Dr. Maureen Rubin

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Seven Steps To Service-Learning A Practical
Approach To Course Design 

• Dr. Maureen Rubin
• California State University, Northridge
• maureen.rubin_at_csun.edu

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Who is here?

• Please let me know if you are faculty or staff
  and either what you are teaching or what your
  position is at the University.
• Tell me one thing you would like to explore at
  todays webinar.
• This will help me tailor my presentation to what
  the audience wants me to cover (to the maximum
  extent possible in a prepared webinar!)

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Goals for Today

• Understand what service-learning is
• Explain benefits and challenges
• Design a course
• Give overview of recent changes

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What is Service-Learning?

• Federal Definition
• Service-learning is an education and youth
  development strategy that connects learning
  objectives with meaningful service to the
  community. Students build civic, leadership, and
  academic skills while strengthening communities
  through service.
• (Corporation for National and Community Service)

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Highly Individualized Pedagogy

• What are your student learning objectives?
• What skills do you want to develop?
• The answer to these two questions should be
  foremost in your mind throughout this webinar.

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College students like it! (Its real life
application of classroom concepts.)

• Our new President is setting an example for a
  new generation of young Americans to share
  responsibility for addressing our nations
  serious issues.
• Los Angeles Times (2009)

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Many great projects are happening

• Examples of college students accepting that
  responsibility abound
• Restoring communities post-Hurricane Sandy
• Rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina
• Oil spill clean-ups
• National Days and Summers of Service
• Mentoring programs to curb drop-out rates
• Thousands of state and local initiatives

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Have students always done service-learning?

• No! Throughout their history, many universities
  were criticized for being disconnected ivory
  towers marked by an aloof lack of concern with or
  interest in the communities where they are
  located.
• What caused the change? The Carnegie
  Foundations 1987 report College The
  Undergraduate Experience in America decries the
  lack of connection between campuses and the real
  world by noting a pervasive sense of parochialism
  and intellectual and social isolation that
  reduces the effectiveness of the college and
  limits the vision of the student.
• Boyer, Community Education Journal, October
  1987

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Boyers work is just as relevant now as it was
nearly 25 years ago.

• Boyer supports the scholarship of application,
• that it is concerned with questions such as
• How can knowledge be responsibly applied to
  consequential problems?
• How can it be helpful to individuals as well as
  institutions?
• Can social problems themselves define an agenda
  for scholarly investigation?
• Boyer, Scholarship Reconsidered, 1990

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Universities Do Not Live by Research Alone

• "Throughout the country, educators and their
  critics are renewing the old debate over the
  faculty's preoccupation with research and its
  effects on the quality of teaching. On one campus
  after another, there are stirrings that seem to
  presage a willingness to think afresh about the
  criteria that determine tenure and measure the
  success of faculty careers. Derek Bok,
  Harvard University
• And California Governor Jerry Brown just
  made the same points in this 2013 Budget Address.
• We have learned that research and community
  service-learning are very compatible.
• Faculty can publish what they do.

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Research Shows Service-Learning Works

• Personal Outcomes - Identity, spiritual growth.
  moral and interpersonal development, ability to
  work with others, leadership and communication
  skills
• Social Outcomes - Reducing stereotypes,
  facilitating cultural and racial understanding,
  more social responsibility and citizenship
  skills, increased commitment to service and
  involvement in community service after
  graduation.
• Career Outcomes - Contributes to career
  development and choice of majors, which aids in
  student retention.

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Research Shows Service-Learning Works

• Academic Learning Mixed impact. Doesnt improve
  grades or GPA, but does improve complexity of
  understanding, problem analysis, critical
  thinking and cognitive development.
• Service-learning has been identified as one of
  five high impact practices in a landmark 2010
  study by the American Association of Colleges and
  Universities.
• And its impact extends to post-college.
• Many other studies are available on impact from
  the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
  http//www.servicelearning.org/

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Service-Learning 101

• Definitions
• Volunteerism
• Community Service
• Internships/Practicum
• Field Work
• Civic Engagement
• Community Service-Learning

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• Volunteerism - Describes people, who of their own
  free will and without pay, perform service or do
  good work. This can be done on a regular or
  sporadic basis with community groups, faith-based
  organizations, political parties, etc.
• Community Service - Organized volunteering
  designed to meet the needs of the community.
  Most often through non-profit organizations,
  schools or public agencies. Can be court-ordered,
  so some may think its a punishment.
• Internships/Practicum - Capstone academic
  experience through which students implement
  material covered in a series of classes.
• Field Work- Depending on discipline, refers to
  class-related experiences in clinical or natural
  settings. Often required for licensing or
  credential.
• Civic Engagement - A commitment to active
  learning, developing student awareness of civic
  responsibility, and addressing social and
  economic needs defined by the larger community.

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Community Service-Learning

• Academic study linked to community service
  through structured reflection so that each
  reinforces the other. The academic study may be
  in any discipline or combination of fields. The
  community service may be direct service to people
  in need community outreach and education,
  research or policy analysis.

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Sound good? Lets design a course!

• 7 simple steps
• Define student learning outcomes
• Define scholarship outcomes
• Plan community collaboration
• Design the course
• Prepare logistics and forms
• Reflect, analyze, deliver
• Assess your results

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Define Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

• Primary Goal
• Understanding of Course Content
• Value Added Goals
• Understanding Related Societal/Professional
  Issues
• Awareness of and Involvement with Community
• Commitment to Service
• Career Development
• Self-awareness, Sensitivity to Diversity, Sense
  of Ownership
• Improved Communication and Critical Thinking
  Skills
• Leadership, Values, Taking Responsibility,
  Perseverance
• What value added goal are you trying to achieve?
  Type in (1) what course you teach and (2) what
  your value added goal is.

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Lets Try One

• Primary Goal
• Understanding of Course Content
  Service-learning project always advances this
  goal, but the pedagogy and service experiences
  change depending on the other value-added student
  learning outcomes, level of course, and how it
  fits into departmental assessment plans.
• Value-Added Goal
• Example - Understanding Related
  Societal/Professional Issues. Lets use
  accounting majors. They can tie their service to
  current events and policy issues, such as tax
  reform, that raise issues of social justice.

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How will it work for different disciplines?

• Accounting, finance and business students can
  help seniors and low-income community members
  complete tax forms and analyze how pending bills
  and current events such as the fiscal cliff
  will affect them.
• Social science students can compare how varying
  tax policies will affect the non-profit agencies
  they serve.

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How will it work for different disciplines?

• Art, music and theatre students can research
  effects of government budgets on donations and
  write fundraising appeals.
• Science students can compare grant guidelines and
  help write grants.
• What you teach will define the s-l experience.
• Lets do one of yours.

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Define Scholarship Outcomes

• What messages are being sent about how your
  institution values service?
• Developmental Model Junior faculty should
  devote early years to establishing teaching and
  research expertise that will become the basis for
  service later in their careers.
• Perpetual model Service is valued and expected
  throughout the professional career and is a
  responsibility equal to research and teaching
  (Stanton, Giles and Cruz, 1999).

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Some Good Questions To Ask

• Are non-traditional teaching and learning
  practices valued at your institution?
• Are there proper evaluation tools for
  non-traditional practices?
• What types of service-learning related research
  will be acceptable?
• Only discipline-based?
• Pedagogical?
• Both?
• What other forms of the scholarship of service
  will be rewarded?
• BOTTOM LINE Learn the culture of your
  institution.

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A Scholarship Example

• Identify problem with community partner
• Develop a question
• Select a research design
• Have students gather data while they are
  performing service
• Data will allow submission to both
  discipline-based and pedagogical journals
• The case of the senior wheeler-dealers!
• Romack, J. L. (2004). Increasing physical
  activity in nursing home residents using
• student power, not dollars. Educational
  Gerontology, 30(1), 21-38.

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Plan Community Collaboration

• Why join a partnership?
• What makes a good partnership?
• Dont ever say Were from the University and we
  know what you need
• Designing the partnership?
• Role-playing exercise
• Follow up with visits including faculty member
• Complete forms
• Decide logistics

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What makes a good partnership?

• Honoring the role of the community as
  co-educators and their support in providing
  students with professional skills.  Recognizing
  community voices in defining needs, faculty
  expertise in developing projects to address
  defined needs, and students' voices in
  implementing community learning projects.
• Cal State Northridge Center for Community
  Engagement
• http//www.csun.edu/csl/

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https//spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewfo
rm?formkeydHA2WTRnMWdvZjFkQXNIaC1SeHpLUXc6MQ
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Meet Your Potential Partner

• Faculty need to explain their student learning
  outcomes. Partner needs to know that
  service-learning students are not the same as
  other volunteers.
• Is it a good match?
• If yes, talk logistics
• Dates, available hours, how many students can
  site handle?, total hours per student?, are any
  tests necessary (TB, fingerprints, etc.)
• Site procedures check in, tracking hours,
  parking or public transportation, clothing,
  supervision, communication, work site features,
  should they bring anything?

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Plan Orientation

• First introduction. Make it a good one upbeat,
  informative and appreciative.
• Thorough (mission, history, population, programs
  and services)
• Define expectations and open lines of
• communication. Exchange contact
• information and complete necessary
• forms.
• Tell students what they will learn.
• Give them a tour and introduce them to staff.

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Cover Rules Regulations

• Cover relevant policies and procedures.
• Review safety rules and accident procedures.
• Review confidentiality and other legal rules.
• Discuss supervision.

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Cover Rules Regulations

• Tell students what their responsibilities will be
  and what the staff responsibilities are.
• Tell students your expectations re attendance,
  hours, professional conduct, job descriptions,
  training, evaluation process.
• Create specific schedules, make-ups, school
  vacations, recording hours.
• Tell partners to write it all down.

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Sample Responsibilities Information

• Show respect for your site.
• Conduct yourself in a professional manner. Never
  report while under the influence.
• Be punctual, responsible and courteous.
• Wear appropriate attire.
• Never loan money or personal belongings to
  clients.
• Never give clients rides.
• Never tolerate any form of sexual harassment.
• Be cautious about email, Facebook, etc.
• Never make promises you might not be able to
  deliver.
• Ask for help when in doubt.
• Respect the privacy of clients.

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Design the Course

• Many models available
• Engaged departments develop 4 or 5-year
  (graduate students) plans to integrate service
  with department/ college goals for student
  learning at each level.
• Service projects reflect appropriate levels of
  responsibility and ownership for students'
  status.

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Design the Course

• Freshmen will learn skill sets and build on them
  each year. Senior capstone courses allow seniors
  much more independence.
• Students can be placed all together
  simultaneously, at different pre-screened sites,
  or at a site they choose individually
• Without department plan, use your judgment.

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Create a Learning Agreement

• Student must complete it, sign it and give it to
  the site supervisor to sign.
• Students should clearly state what they want to
  learn from the experience. To do this, students
  should review their class syllabus and determine
  how course content can be used at
  service-learning site.
• Students should also explain why they chose the
  site, if appropriate.
• Students should meet with supervisors to
  carefully decide the nature of the service
  activities. These should be designed to help
  students meet their learning objectives.
• Students should acknowledge and agree to abide by
  the outlined responsibilities.

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What is reflection?

• Planned activities designed to help students
  process their service experience in a thoughtful
  manner.
• Integrates service into the heart of the course
  to promote desired learning outcomes.
• The glue that ties the learning to the service.
• Dynamic process that involves critical
• thinking, analysis, evaluation,
• problem solving, mediation and
• reasoning.

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Why is it done?

• Helps students understand the big picture re
• Proper role of the university
• Their own lives
• Understanding others
• Understanding their roles as citizens
• Professional requirement for adaptability in the
  workplace
• Lifelong learning and openness to new information
• Without reflection, its not service-learning

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When is it done?

• Must be continuous (before, during and after
  service), connected, and challenging (ask the
  HARD questions- challenge beliefs, assumptions
  and expectations).
• Must permeate the service experience.
• Must be extensive - modest levels dont work.
• Must be guided by professor, but students can
  help design.
• Must receive feedback throughout the semester,
  not just at the end.
• See Eyler, Janet, Creating your reflection map
  http//blogs.ubc.ca/csl2/files/2009/05/eyler-refle
  ction-map.pdf

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How is it done?

• Through specific activities designed to assist
  the student in processing the service-learning
  experience

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How is it done?

• Many, many paths
• Journals (email is more convenient)
• Think pieces and creative expression (make plays
  or videos, photo exhibits, art projects, write a
  letter to yourself at start, write songs or
  poems, letter to the editor or to director of
  government agency or corporation, design a
  website )

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How is it done?

• Role playing
• Writing assignments
• Assignments that link to learning styles
• Problem-solving exercises
• Deliverables
• Creating community displays

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Structured Reflection Journals

• Journals that pose different questions throughout
  the semester
• Journals that pose the same questions after each
  session
• Journals mixed with mini-analysis papers
• Journals tied to lecture and reading
• Interactive journals with classmates or community
  partners using technology
• Groups journals in accessible places such as
  online chat rooms, Facebook, etc.

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Think Pieces Creative Expression

• Not the same as the deliverable
• Write a play
• Write a letter to yourself, seal it, leave it
  with instructor at semesters end reread it and
  write about change

• Make a video
• Write a poem or song
• Compose a travelogue
• Write a letter to the editor
• Take photos
• Draw or paint a scene
• Design a website

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Role Play

• Bring a community partner to class and have them
  create or reenact a typical or challenging
  service experience
• Divide students into groups and have each one act
  out a different role played by various
  populations involved in service experience (e.g.
  service-recipients, agency staff, professor,
  government agency, student)

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Sample Writing Assignments

• Community commentary
• Describe a scene in the community
• What story does it tell?
• What does it say about the community?
• What does this scene mean to you and why?
• If the scene were a painting, what title would
  you give it?
• Interpret quotes
• A cynical young person is almost the saddest
  sight to see because it means that he or she has
  gone from knowing nothing to believing in
  nothing.
• --Maya Angelou

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Integrating Reflection Research

• Reflection tools ARE data collection instruments.
• So are interviews, surveys, participant
  observations, document analyses and analyses of
  visuals
• Software can analyze qualitative data by
  searching for keywords and developing themes.
• Particularly useful when writing for pedagogical
  journals

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Assessment Evaluation

• Each stakeholder should evaluate all others.
• Students evaluate agency
• Agency supervisor evaluates student
• Community partner evaluates experience
• Students evaluate faculty
• Faculty evaluate students

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What do students evaluate?

• Helpfulness of staff, orientation
• Adequacy of supervision
• Meaningfulness of tasks
• Recognition of efforts
• Did service enhance understanding of course?
• (SLO 1) Did it achieve other value-added SLO?
• Would you have learned more if you spent more
  time in class instead of at service site?
• Do you plan to continue at the site as a
  volunteer?
• What would you do to improve the service
  experience?

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What Does Community Partner Evaluate about the
Student?

• Did student fulfill the Learning Plan?
• Did the student attend regularly and was s/he
  punctual?
• What was the quality of the students service?
• Was s/he sensitive to clients? Was there
  sufficient respect for confidentiality?
• Were assigned tasks completed?
• Did the student understand the sites role and
  purpose?
• Was any aspect of the students work
  unacceptable?
• What were the students main strengths/challenges?
  
• Does this evaluation count toward the students
  grade in the course? How much? Make this clear
  on the syllabus.

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What does the community partner evaluate about
the semester?

• Were students adequately prepared for their
  service assignment(s)?
• Did the amount of time required of you/your staff
  to supervise outweigh the benefits of student
  service?
• What benefits do you think the students received?
• What benefits did your site receive?
• Please describe your working relationship with
  the faculty member.
• What can the University do to improve the
  community-service learning program at your site?
• Are you interested in remaining a partner? Would
  you like to add students in other majors?

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Risk Management

• Follow your University policies and legal
  requirements
• Cal State Northridges sample forms are online at
• http//www-admn.csun.edu/risk/

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Hot New Trends

• Companies are organizing global volunteer
  opportunities for university students. (e.g.
  GoEco_at_goeco.org)
• Consider creating independent study programs
  where students can write proposals and do service
  for credit
• Consider taking your entire class to a site that
  will allow them to link course content to
  service.

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Recent Research Highlights

• The number of college students who volunteer
  actually decreased from 2009 to 2010, but the
  total number of volunteer hours increased, a 2010
  study conducted by Volunteering in America
  showed.
• "This data show that the students who are
  volunteering are doing so more regularly or on a
  longer-term basis," says Heather Peeler, chief
  strategy officer for the Corporation for National
  and Community Service
• The next generation of service-learning
  practitioners is here as pioneers and leaders are
  retiring. Who will pick up the torch? Are
  universities taking advantage of students who
  have learned about service in high school? Is
  there faculty development in service-learning for
  junior faculty?  Future of Service-Learning,
  (The) New Solutions for Sustaining and Improving
  Practice, Marybeth Lima and Jean Strait, 2009,
  Stylus Publishing, LLC
• For many years, advocates have promoted
  service-learning's capacity to influence student
  attitudes and beliefs, especially toward
  diversity, social justice, and other pro-social
  attitudes. At the same time, many researchers
  have cautioned service-learning practitioners
  about the potential risks involved in using
  service-learning to affect these attitudes and
  beliefs. In particular, researchers have
  cautioned about the potential for unintended
  consequences of service-learning-- the potential
  for increased prejudice, stereotyping, and
  victim-blaming in service-learning participants.
  Service-Learning's Impact on Attitudes and
  Behavior A Review and Update, Future of
  Service-Learning, (The) New Solutions for
  Sustaining and Improving Practice , Joseph A.
  Erickson, 2009, Stylus Publishing, LLC .,
  115/B/ERI/2009
• National Service Learning Clearinghouse,
  http//www.servicelearning.org/

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Funding ChallengesFederal Support is Waning

• Learn and Serve America, a national service
  program active from 1994-2011, engaged students,
  educators, youth workers, and community members
  in service-learning.
• No funds have been appropriated for the program
  since 2011.
• All program grants will conclude by September
  2013.
• Fundraising is more of challenging than ever, but
  service-learning may be done without much
  funding.

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What does it take to be successful?

• In general, teachers and administrators indicate
  that six factors are important to
  service-learning success
• Availability of technical support
• Professional development opportunities
• Financial support
• Community support
• Opportunities to collaborate and network with
  others
• Good fit between service-learning goals and
  school's mission and vision.
• Educators Perceptions of How Schools Can
  Foster Successful Service-Learning, Paul Baumann,
  February 2013 , National Center for Learning and
  Citizenship (NCLC) Schools of Success report.

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Additional Resources

• Creating a Climate for Service-Learning
  http//www.aacc.nche.edu/Resources/aaccprograms/ho
  rizons/Documents/creatingaclimate_082010.
• Cultivating Community Beyond Classroom
  http//www.aacc.nche.edu/Resources/aaccprograms/ho
  rizons/Documents/CultivatingCommunities_Aug2012.pd
  f
• Five High-Impact Practices Research on Learning
  Outcomes, Completion, and Quality, Jayne Elise
  Brownell and Lynn E. Swaner, 2010, Association of
  American Colleges and Universities, ISBN /
  ISSN 978-0-9827850-0-3
• Sustained Dialogue and Civic Life Post-College
  Impacts, Ande Diaz and Rachael Perrault, 2010,
  The Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service
  and Learning, Michigan Journal of Community
  Service Learning,v.17(1), Fall 2010.
• Future of Service-Learning, (The) New Solutions
  for Sustaining and Improving Practice. Marybeth
  Lima and Jean Strait , 2009 , Stylus Publishing,
  LLC

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Thank you for participating! 

• Dr. Maureen Rubin
• California State University, Northridge
• maureen.rubin_at_csun.edu