Engagement and Service-Learning: Benefits and Essential Strategies

Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.

Senior Scholar, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis

Successful 21

st

Century Institutions must be:

• Intentional • Coherent • Focused • Integrated • Responsive • Autonomous in a context of mission-based accountability • Driven by shared governance across stakeholders – more democratic

Engagement and Higher Education

• Engagement aligns the intellectual assets (knowledge generation and dissemination) of the institution with public issues and questions as a way of strengthening teaching/research and the community’s capacity.

• Recognizes interdependent knowledge relationships – The nexus of intellectual, political, social, cultural, economic needs and assets

The Benefits of Engagement

• Response to accountability pressures • Counteract the overly-vocational focus of students • Improve town-gown relations • Improve shared governance • Recruitment, retention of faculty and students • Better learning; needs of contemporary students • New forms and modes of research including undergraduate research • New streams of revenue; donor involvement

Incentives and Reputational Factors are Changing

• Incorporation of engagement into regional accreditation processes • Federal research funding criteria • Potential for state support (e.g.,VA, KY) • Introduction into classifications/rankings-Carnegie and US News & World Report • International commitment to engagement • Student demand for service-learning • Evidence of impact on student outcomes

Higher Ed Service-Learning Stats

• More than a third of postsecondary instit.

• Half of all community colleges • 29% of students in SL (Compact members) • Most SL focuses on tutoring/mentoring youth, health, environment, social issues • Most partnerships are with non-profit organizations or schools

SL in Schools

• 69% of schools engaged students in service • Approx 15 million students involved in SL • Profound impact on academic achievement, school climate, student engagement • Effects greater for students from low SES • Maryland requires SL in all schools • HS graduates look for SL in college

International Service-learning

• South Africa, India, Phillipines, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway….

• 9 nations at SL Research Conference • Greater emphasis on student voice • Similar goals to US, plus nation-bldg, development of philanthropy, service, NGO sector, cross-cultural understanding

Overall Impacts of Engagement

• Service-Learning is spreading across K-20 • Engagement is diversifying postsecondary institutions • Global interest is making engagement a core element of research excellence and institutional reputation/prestige • Engaged learning matches the “new student” • Engagement is building awareness of the role of higher education in creating “public good” • Challenges of quality design and practice remain!

Service-Learning:

Combines service activities and learning objectives with the intent that the activity benefit both the recipient and the provider. This is accomplished by linking learning to community-based tasks supported by structured reflections and guided explorations of related aspects of knowledge, skills and values.

Service-Learning Quality

• Academic credit for learning, not service • Rigorous and specific learning objectives • Structured reflection on both learning and service outcomes • Thorough orientation of students • Community involvement in design; clear roles and responsibilities • A collaborative approach to teaching

Service-Learning Challenges

• Definitions, stereotypes, perceptions – The problem with the “S” word • Setting clear and specific goals – For student learning – For community benefit • Coherence across curricular and co-curricular service-learning; logic of the learning experience – How much? Where in curr? To what end?

• Documentation/measurement of impacts • Visibility – internal and external

K12 SL Research Findings

• More control group studies • Measurement of elements of SL on outcomes – #1 Duration – at least a semester – #2 Directness of community involvement – #3 Cognitively challenging activity and reflection • The more responsibility, autonomy and choice students have – the greater the effects (Billig, 2005)

Higher Ed SL Research Findings

• Increases retention and progress-to-degree; aligns with needs of the “new” student body • Makes learning relevant, effective, transforming • Influences career and course of study • Develops social responsibility, multicultural understanding and leadership • Encourages students to be active in campus and community life • Must be integrated into courses, major/gen ed

Other Research Findings

• Improved higher order thinking skills; analysis, understanding complex problems • Civic responsibility, citizenship • Commitment to service • Career awareness/skills – awareness of options, clarity of choice, technical skills • Personal outcomes – self-esteem, empowerment • Social outcomes – pro-social behaviors, reduction of risky behaviors

Summary of SL Effects on Learning

Service Learning Clearly defined programmatic features

Mediating Factors

Self-esteem Empowerment Prosocial behaviors Motivation Engagement Academic Outcomes

Successful Strategies

• Discuss graduate attributes and learning objectives • Create a plan or pathway for service-learning • Invest in faculty development; incentives • Recognize diverse approaches; start with trial courses and interested faculty • Create supportive infrastructure • Sustain partnerships relationships • Document and evaluate process and outcomes • Collaborate with other institutions; peer exchange; build on existing good practices and literature

Trends in Service-Learning

• Attention to explicit learning goals • Service-learning and diversity • Greater involvement of partners as teachers • International service-learning – here and abroad • Service-learning in teacher preparation • Graduate service-learning • Service-learning capstones, minors, 1 st Yr.

• SL and undergraduate research

Students and Engaged Research

• Duke: “Research service-learning” courses involve students and faculty in research on community-identified needs.

• Similar programs: Brown Georgetown Cornell Harvard Princeton Michigan Minnesota Wisconsin

Resources

• Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (umich.edu/~mjcsl) – SL Course Design Workbook • Campus Compact Introduction to SL Toolkit (Compact.org) • Community-Campus Partnerships for Health • International Service-Learning Research Conference • International Partnership for Service-Learning • American Association of Community Colleges – Horizons • American Association of State Colleges and Universities – American Democracy Project; Stewardship of Place • Conference on Service-Learning at Faith-based Colleges and Universities (messiah.edu) • National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (servicelearning.org)

Contact Information

Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.

Senior Scholar Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Phone: 503-638-9424 E-mail:[email protected]

www.servicelearning.org