Service Learning Program Brown Bag Lunch Syllabus Design Workshop

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Service Learning ProgramBrown Bag LunchSyllabus
Design Workshop

• Jennifer Ahern-Dodson
• jahern_at_duke.edu
• January 6, 2009

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Todays Workshop

• Introductions
• Reflecting Service-Learning thought questions
• Naming SL learning objectives
• Identifying teaching and learning strategies
• Assessing student competence with learning
  objectives

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Thought Questions

• Why do you want to incorporate service activities
  into your course?
• What does a successful SL course look like to
  you? Write a clear description of a specific
  learning outcome that would occur if your goal is
  met.

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Step 1 What do you want students to learn? Name
the Learning Objectives

• Dimensions for SL
• Academiclearning course content
• Civiclearning about participation in civic life
• Personallearning about self

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Step 1 Name the Learning ObjectivesAcademic
Dimension

• How does the service-learning experience help
  students learn the course content?
• Identify course-specific learning objectives.
• Examples discipline specific knowledge
  (articulate a position, Writing Program
  examine major issues impacting American
  education today, Education), critical thinking,
  problem-solving, apply theory to real-world
  situations.
• Consider how service in the community might
  strengthen one or more of these or enable new
  ones.

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Step 1 Name the Learning ObjectivesCivic
Dimension

• How does the service-learning experience help
  students develop knowledge and skills that
  prepare them for active civic participation?
• Examples learning the root causes of social
  problems, appreciating different points of view,
  understanding the role an organization plays in
  the community, sensitivity to diversity,
  commitment to service, awareness of community
  needs.

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Step 1 Name the Learning ObjectivesPersonal
Dimension

• What do you want students to learn about
  themselves through SL?
• Examples Understanding personal attitudes or
  biases, ability to assess personal strengths and
  weaknesses (working on a team, speaking in
  public), confidence, humility, commitment

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Step 1 Guidelines for Naming Objectives

• Smaller is better
• Specific and measurable
• Consider academic, personal, and civic dimensions
  of service experience in development phase, but
  use only those most relevant to your course.
• Not all course objectives will connect to service
  experience.

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Step 2 How will students learn? Identify
Teaching and Learning Strategies.

• Provide opportunities for students to
  demonstrate, practice, or work with learning
  objectives.
• Connect each learning objective to a class
  assignment or practice (learning strategy).
• Consider a variety of assignments research
  essays, presentations, Blackboard journals,
  mapping the community.
• Consider classroom practices, too work shopping
  essays, small-group discussions, inviting
  community members as guest speakers

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Step 3 How will you know if theyve learned?
Identify Assessment Strategies

• Determine how you will assess student competence
  with learning objectives.
• Connect each assignment or practice to both a
  learning objective (for a meaningful activity)
  and an assessment framework (how youll know if
  theyve learned it).
• Share assessment framework with students before
  assignment is due.
• Example See handout

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Syllabus suggestions

• 1.Include a statement about the SL designation
  for the course. This helps student see that they
  are part of a larger community of learners and
  that there are standards for this way of thinking
  and learning in the classroom. Example
  Educational Psychology.

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Syllabus Suggestions

• 2.Articulate for students the reason you are
  teaching this course as a service-learning course
  (Rationale).
• 3.List or explain academic, civic, and personal
  learning objectives and how the service connects.
  Remember Steps 1, 2, 3 Name what you want
  students learn, how they will learn it, and how
  you will know that theyve learned it.

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Syllabus Suggestions

• 4.Describe the specific community
  partners/projects. Explain why you have selected
  them and the role the community experience plays
  in helping students understand and apply course
  content. Example Conservation Biology
• 5.Explain how the service will be assessed
  through class assignments. Credit should not be
  given for service alone. Example Spanish

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Resources

• Ash, S. and Clayton, P. (2004). The Articulated
  Learning An Approach to Guided Reflection and
  Assessment. Innovative Higher Education 29.2.
• Heffernan, K. (2001). Fundamentals of
  Service-Learning Course Design. Providence, RI
  Campus Compact.
• Howard, J. (2001) Service-Learning Course Design
  Workbook. Michigan Journal of Community Service
  Learning.
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
  effective practices http//www.servicelearning.org
  /resources/effective_practices/index.php
• National Campus Compact, Syllabi examples Campus
  Compact is a national coalition of more than
  1,000 college and university presidents
  representing some 5 million students dedicated
  to promoting community service, civic engagement,
  and service-learning in higher education.
  http//www.compact.org/syllabi/

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Next steps

• Work individually or in disciplinary teams with
  SLP on assignment design or assessment strategies
  related to your course learning objectives.
• Use Critical Reflection to help students make
  connections between their service experiences and
  the course learning objectives.
• Want to learn more about yielding learning
  outcomes through critical reflection? Attend the
  next Brown Bag Lunch on February 3, 2009,
  Teaching Critical Reflection in Service-Learning
  Courses.