Enhancing Reflection and Assessment in Higher Education Service Learning

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Enhancing Reflection and Assessment in Higher
Education Service Learning

• Rahima Wade
• The University of Iowa

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What are the purposes of reflection?

• Reflective thinking
• Connecting theory to practice
• Learning from experience
• Validating the service experience
• Personal development
• Understanding of course content
• Developing a commitment to active citizenship

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What can we assess?

• Students learning and attitudes from service
• Students learning of course content and skills
  from service
• Impact of the service experience on the
  community, faculty, and other collaborators

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Reflect and Assess

• Reflective thinking
• Connecting theory to practice
• Learning from experience
• Personal development
• Understanding of course content

• Students learning and attitudes from service
• Students learning of course content and skills
  from service

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Keys to quality reflection

• Respect students ideas.
• Encourage student to student talk.
• Arrange room to face each other.
• Insist on respectful dialogue.
• Plan ahead for reflection activities.
• Reflect throughout the CSL experience.
• Allow adequate time for reflection.

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More keys to quality reflection

• Use different reflection methods.
• Make reflection challenging, relevant, and fun.
• Reflect on your experience in facilitating
  reflection.

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Effective critical reflection is

• Continuous
• Connected
• Challenging
• Contextualized
• The 4 Cs of Reflection - from
  Eyler, Giles and Schmiede, 1996

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Reflection strategies

• READING - literature, case studies
• WRITING - journals, portfolios, papers
• DOING - role plays, presentations
• SPEAKING - discussions, focus groups, recruiting,
  teaching

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Topics to focus reflection

• Self - emotions, values, skills
• Others - expectations, problems
• Issues - facts, changing views
• Service - benefits to others, skills
• Citizenship - service as part of it
• Course content or skills - theory to practice

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Quotes for reflection

• There are no passengers on spaceship earth.
  Everybodys crew. (Marshall McLuhan)
• Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
  nothing is going to get better. Its not.
  (Dr. Seuss)

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Quotes continued

• Of all the teachings we receive, this one is most
  important Nothing belongs to you of what there
  is. Of what you take, you must share. (Chief
  Dan George)
• Ask not what your country can do for you, ask
  what you can do for your country.
  (John F. Kennedy)

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Questions for Assessment

• What is the purpose?
• Who wants or needs the information?
• What resources are available to support
  assessment?
• Who will conduct the assessment?
• How can I ensure the results are used?
• 
  (Gelmon, 2000)

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A Comprehensive Model

• Goal What do we want to know?
• Variable What will we look for?
• Indicator What will be measured?
• Method How will it be measured?
• (Holland, 2001)

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Partnering in Assessment

• Share the process of designing and implementing
  assessment
• Shared assessment enhanced collaboration,
  trust, and reciprocity among college and
  community partners

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Examples of Assessments

• Goal Students social responsibility
• Variable involvement with community,
• awareness of community issues
• Indicator hours of participation,
• intentions regarding future service
• Method survey, observation, log,
• focus group, journal

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Comparison of Assessment Methods
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Beyond studentsassessing community partner
impacts

• Capacity to fulfill mission (new services,
  meeting clients needs)
• Economic impacts (new funding)
• Partnership sustainability (cost-benefit
  analysis, perceptions of trust)
• Satisfaction (intention to continue, recruitment
  of students, ideas for future collaboration
  (Holland, 2001)

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Pitfalls in Assessment

• Lack of advance preparation
• Unrealistic time frame
• Inadequate human effort or resources
• Lack of specificity
• Inadequate expertise
• Inability or neglect to use the findings

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Quality assessment can serve to

• Help others understand the program
• Gain support for the program
• Improve program practice
• Assist with publicizing the program and
  recruiting new participants
• Provide a solid argument for continued funding
  and support for the program

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References

• Eyler, J, Giles, D.E, Schmiede, A. (1996). A
  Pracitioners Guide to Reflection in
  Service-Learning. Nashville, TN Vanderbilt
  University.
• Gelmon, S. B. (2000). How do we know that our
  work makes a difference? Assessment Strategies
  for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement.
  Metropolitan Universities, 11, 28-39.
• Holland, B. (2001). A Comprehensive Model for
  Assessing Service-Learning and Community-Universit
  y Partnerships. New Directions in Higher
  Education, No. 114, 51-60.
• Wade, R. C. (Ed.) (1997). Community
  service-learning A Guide to Including Service in
  the Public School Curriculum. Albany, NY State
  University of New York Press.