Service Learning Course Development: Developing Community Partnerships That Work

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Service Learning Course Development Developing
Community Partnerships That Work 

• Maureen Rubin
• California State University, Northridge
• maureen.rubin_at_csun.edu

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Who is out there in cyberspace?

• Using the chat feature, please let me know who is
  attending today.
• If you have already engaged in a community
  partnership, please let me know the main
  challenge you faced.
• If you are new to service-learning, whats your
  main challenge regarding community partnerships?

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Most important question for faculty--

• What are your desired student learning outcomes?
• WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO LEARN?
• Primary Goal
• Understanding of Course Content
• Value Added Goals
• Understanding Related Societal/Professional
  Issues
• Awareness of and Involvement with Community
• Commitment to Service
• Career Development
• Self-awareness, Sensitivity to Diversity, Sense
  of Ownership
• Improved Communication and Critical Thinking
  Skills
• Leadership, Values, Taking Responsibility,
  Perseverance

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Dont want to preach to the choir

• Were all aware of the benefits of community
  partnerships
• Fulfills part of higher educations
  responsibility to its community.
• Many positive effects of students academic and
  personal development. Makes learning relevant.
• High Impact practice that boosts retention and
  graduation rates.
• Helps community organizations increase the
  quality of service to their clients.
• Enhances the ability of both the university and
  the community organization to achieve their
  missions.

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What makes a good partnership?

• Honoring the role of the community as
• co-educator.
• Collaborating on all aspects of course design.
• Having all parties understand the desired student
  learning outcomes and have a clear role in
  guiding students toward achieving them. 
• Recognizing community voices in defining needs,
  faculty expertise in developing projects to
  address defined needs, and students' voices in
  implementing community learning projects.
• Cal State Northridge Center for Community
  Engagement
• http//www.csun.edu/csl/

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So that means definitions must be clear

• Volunteerism Describes people, who of their own
  free will and without pay, perform service or do
  good work. This can be done on a regular or
  sporadic basis with any community. Volunteers
  perform whatever tasks need to be done.
• Internships/Practicum/Field Work Capstone
  academic experiences through which students
  implement material covered in a series of
  classes. Students service should give them
  opportunities to use the knowledge and skills
  that have attained and should resemble
  entry-level employment as much as possible.

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Community service-learning

• Academic study linked to community service
  through collaborative planning and structured
  reflection and so that each reinforces the other.
  
• Service-learners should perform service that will
  advance mutually agreed upon student learning
  outcomes.
• The community service may be direct service to
  people in need, community outreach and education,
  research or policy analysis.
• Regular and vigorous reflection is on-going, not
  just at mid-term and finals time.

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Finding community partners

• Where are they?
• They are located throughout your community but
  you and the University might have to network to
  find them
• Build a database.
• Go to community meetings (United Way).
• Learn about existing coalitions.
• Ask faculty who they know and work with.
• Visit schools, small businesses, specialty
  groups.
• Make it easy for them to find you.
• Create web applications.
• (but be sure to work with risk management).

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Resources that can help you may exist in your
community
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Its just like match.com

• If you were searching for a date, you would be
  required to complete an extensive questionnaire
  before a match is proposed.
• The potential consequences of not conducting an
  extensive screening process is much worse than a
  bad first date, because they last an entire
  semester.
• Researching compatibility is a MUST
• Is there a shared understanding of who we are
  as a partnership entity? Janke calls it a
  partnership identity.
• Janke, Emily
• Defining Characteristics of Partnership Identity
  in Faculty Community Partnerships,
• Information Age Publishing, 2009

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Heres a sample of what to ask from California
State University

• Organization Name
• Type of Organization ( Adult Education, Faith
  Based, Government, High School)
• Partnership Contact and Title
• Address
• Phone
• Email, FAX, website
• The whole request form can be found at
• http//www.servicelearning.org/sample_form_templat
  e/request-initiate-campus-community-partnership

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Community issues addressed
advocacy Education - Early Childhood Food Security Health Policies Practices Media Public Radio or Television Voter Information Registration
Agriculture Education K-6 Global Issues Health Public Health Poverty Womens Rights
Animal Welfare Education Middle School Health Aging Hospice Care Health Substance Abuse Public Safety Youth At-Risk Youth Programming
Arts Culture Education High School Health Chronic Disease Housing Social Services Adults Youth Career Exploration
Community/Economic Development Education Literacy Health Community Wellness Homelessness Social Services Children Youth Youth Foster Care
Community Gardening Education Mathematics Health Mental Wellness Immigration Naturalization Technology Youth Recreational Programs
Conflict Resolution/ Peace Justice Education Physical Education Health - Nutrition Labor/Employment Development Transportation Youth School-Based Programs
Economic Development Environmental Sustainability Health Physical Fitness Legal Assistance / Social Justice Urban Planning Development Other
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Have students indicate availability and community
members indicate requirements

• Ask how many hours will be required of a student
• Ask what those hours are
• Student schedules have to accommodate community
  partner needs
• Everyone is asking for trouble if they dont.
  Students often overestimate their availability
  and underestimate their outside activities.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
600 a.m. - 800 a.m.
800 a.m. - 1000 a.m.
1000 a.m. - Noon
Noon 200 p.m.
200 p.m. 400 p.m.
400 p.m. 600 p.m.
600 p.m. 800 p.m.
800 p.m. 1000 p.m.
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Determine what sort of majors community partners
need they dont think BROADLY
Accounting Information Systems Chemistry Biochemistry Economics Engineering Civil Applied Mechanics Family Consumer Sciences Journalism Modern Classical Languages Literature Psychology
Anthropology Chicana/o Studies Education Deaf Studies Engineering Electrical Computer Finance, Real Estate Insurance Kinesiology Music Recreation Tourism Mgmt.
Art Child Adolescent Development Education Elementary Engineering Manufacturing Systems Gender Womens Studies Liberal Studies Program Pan African Studies Religious Studies
Asian American Studies Cinema Television Arts Education Leadership Policy Engineering Mechanical Geography Management Philosophy Social Work
Biology Communication Disorders Sciences Education Psychology Counseling Engineering Systems Operations Mgmt. Geological Sciences Marketing Physical Therapy Sociology
Business Law Communication Studies Education Secondary English Health Sciences Mathematics Physics Astronomy Theatre
Central American Studies Computer Science Education Special Education Environmental Occupational Health History Mathematics Developmental Political Science Urban Studies Planning
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Planning for the first meeting
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• Community collaboration planner
• Community Partner
• Briefly describe your organization mission, main
  interest, population served, organizational
  structure, budgets.
• What do you see as the potential benefit for the
  community from students performing these service
  activities?
• What are the most important lessons your
  organization can teach college students?
• List three service outcomes (representative
  activities that you would like students to
  perform) at your organization and describe them
  to the students and faculty members.

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Community collaboration planner

• Faculty Members and Students
• Describe the course in which community-service
  learning will be used.
• List your top three student learning outcomes
  (the three most important things you want to
  learn or have your students learn during the
  service learning experience) and describe them to
  your community partner.
• Both Partners
• Find at least three intersections where the
  faculty and student goals and the community
  partner goals can coalesce. Keep talking and
  negotiating until this is accomplished.

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What will students do?

• Is there a meeting of the minds? A partnership
  identity?
• Very important to see if community partners have
  a realistic understanding of the type and level
  of service that it expected.
• Consider
• Is the service the right level for the class?
• Is it something that can be done in one semester?
• Will students address on-going needs or work on a
  special projects?
• Will the faculty members student learning
  objectives be advanced through this service?
• Do both parties agree on student learning
  outcomes?

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Would you allow

• Students to pick up trash at a site?
• Under what circumstances?
• Please type your criteria using the chat feature.

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Would you allow

• Students to help litigants fill out forms for
  court appearances?
• Under what circumstances?

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• Next step Having a conversation
• With basic outcomes are defined begin working
  toward agreement on several points.
• Placing Students
• Scheduling
• Site Procedures
• Training and Orientation
• Planning activities
• Communicating
• Evaluating
• All decisions dont have to be made at the first
  joint planning session. BUT they should be made
  together as soon as possible.

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Placing students

• Who assigns students to sites? Faculty member
  or student?
• Get information from community partner and
  distribute to students on the first day of class.
  Include brochures or descriptions with syllabus
• Invite the community partner to come to class at
  the next meeting to describe the
  organization/project/clients?
• Same assignment or rotation?

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Scheduling

• How long will the service component of the class
  last? Start date______ End date_____
• How many students will go to this site?
• How many times a week will they come to the site?
• How many total hours will be required of each
  student?
• What are the on-site check-in and check-out
  procedures.
• Make a sign up grid.
• Can missed days be made up? How?

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Revisit student schedule planners with community
partners

• Ask how many hours will be required of a student
• Ask what those hours are
• Student schedules have to accommodate community
  partner needs
• Everyone is asking for trouble if they dont.
  Students often overestimate their availability
  and underestimate their outside activities.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
600 a.m. - 800 a.m.
800 a.m. - 1000 a.m.
1000 a.m. - Noon
Noon 200 p.m.
200 p.m. 400 p.m.
400 p.m. 600 p.m.
600 p.m. 800 p.m.
800 p.m. 1000 p.m.
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Plan student recruitment

• Have all potential community partners come to
  first class
• Bring literature
• Make a presentation
• All students time for q a with potential
  partners
• If a representative of the community partner
  cant attend, pass out literature. But it is not
  a good sign of their recognition of what the
  students need from them.

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At orientation, cover site procedures

• What are the on-site check-in and check-out
  procedures
• How will students track their hours?
• Are there transportation or parking problems?
• Is public transportation available?
• What should students wear?
• Who will be the on-site supervisor?
• Will students be driving a company car?
• Where will students work? Will all
  materials/equipment be provided?
• Will students be asked to purchase anything?
  Will expenses be reimbursed?

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Plan ahead

• Background checks
• TB tests
• Special training
• All of these take time
• When can you communicate with next semesters
  students?
• Find out and contact them as soon as possible to
  deal with site requirements

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Training

• Where and what kind of orientation is planned?
• In class or on site?
• How long?
• One shot or continual?
• Stress importance of attendance.
• Any special training? Can it be part of the
  class?
• Schedule a meeting between the on-site supervisor
  and the students as early as possible.

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Student orientation

• Presentation on agency mission, main interest,
  population served, organizational structure,
  budgets, programs and services.
• Introduction and break out sessions with site
  supervisors. Provide job descriptions.
• Rules and regulations privacy state, local and
  federal laws (i.e. privacy, reporting,
  harassment).
• Emergency procedures including who to contact.
• Tour the site.

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Sample common sense rules for students

• Ask for help when in doubt.
• Be punctual and responsible.
• Call if youre going to be late or absent.
• Respect the privacy of everyone at community
  site.
• Show respect for everyone you meet.
• Be appropriate, courteous and kind.
• Dress modestly and safely.
• Be flexible community needs arent always
  predictable.

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Stricter guidelines

• DO NOT report under the influence of drugs or
  alcohol.
• Do not loan money.
• Do not make promises you cant keep.
• Do not tolerate any sexual harassment or
  inappropriate behavior.
• Do not engage in business relationship.
• Do not tolerate any verbal exchanges that might
  show discrimination of any kind.
• Do not enter into any personal relationships.

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Community partners must be trained -- just like
students

• Require designated representatives of all
  community partner organizations to attend a
  substantive training session prior to the start
  of the semester.
• No other way to assure that rules, regulations
  and expectations are shared and understood.
• Include time for faculty and community partners
  to work together to shape the class and its
  service experience.

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Planning activities

• The first day of service
• What ice-breakers will be used to introduce
  students to their on-site clients? Its
  like 6th grade!
• The last day of service
• What is the plan for closure and recognition of
  participants?
• Everything in between
• Just like teachers, service-learning students
  need lesson plans.

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Communicating

• The number one problem and the number one
  solution.
• How will communication between faculty members,
  students and community partners be maintained?
• Be specific
• Exchange contact information for every
  contingency

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Evaluating and assessing

• In service-learning, every party evaluates every
  other party.
• What indicators or outcome measure will be used?
• Students evaluate placement
• Students evaluate faculty
• Community supervisors evaluate students
• How will the partnership as a whole be assessed?
• How will needed adjustments be made?

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Risk management

• Complex and campus specific but
• Community sites should identify and put inherent
  risks in writing (facility hazards, location
  concerns, client or personnel issues)
• Make a plan to communicate these risks to campus
  official and to students
• Make a plan on how future risks will be
• identified and communicated

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Sample forms

• Sample forms are available at
• http//www.csun.edu/communityengagement/
• Look under Risk Management Support for
  Service-Learning Courses and Risk Management
  Forms for Students to see how my university
  handles the issue.

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Additional Resources National Service Learning
Clearinghouse

• http//www.servicelearning.org/
• Search for many articles under community
  partnerships
• By discipline ( Community Partnerships for
  Health)
• By issue (economic development)
• By type of Higher Ed (faith-based)
• By country

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Partnerships that Work the Stories and Lessons
from Campus/Community Collaborations Author  Char
lene J. Gray Author  James M. Heffernan
Author  Michael H. Norton Publication
Date  n.d. Publisher  Campus Compact
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Creating Our Identities in Service-Learning and
Community Engagement Author  Shelley H. Billig
Author  Barbara A. Holland Author  Barbara E.
Moely Publication Date  2009
Publisher  Information Age Publishing, Inc.
Pages  288
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Achieving the Promise of Authentic
Community-Higher Education Partnerships
Community Case Stories Institution  Community-Cam
pus Partnerships for Health Publication Date 
2007 Publisher Community-Campus Partnerships
for Health Defining Characteristics of
Partnership Identity in Faculty Community
Partnerships Emily Janke, Information Age
Publishing, 2009
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Questions
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• Maureen Rubin
• California State University, Northridge
• maureen.rubin_at_csun.edu
• 818-677-8821

• www.innovativeeducators.org