Evaluating Experiential Activities: Student Learning and

Transcript Evaluating Experiential Activities: Student Learning and

Evaluating Experiential Activities

Student Learning And Project Design Jan Shoemaker [email protected]

Bobby Matthews isdblm.lsu.edu

Service-Learning Definition

   A credit bearing educational experience… in which students participate in an organized service activity… that meets identified community needs…   and reflect on course content… with a broader appreciation of of the discipline…  and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility… © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership Bringle and Hatcher 96

Stakeholders in Service Learning Evaluations

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Students Service Site or Agency

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Faculty member

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Institution

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Clients or Partners

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Funding entity Academic Department

Service-Learning Models

Student Participation

Everyone Participates Option With Alternative

Format

Required #Hours or Visits Extended Project

Community Role

Assets Based Needs Based Extra Credit © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership Short Term Project

Measurement Instruments

    Interviews Surveys (pre, mid, post) (self-generated, nationally tested) Grades Analysis of Reflections papers, portfolios, journals, presentations, electronic forum, class discussions, action research, reading responses, notebooks © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership      Rubrics Class observations by colleagues Service site observations Logs Focus groups

Student Learning Outcomes

 Academic: departmental and/or general education     Career Civic Personal Ethical  Social © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership

A Question of Rigor

 Definition is Important (Palmer Parker 1998) Rigor arises from a willingness to disagree, to engage in honest questioning, to challenge current thought, and in acknowledgement of what one does not know © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership Rigor can only occur when students feel the environment is hospitable to such dynamics.

CAEL Recommendations

Experiential education programs which abide by these standards can be confident of the quality of their assessment practices. The Principles include over 100 statements and commentary on each. They include the following: 1.Students should be required to differentiate clearly between learning and experience. College credit is not appropriate for an experience alone. © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership

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Prior to the experience itself, students should develop a learning plan that specifies the principal tasks to be performed, learning objectives, how learning objectives will be pursued, and the evidence required to document the learning (specific forms keeping this on record should be developed and applied by faculty.) © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership

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There should be formative evaluation of learning. Students should be encouraged to negotiate new learning objectives if their experiences so indicate. (Faculty need to talk with students on a regular basis.) © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership

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Care should be taken to discriminate whether particular documentation describes learning, or provides evidence of learning.

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Assessment itself should be a useful learning experience. Prompt feedback is important.

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To improve consistence in assessment, more than one sample of learning should be examined, and more than one assessor should be used unless evidence indicates that one is sufficient. (Partner with community mentor and/or other stakeholder.) © LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership

Questions for Discussion

   How will you assess/evaluate student outcomes in service-learning?

How will you know if the desired outcome that drove the design and implementation of the service-learning component was achieved?

(How will you know that they “got” it?

What outcomes do you want to measure?

 What is the purpose of generating this information?

 What role will the community play in assessing the student? The course?

Evaluating Experiential Activities: Student Learning and

Transcript Evaluating Experiential Activities: Student Learning and