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Service Learning Active Learning Successful
Learning
Lilly North 2002

• Sandra Poindexter
• Brandy Lehto
• faculty.nmu.edu/spoindex/research/lillynorth02

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What is Active Learning?

• Anything that involves students

in doing things and
thinking about things
they are doing.
Bonwell / Eison
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How is Active Learning Practiced?

• Mini-lectures with highly focused content
• Lectures slides interspersed with unfinished
  bullets
• Short exercises to apply concept
• Student debates
• Group consensus
• Group solutions to problems
• Online investigation on current facts

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Why Active Learning?

• Permits repeated cycles of the 20 minute
  attention span within class period
• Improves student attitude and perception of
  course value
• Improved retention or depth of learning

Reminder item 1 is relatively easy to
accomplish items 2 3 require planning and
carry through by instructor
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What is Service Learning?

• Active involvement and

real-life experiences in
workplaces and
the community.
Zlotkowski
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What is Service Learning?
Academic Service Learning
MI Journal of Community Service Learning
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How is Service Learning Practiced?
Listed in my evolutionary order

• Live projects

real people and places with real problems and
opportunities

• Peer-learning

permanent student groups are responsible for
portions of the projects

• Participative

students identify project scope, needed tasks,
and select preferences
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How is Service Learning Practiced?

• Unstructured
• Multiple courses

projects vary thus lessons vary and one right
answer may not exist

• advanced class may become implementers /
  consultants to intro class

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Projects Have Been

• CIS degree auditing and advising website (CAAS)
• College of Business website (WRITE)
• Online scholarship search and application system
  (OASIS)
• Housing and Residence Life website (??)

University sponsored projects have an advantage
academic buy-in and academic schedule
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Why Service Learning?

• Adds excitement and sense of purpose
• Improves quality of student work
• Increases students ability to apply concepts
  (critical thinking) and communicate
• Forces students to adapt to dynamics outside of
  their control
• Plants the seed of citizenship and professional
  contribution to the community

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Whats So Different?
The blend that creates a holistic approach
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What Do Students Think?
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Exit Survey Two Semesters
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Preferred Use of Class Time
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Written Comments

• Sense of accomplishment and ownership
• Real-world experience

• Overwhelming workload
• Unclear assignments

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Discussion Points

• Obstacles
• Boundaries / Considerations
• Viable projects / programs

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Obstacles

• Academic calendar restrictions
• Incomplete projects
• Sharing information and communication
• Emotional departure issues
• Project closure
• Give student a remembrance (group photo)
• Geography location of project sponsors is an
  issue

Be on the watch for an upcomingprogram MARSL
Rural Service Learning in Michigan
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Boundaries

• Grading
• Instructor retains grading rights based upon
  academic objectives
• Project sponsor evaluation should play minimal
  role
• Selection of Project Scope
• Dont make it too broad or complex
• Success is critical to student perception
• Long-term Maintenance Issues
• Responsibility for supporting finished project
  should be determined at outset

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Viable Projects

• Nursing
• Computer Science
• Statistics
• Business
• Social sciences

Some projects mentioned by session attendees
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AAHE Publications Catalog

• Religious Studies-
• Accounting
• Biology-
• Communication Studies-
• Composition-
• Engineering
• Environmental Studies
• History
• Management

• Medical Education Nursing
• Peace Studies
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Teacher Education
• Womens Studies-

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Levels of Adoption (where are we?)
Data from Campus Connect Building the
Service-Learning Pyramid
20 in mid stages
Almost 70 in early stages
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Increase in Publications
Estimate of interest in service learning based
upon ERIC database search
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Resources

• Ginsberg Center for Community Service and
  Learning
• Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning www.umich.edu/mjcsl
• National Campus Connect sample syllabi www.compact.org/syllabi