degrees with certifications in STEM areas to
  participate in CE / SL projects and to receive
  scholarships for continuing their education at a
  four-year institution, ultimately receiving a
  bachelors degree in education.

64

• STEM in Action CI will develop a peer mentoring
  network for students pursing education degrees in
  STEM areas, allowing participants at the
  community college level to connect with and form
  a relationship with another education student
  seeking certification in a STEM area at a
  four-year institution. Likewise, ACC students
  participating in the STEM in Action CI program
  will serve as mentors to high school students
  interested in pursuing STEM educator careers. The
  STEM in Action CI project will develop informal
  faculty mentoring networks between instructors at
  four-year institutions and the community college.

65

• STEM in Action CI will provide online and
  classroom-based professional development
  opportunities for high school and community
  college instructors on how to incorporate
  effective and meaningful SL and CI opportunities
  into STEM curriculum courses. These new
  professional development programs will be
  incorporated into pre-existing successful teacher
  training programs offered through programs at
  ACC The Capital Area Technical Preparation
  Consortium (Tech Prep) and the Texas Regional
  Collaborative for Excellence in Science
  Education. These programs will also help to
  establish best practices in the field of CE and
  SL, to be replicated around the state.

66

• STEM in Action CI will recruit individuals
  historically under-represented in STEM education
  and employment. ACC programs, from learning labs,
  supplemental instruction, the GET SMART program,
  developmental education, and career and academic
  advising will support their success. The STEM in
  Action CI Coordinator at ACC will assist
  individuals in accessing these and other College
  support systems, as needed. The future impact of
  successfully contacting,
• encouraging, enrolling, and supporting these
  students is great, as it will increase the number
  of workforce professionals from under-represented
  groups, and eventually establishes a pipeline of
  public school and college teachers prepared to
  teach in STEM areas.

67
Population to be Served

• STEM in Action CI will serve high school
  instructors through the Texas Regional
  Collaborative for Excellence in Science Education
  and through the Tech Prep Summer Institute.
• In 2007, these programs served approximately 100
  instructors. STEM in Action CI will serve these
  instructors and additional high school teachers,
  as the online modules are made available
  todifferent schools in different school districts
  throughout ACCs service area.
• The program will serve ACC students enrolled in
  the education department and its GET SMART
  program. In fall 2006, the department served 168,
  27 received Pell grants and 29 were from groups
  traditionally under-represented in STEM educator
  training.
• The online STEM in Action CI resource center will
  expand the potential number of individuals served
  under the program, as will faculty and student
  peer mentoring.
• Ultimately, the gains in STEM-knowledgeable
  educators and employees throughout central Texas
  will be greatly expanded and enhanced.

68
First Year Outcomes

• Total Number of Students Enrolled and Served
  7,650
• 150 currently enrolled ACC Education Instruction
  students will be served by the STEM in Action-CI
  program, and eight of these students will receive
  STEM in Action-CI scholarships.
• 7, 500 high school students (with the potential
  to reach 9,000) whose instructions receive the
  STEM in Action-CI professional development
  offering and implement SL/CE opportunities in
  their classrooms.

69

• Total Number of Instructors Trained by STEM in
  Action-CI Professional Development Curriculum
  148
• 115 high school instructors through the Tech Prep
  Summer Academy (75) and the Texas
• Regional Collaborative for Excellence in Science
  Education (40).
• 8 Education Instruction faculty at ACC
• 25 additional high school instructors, as the
  online professional development modules are
• offered through one additional ISD

70

• Total Number of Individuals Participating in
  Mentoring 32
• 8 Four-year institution to community college
  student peer mentoring participants.
• 8 Community College students will mentor high
  school students.
• 16 Four-year institution to community college
  informal faculty mentoring participants.

71

• Our STEM in Action CI program model is a direct
  response to the predicament our nation is
  experiencing with minority under representation
  in science, technology, engineering, and math
  fields. The incorporation of service learning
  into STEM education will enable us to positively
  impact the future productivity of Texas economy.
  Community-based civic engagement opportunities,
  centered around STEM competencies, will reinforce
  to participants the strong correlation that
  exists between STEM and workforce development.

72
Our Lady of the Lake University

• SL Student Council
• Youth Families Martinez Street Womens Center
  students teach girls to enhance their
  self-esteem by providing clinics
• Senior Citizens Meals on Wheels students
  serve as drivers and volunteers
• Affordable Housing SA Alternative Housing
  students build wheelchair ramps and complete
  small repair projects

73
Prairie View A M

• A faculty member in the Department of Nursing
  partnered with Phillis Wheately
• high school in Houston and engaged her
  students to teach parenting skills to the high
  school students
• A faculty member in the School of Architecture
  assisted his students in developing a feasibility
  study for the city of Prairie View to consider
  what types of businesses would be most successful
  in the area

74
Continued

• A faculty member partnered with the FBI
  Collegiate Marketing Recruitment Program to
  give her students the chance to develop and
  execute their own marketing campaign that
  addressed the recruitment needs of the FBI. Her
  students created a student-run marketing agency
  to research, develop, implement, and evaluate a
  recruitment campaign for the agency.

75
Continued

• A faculty member in the Justice Studies Program
  helped his students to understand crime and
  delinquency by requiring them to tutor and mentor
  students at Jones Elementary School in Prairie
  View, Texas.

76
Rice University

• 25 SL Courses
• 10 Departments
• Community Partners Texas Childrens Hospital,
  Houston Area Womens Center, Houston Zoo, City of
  Houston Mayors Office, Houston Endowment,
  Technology for All, AMIGOs de las Americas

77
COURSE Hurricane Risk Assessment Design of
Evacuation Policies for Houston

• This course provides students an opportunity
  to learn about and apply tools and technologies
  from civil and environmental engineering,
  political science and computer science to
  evaluate plans for Houstons response to a major
  hurricane and flood hazards. Course included
  field work to survey residential neighborhoods,
  and visits to the Emergency Management Operations
  Center of the City of Houston.

78
Southern Methodist University

• Course Sociology of Aging
• Students are required to complete 10 hours of
  civic participation in an assisted living
  facility.
• Students gather data and turn in field notes.
• Compilation of final report documenting
  experiences, observations, likes / dislikes,
  within the framework of 4 classroom textbooks.

79
Texas Tech University

• Service Learning Faculty Fellows Program
• Designed for faculty new to the SL pedagogy in
  mind. Up to 6 Fellows are awarded a 1,500
  stipend a part-time graduate assistant to help
  implement comprehensive in-service training and
  one-on-one consultation with SL mentors

80
Texas Tech Faculty Fellows Mentor Program

• 6 Faculty Fellow Mentors are offered to faculty
  who have demonstrated both excellence in SL and
  who have encouraged colleagues new to the
  pedagogy
• Benefits include 500 stipend comprehensive
  training in SL philosophy and implementation and
  one-one consultation with a SL Faculty Fellow

81
Nationally Tulane University

• First major research university to require SL /
  public service into the curriculum
• Offered 67 courses across the curriculum last
  year and this year 107
• Freshman or sophomore year each student takes
  his / her first SL course
• Junior or senior year students can take SL
  internship, public service capstone, or
  independent study.
• RESULT Applications have doubled from 17,000 to
  34,000 this year

82
UT Brownsville

• 114 SL courses
• 6 Colleges Involved
• Business, Liberal Arts, Science / Math /
  Technology, Education, Health Sciences, and
  General Education
• 65 Departments Involved

83
UT Brownsville continued

• Community Partners
• Good Neighborhood Settlement House United
  Way The Chamber Healthy Communities of
  Brownsville Ozanam Center, Inc. Catholic Social
  Services Girl Scouts and the Ronald McDonald
  House

84

• Scholarship of Community Engagement SOCE links
  scholarship, teaching and civic engagement to
  encourage faculty in academically relevant work
  that simultaneously fulfills UTB/TSCs service
• and research mission while meeting community
  needs.
• Mini-grants of 500 are awarded
• Selection by community advisory board

85

• UTB Volunteers Day
• Every April, UTB students, administrators,
  faculty, and staff from universities and
  community colleges around the county celebrate
  National Volunteer Week. All UT campuses
  participate via the UT System-wide initiative
  United to Serve.
• Alternative Spring Break
• UTB students are encouraged to spend time
  volunteering in the community

86
Service Learning Benefitsfor Students

• Increases relevancy of education by bringing
  academic instruction to life
• Enhances learning of values, citizenship and
  leadership skills
• Provides platforms to analyze and discuss civic
  values
• Prepared students to participate in internships
  and research programs

87
Continued

• Allows exploration of career options
• Creates a sense of community an civic
  responsibility
• Develops contacts within the community
• Provides opportunities to accommodate different
  learning styles
• Develops connections with people of diverse
  cultures and lifestyles
• Produces a sense of self-efficacy, analytical
  skills, critical thinking, and social development

88
Outcomes

• Not only has research linked service learning
  with a variety of direct students learning
  outcomes including enhanced student retention,
  academic performance, deep understanding, and
  leadership and team building skills (Friedman,
  1996 Astin et al., 2000 Eyler, 2002)

89
Recent findings

• Have shown that the increased civic engagement
  and social networks (Putnam, 2000 Astin et al.,
  2000) that go along with service learning can
  have powerful implications for long-term career
  success

90
Service Learning Benefits for Faculty

• Provides open, more diverse learning environments
• Opens avenues for research opportunities
• Provides a connectedness with the community
• Facilitates teaching, research, and program
  development
• Engages faculty and students in the community

91
Continued

• Assists in the development of innovative
  approaches to instruction
• Provides an additional method by which students
  are able to understand the course content
• Provides an additional method by which students
  are able to understand course content
• Facilitates stronger relationship with students

92
Service Learning Benefits for the University /
Community College

• Furthers attainment of mission, goals, and values
• Positions the institution as an active and
  engaged partner in the community
• Increases student retention
• Enriches the quality and relevancy of the
  education provided

93
Continued

• Improves the campuses awareness of societal
  issues as they relate to academic areas of
  interest
• Provides opportunities for collaborative
  community research and project development
• Enhances opportunities to extend to the
  institutions knowledge and resources

94
Service Learning Benefits for the Community

• Increases positive relationship opportunities
  with the campus
• Provides awareness of community issues, agencies,
  and constituents
• Creates affordable access to professional
  development
• Develops short and long term solutions to
  pressing community needs

95
Continued

• Enhances human resources for problem solving
• Opens opportunities for participating in the
  educational process
• Enriches roles for site-supervisors
• Contributes to positive exposure in the community

96
Conclusion

• When campuses engage with their communities they
  create a culture of civic- mindedness that has a
  lasting impact. Students receive real-world
  experience that enriches their academic learning
  and develops leadership skills campuses create
  close ties with surrounding communities, which in
  turn become stronger and higher education is
  seen as contributing to the public good.

97

• The role of higher education in building a
  stronger state, healthier communities, and a more
  engaged citizenry has been gaining increased
  attention in recent years. This increase can be
  witnessed both in pedagogy and in practice. The
  number of educators employing tools of service,
  service learning, and civic education in their
  courses and in their classrooms has grown
  dramatically.

98

• Moreover, colleges and universities throughout
  Texas have continued to form important
  partnerships while creating valuable practices
  that serve to strengthen both communities and
  campuses. If we dont find creative and
  innovative solutions to helping our state Close
  the Gaps, then we will find that the majority of
  our population and workforce will be uneducated.

99

• For every dollar invested into higher education,
  approximately, 8.00 is returned back to the
  Texas economy. Texas Campus Compact is proud to
  be part of a national movement that promotes
  service learning and civic engagement together
  we are helping to increase retention rates.

100

• "In this resolution, the seventy-eighth
  legislature of the state of Texas hereby urges
  public and private institutions of higher
  education in the state of Texas to adopt
  Service-Learning as an important pedagogical tool
  and a central form of engagement, civil outreach
  and citizenship education."- Gwyn Shea, former
  Texas Secretary of State

101
Service Learning Resources

• Association for Experiential Education
  www.aee.org
• Campus Compact www.campuscompact.org
• Center for Community Service Learning
  www.2.uta.edu/ccsl
• Consortium for the Advancement of Private Higher
  Education www.cic.org/caphe
• Corporation for National and Community Service
  www.nationalservice.org
• Educators for Community Engagement www.e4ce.org

102
Continued

• International Partnership for Service Learning
  www.ipsl.org
• I support Service Learning www.isupportlearning.co
  m
• National Service Learning Clearinghouse
  www.servicelearning.org
• National Service Learning Exchange
  www.nslexchange.org
• Service Learning Student Guides and Journal
• Texas Campus Compact www.texascampuscompact.org
• International Association of Research Service
  Learning Civic Engagement www.researchslce.org

103
Resources on SL in Faculty Review, Tenure
Promotion

• http//www.servicelearning.org/article/archive/97
  faculty
• http//csf.colorado.edu/forums/service-learning/96
  /apr/96/0034.html
• http//csl.cob.sjsu.edu/fac-topics_rtp.html

104
Resources continuedThe following are all
published by Anker Publishing

• Serving on Promotion, Tenure, and Faculty Review
  Committees A Faculty Guide (2003).
• Aligning Faculty Rewards with Insitutional
  Mission Statements, Policies Guidelines
  (1999).
• Preparing for Promotion and Tenure Review A
  Faculty Guide (1995).

105

• Patricia Paredes, M.A.
• Executive Director
• Texas Campus Compact
• 702 Colorado Street, Suite 1.118
• Austin, Texas 78701
• 512.579.5022 (O)
• 210.602.4023 (M)
• patricia_at_texascampuscompact.org
• www.texascampuscompact.org