Transcript Slide 1
Building Effective Partnerships – the Foundation of Service Learning and Engagement
Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.
October 30, 2009 University of Akron Service-Learning Institute
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Community Engagement
• Community Engagement describes the collaboration between higher education institutions and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the
mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge
and resources in a context of
partnership and reciprocity
. (Carnegie Classification Project, 2005)
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Why is Community Engagement Important?
• Engagement promotes an integrated view of learning and research • Communities have ideas; they want access to new information, skills and partners • Higher education must learn new modes of teaching and research to advance knowledge • Contemporary students crave active and experiential learning – see knowledge in action • Students must learn skills for life as well as work • Colleges and universities have a moral and social purpose to contribute to the public good
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Engagement’s Active Link to Knowledge Production
• • • Engaging students, their instructors, and community partners in high quality interactions meant to promote student learning while meeting community needs, Will almost inevitably do two things: 1. Turn the partner and instructor into teachers/learners of our students 2. Trigger new teaching/research ideas
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
CCPH Partnership Principles
• Mission, values, goals, outcomes • Trust, respect, commitment • Focus: strengths, assets, areas for improvement • Balanced power, shared resources • Clear, open communication • Roles, norms, processes (mutually designed) • Feedback for continuous improvement • Shared credit for accomplishments • Investment of time needed to develop and evolve
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Campus Compact Benchmarks for Partnerships
• Shared vision and values • Benefits and incentives for all partners • Investment in trust/mutual respect • Multi-dimensional (reflects nature of issues) • Clear organization/dynamic leadership • Linked to mission of partner organizations • Clear process for communication, decision making, change • Evaluation of both methods and outcomes
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Effective Partnerships
(HUD COPC) • Joint exploration of goals, interests and limitations • Creation of a mutually rewarding agenda • Shared leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution, resource management • Clear benefits and roles for each partner • Opportunities for early success for all; shared celebration of progress • Focus on knowledge exchange, shared learning and capacity-building • Attention to communications patterns, cultivation of trust • Commitment to continuous assessment of the partnership itself, as well as outcomes
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
The Centrality of Partnerships
If partnerships are so important to quality service-learning, are we doing all we should to: – Recruit and orient partners that fit our goals for students – Involve partners in goal setting, activity design, expected benefits, assessment – Monitor partner role as teacher – Monitor cost-benefit to partner – Make reciprocity a prominent objective
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
SL Partnership Process
• Clarify learning goals and outcomes before approaching partner • Describe student skill levels • Listen to partner, needs, ideas and expectations • Design activity as a negotiated process • Write out expected roles and benefits • Agree on a communications plan • Discuss evaluation/assessment
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Recent Research on Partner Motivations
• “Our common ground is a profound commitment to students” – Partners want to understand the learning goals for students – They also want to help students understand how their organization works goals – culture and context; and – help students understand how communities work • Deep understanding of academic institution’s • Partners value the relationship with the institution but also with specific people • Hope for access to additional services (Sandy and Holland, 2006)
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Partner-reported Benefits
• Interactions with students and staff improve processes and outcomes • Enhanced organizational capacity • Students inspire and energize other workers; fresh energy and new ideas • Access to academic expertise • Leverage financial and human resources • Identify future employees • Build new networks (Sandy and Holland, 2006)
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Partner Ideas for Improvement
• Partnerships are personal relationships; meetings are valued • Partners want direct involvement in planning and goal-setting • Offer recognition and celebration of our role • Concern about “fairness”…who gets to be a partner – how are choices made?
• Hours are a meaningless measure • Partners want some involvement in evaluation and feedback • Drink more coffee!
(Sandy and Holland, 2006)
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Partnership Types
• Service relationship – fixed time, fixed task • Exchange relationship – exchange info, get access for mutual benefit, specific project • Cooperative relationship – joint planning and shared responsibilities, long-term, multiple projects • System and Transformative relationship – shared decision-making/operations/evaluation intended to transform each organization Hugh Sockett, 1998
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
The Role of Partnership Evaluation
• Strengthens partnership – creates
accountability
• Builds a foundation of understanding, based on a
clear philosophy
and
common goals
• Reinforces mutual
learning
d
ecisions
and
shared
• Focuses on
feedback
and improvement • Reminds all that
perceptions matter
measures of partnership
benefit
as and
satisfaction
with the • Supports
recognition
and
celebration
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Current Core Challenges?
• Power distribution • Culture/Race • Language of partnering • Resource distribution • Evaluation strategies and their uses • Commitment: individual/institutional • Leadership: transitions, renewal, longevity • Visibility: internal and external • Policy: internal and external
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
University/Community Partnerships Program Modification Summative Assessment Program Evolution
Institutional Capacity, Goals and Interests
Learning & Planning
Community Capacity, Goals and Interests
Shared Agenda
Assessment Feedback Loop
Capacity Building Project Proposals Funding Secured Project Implementation
Barbara A. Holland 2003
Learning is the Connection
• Learning: – About each other’s capacity and limitations – About each other’s goals, culture, expectations – To develop students as active citizens – To exchange expertise, ideas, fears, concerns – To share control and direction – To adapt based on assessment and documentation – To experiment; to fail; to try again – To Trust!
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
The Challenge of Change for Higher Education
• Come to the table as a problem-solver • Learn to work with communities and students as co-learners and discoverers • Adopt a sense of moral responsibility to contribute to public good • Increase capacity for collaborative work • Develop a capacity for risk & experimentation • Focus on impact, outcomes, benefits • Change traditional academic cultures/habits that separate teaching from research
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009
Partnership Wisdom
• Effective campus-community partnerships can transform students, institutional quality and spirit, and community capacity.
• Partnerships are fundamental to successful engagement and service learning.
• Truth-telling: Partnerships are high effort/high benefit!
copyright by Barbara A. Holland 2009