Higher Education Commons^™

Exploring The Role Of Information Literacy Instruction In Student Co-Creation Of Community-Based Research Products, Robyn Hall

Communications in Information Literacy

Supported by institutional commitments to community engagement, undergraduate students at universities across North America are participating in community-based research projects. These experiential learning activities allow students to collaborate with community partners to address issues in their communities, often resulting in co-creating research products that seek to have a real-world impact. This article reports on ways that academic librarians can support students engaged in these activities, informed by interview data gathered from university administrators and faculty members from across Canada with expertise in conducting and overseeing students' participation in research connected to university–community partnerships. This growing area of scholarly activity in …

Data: Y-Serve Participants Notes, Yoshihiko Ariizumi

Spiritual Proficiency

This data of 500 plus notes originally hand-written by the participants in the Y-Serve programs is a great resource to know their experiences in service learning. The compiler wishes that this document assists those who write essays or do extended research projects to illuminate and promote service learning in our educational settings.

Transformation Through Trust And Authenticity: Improving And Aligning Service Learning In An International Baccalaureate School, Christopher Wallace

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme places service learning at the core of its curriculum. Yet, challenges with implementing it successfully are omnipresent in international schools. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to support teachers with the implementation of service learning projects at a private, non-profit international school in Western Europe. It is guided and framed by a Problem of Practice (POP) that addresses the current state of service learning at Mountain Range School (MRS) where curriculum and independent service projects are inconsistently designed, implemented and supported. It includes an evaluation of school policies, curriculum, teacher capacity, resources and systems. …

Service-Learning In Undergraduate General Chemistry: A Review, Emily Faulconer, C. J. Y. Kam

Publications

Background: Service-learning is gaining recognition as a valuable pedagogy for students to gain both academic and psychosocial benefits. This high-impact practice allows students to achieve course learning objectives while contributing to their community's needs. A review from 2007 revealed a lack of research focused on the topic in the prior decade, despite the interest that was shown by the American Chemical Society in 2000. Purpose: This review of recent case studies on the topic provides future researchers and practitioners with an understanding of the current state of service-learning in undergraduate chemistry courses. Methodology/Approach: To create a representative sample of recent …

Positioning Slp Graduate Students To Meet The Needs Of Vulnerable Children Virtually: Lessons From A Service Learning Project Implemented In The Fall Of 2020, Lesley Sylvan

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Service-learning is increasingly regarded as a high-impact pedagogy strategy in the field of speech-language pathology. It has been shown to mutually benefit speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students and the communities they serve. The purpose of this study is to describe the process and impact of a service-learning-oriented assignment completed as part of a graduate-level class on school-age language disorders during the fall of 2020. Each of the 12 SLP students enrolled in the class volunteered to virtually tutor a child at risk for school failure for 10 hours. This role was a novel context for the graduate students. Analysis of …

Serving Through Transcribing: Preserving History While Building Community, Julie Centofanti, Mollie Hartup

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Community is a foundational element in honors education. During the global pandemic, students reimagined ways to connect in order to build community and serve one another. Authors describe a virtual collaboration in transcription, where honors students gathered to participate in digital transcribe-a-thons. These informal groupings evolved into a transcribing club that met three times a week (collectively logging more than 1,600 hours) and transcribed over 16,000 historical documents. A study of participating transcribers reveals enhanced historical knowledge, skill building, and opportunities for relationships with students of varying interests and backgrounds despite edicts for social distancing. While a common feature of …

Volunteer Programs & Service Learning Annual Report 2021-2022, Office Of Volunteer Programs & Service Learning

News, Magazines and Reports

Early in the fall semester, we welcomed Colin Petramale to the VP&SL team as the new Coordinator for Community Partnerships, Faith and Justice! Colin manages the frst year Pioneer Service Grant program, in addition to building and maintaining the relationships with our of-campus community partners.

We strengthened the commitment to our partners by on boarding with GivePulse, our community engagement tracking sofware. Nonproft organizations receive free access through their afliation with SHU, allowing them to publicize partnership opportunities; SHU students, staff and faculty can connect with these partners by searching and signing up for upcoming activities. It’s a win-win situation! …

Perceptions Of Faculty And Administration On The Value Of Service-Learning In The Tenure And Promotion Process At A Public Midwestern University, Odbayar Batsaikhan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study examines the perceptions of faculty and administration of the value of service-learning in the promotion and tenure process at Minnesota State University, Mankato, a midsized, Midwestern public university. The study aims to determine the answers to three main questions: what barriers and logistical issues do faculty face? Is the scholarship of community-engagement recognized and considered equal to other forms of traditional scholarship? Does MSU, Mankato value service-learning in the promotion and tenure process? The researcher employed a phenomenological study to answer the research questions. He used semi-structured interviews of ten participants – nine full-time tenure-track faculty who …

An Examination Of Alternative Break Trips And Whiteness In Jesuit Higher Education, Susan Haarman, Annie Selak

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Alternative break trips punctuate life on Jesuit college campuses, acting as experiences of conversion and putting faith into action. The Universal Apostolic Preferences of “walking with the excluded” and “accompanying the youth” come together in the practice of alternative break programs. However, these trips often operate through the position of whiteness. In this paper, we examine alternative service trips through the lens of whiteness. Too often, predominately white groups insert themselves into non-white contexts and assert themselves as owners of the space. Practices of white university students instrumentalizing experiences of service as agents in their own conversion displace the agency …

International Student Importance, Satisfaction, And Civic Engagement, Sophia Lanphier

Honors Theses

International student populations are economic, social, and academic assets to higher education institutions in the United States. A considerable body of research has been devoted to examining international student satisfaction and experiences. Previous literature has offered suggestions for additions and improvements to university international student programs that could help increase international student satisfaction and success. Despite all this, there is a considerable gap in existing literature concerning the relationship between international student academic and social success and civic engagement participation. Civic engagement is an important element of university life that has been closely tied to the academic and social experiences …

Service Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Model Of Temporal, Spatial, And Cultural Adaptability, Sherry Shaw, Mark A. Halley

Journal of Interpretation

In this study, the researchers analyze the progress of undergraduate and graduate ASL/English interpreting students (n = 34) in service learning courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was an exploratory investigation of student adaptability and approaches to collaboration with the Deaf community amidst the global crisis. Using student assignments as the primary data source, the analysis yielded five themes that contextualized student growth throughout their service learning journeys: outlook, approach, effort, focus, and locus of control. Further, the findings are framed within the concepts of habitus and boundary work, resulting in a model of temporal, spatial, and cultural adaptability …

Shift: Moving Art Classes Into Rural America, Amy Schmierbach Mfa

Art & Design Faculty Publications

For the past 25 years academia has worked to create virtual and on-line classes. They have become mainstream and an expectation at each university. They want to keep education accessible for individuals unable to come to campus or that live in remote locations. Across the country universities have shrinking enrollment for their on-campus courses. The student that do come to campus learn differently than what most professors have been taught themselves. These students are passionate about the world and they want to impact their communities. The usual lecture or art demo may not be enough to prepare our students for …

Service-Learning And Case-Based Learning’S Impact On Student’S Clinical Reasoning : A Repeated Measures Design Study, Gordon B. Tsubira

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Clinical reasoning is crucial for the occupational therapy profession to thrive in an ever-changing healthcare environment but is seldom isolated for explicit instruction and outcome measurement in course curricula. A single-factor repeated measures design study was conducted to compare the impact of didactic case-based learning and experiential service-learning on the development of the clinical reasoning of students at a midwestern public university’s entry-level master of occupational therapy program. The participants were sixteen graduate occupational therapy students who had completed their foundation-level courses.

Participants explored modes of clinical reasoning in occupational therapy for eight weeks (the first half of the semester), …

Developing Community-Based Learning In An Action Model Framework: Faculty Reflect On Their Development As Teachers And Scholars, Kathleen M. Cain, Amy Dailey, Kim Davidson, Gretchen Natter, Megan Adamson Sijapati, Divonna M. Stebick

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Faculty reflect on their participation in a Community-Based Learning (CBL) Fellowship designed to create a community of teachers and scholars immersed in an integrated model of academic-community engagement at a small liberal arts college. The program created a space to grapple with CBL principles together, provided accountability and encouragement, and became a source of support through isolation and tensions. Traditional philosophies of teaching and scholarship were challenged and faculty embraced their roles as partners in advancing social justice.

Service Matters: Integrating Faith And Vocation In Evangelical Christian Higher Education, Karen Rouggly

Doctor of Ministry

Evangelical colleges and universities in North America are at a tipping point. Schools are struggling to demonstrate their relevance to a culture that separates faith from work. This research demonstrates that using the pedagogical approach of service learning, colleges and universities can empower students to integrate their faith and vocation, ultimately producing locally and globally engaged citizens. The sections begin with a description of the ministry problem, noting the educational problems as well as the theological problems which produce systems of disintegration in faith and vocation for traditional undergraduate students. Next, the biblical foundation of symbiotic relationships between Godself, humanity, …

Recruitment Of International Students Through A Synthesis Of English As A Second Language Instruction, Social Justice, And Service Learning, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

Universities across the U.S. have increasingly emphasized internationalization, leading to rising numbers of international students attending U.S. institutions of higher education. However, these students tend to gravitate toward larger research-intensive universities with many other institutions seeing no increase in international student enrollments. Little is known concerning how to attract international students to regional institutions lacking name recognition. To address the above and promote internationalization through increasing the presence of students from abroad, an academic department at a regional public U.S. college used needs analysis to develop a pilot program for Japanese university students (N = 13). The program involved a …

Service Learning In The Time Of Covid-19, Kathy R. Doody Ph.D., Pamela Schuetze, Katrina Fulcher

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

This essay describes a collaborative service-learning project in which psychology and speech-language pathology undergraduate students, along with special education graduate students, completed developmental screenings as part of their training in providing effective services to children. Universal developmental screening is an important tool in the early identification of developmental delays in young children and is increasingly incorporated into early childhood education. However, limited resources make it difficult for educators to routinely screen all young children in their care. Our students were able to meet this need for two local childcare centers by conducting developmental screenings in transdisciplinary groups.

Research-Based Course Re-Design For Human Relations In A Multicultural Society, Academic Years 2010-2012, Elizabeth J. Sandell

Elementary and Literacy Education Department Publications

Intercultural competence is one way to describe how individuals and groups understand and adapt their behavior to cultural differences. University students can increase their intercultural competence by understanding behaviors and by experiencing cultural differences. One way to do this is by participating in a course, such as Human Relations in a Multicultural Society. The course's objective was to help students in understanding their own cultural roots, as well as those of other culture groups. This study responded to questions about the impact of multicultural education on intercultural competence among undergraduates. The data set included more than 130 students who took …

Enhancing Teamwork Skills Through An Interdisciplinary Engineering Service Learning Collaboration, Pilar Pazos, Francisco Cima, Jennifer Kidd, Stacie I. Ringleb, Orlando Ayala, Kristie Gutierrez, Krishnanand Kaipa

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research paper is to explore whether participation in an interdisciplinary collaboration program partnering Preservice Teachers (PST) and Undergraduate Engineering Students (UES) results in an increase in teamwork effectiveness. The interdisciplinary collaboration was designed as a service-learning project within existing undergraduate programs that included the development and delivery of engineering content to a K-12 audience. The collaborations were integrated into existing courses in two colleges, engineering and education. The Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) version of the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) was used midway and at the end of the project to evaluate teamwork …

Re-Engaging Individual Capacities In Service Of Civic Capacity: A Model Of Holistic Civic Engagement Education For The University, Jane Gerald Carr

Dissertations and Theses

A healthy democracy requires active civic engagement. Effective civic involvement can be encouraged by education that helps students learn to respect diverging viewpoints and build skills such as critical thinking about policy frameworks. In higher education, we have seen progress in teaching for civic engagement despite pressures to focus narrowly on career preparation. However, it is important to build on this work in two ways. First, the noncognitive and holistic dimensions of civic engagement have not been thoroughly considered in designing civic education. Second, the field could reach its goals more effectively by adopting teaching strategies that directly help students …

Overcoming Institutional Barriers To Service Learning, Talia Smith, Annie Zou, Grace Nelson, Ali Al-Ghaithi

Center for Engagement and Community Development

Partnerships between universities and community organizations contribute to sustainable community development by creating networks of resources that may not otherwise exist among university faculty, students and community members. Service learning serves as a vessel for connecting and strengthening these resources; however, barriers within universities limit effective practice. University faculty members often cite time constraints, coordination challenges, and lack of support as deterrents to the incorporation of service learning projects in their courses. To overcome such barriers, universities can implement institutional structures and programs that facilitate community-engaged learning. A case study of the Service Learning Academy (SLA) at the University of …

Engaging Millennial Students Through Community-Engaged Experiential Learning, Maureen Andrade, Jonathan H. Westover

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Millennial students and workers are high-achieving, have a strong desire for ongoing personal and professional development, and tend to be invested in making a sustainable impact on society and in the communities in which they live and work. One avenue to engage these students is community-engaged experiential learning (or service learning). While service learning is not new, this “civically-engaged” pedagogy has increased in popularity and usage. It provides meaningful community-service opportunities that simultaneously teach civic responsibility and encourage life-long civic engagement, while also providing significant real-life, hands-on learning of important skills and vital social understanding. This quantitative study examines the …

Finding Remote Service Opportunities Appropriate For A Course On Social Justice, Laura Finley

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article identifies challenges for social justice educators seeking to engage students in service-learning during the global pandemic of COVID-19. It discusses the author’s approach to finding continued service hours for students learning remotely who began earning hours with a dating and domestic violence awareness initiative. It shows how the author adapted, lessons learned, and ideas for future.

Volunteer Programs & Service Learning Annual Report 2019-2020, Volunteer Programs & Service Learning

News, Magazines and Reports

It has been another extraordinary year for the Office of Volunteer Programs & Service Learning! Beyond welcoming a record-setting number of first-year students to campus, VP&SL collaborated with students, faculty and staff in all colleges across the university on advocacy, direct service and philanthropic initiatives. We are proud to share that Volunteer Programs & Service Learning has been selected for the 2020 Best of Fairfield Awards in the category of Colleges & Universities!

Mitigating Risks Of Miseducation Within Labor-Focused High-Impact Practices, Andrew Garda

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this thesis, I address the risks of miseducative experiences resulting from the labor-focused high-impact practices of internships and service learning/community-based learning. As high-impact practices are often considered inherently valuable, there is a need to examine these two practices under a critical action research lens in order to expose the ways in which these practices are not serving students properly. I go on to argue that issues such as unpaid internship programs taking advantage of free student labor and voluntourism existing on travel-based service learning/community-based learning programs negate the potentiality of students to experience the growth in their sense of …

True To The Task, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Exploring Pre-Practicum Site-Based Experiential Learning In School Counselor Preparation, Stacey A. Havlik, Kaitlyn Schneider, Jessica D. Mckechnie

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

In this study, participation in a pre-practicum site-based experiential learning assignment was examined. First semester pre-service school counselors who were enrolled in an introductory school counseling course, engaged in observation, counseling, and academic support with students and clients at community and school sites. Qualitative data was collected across three cohort groups and examined through phenomenological inquiry. Participants shared common themes, including that they: (a) Recognized inequities while they expanded their worldview; (b) Preferred a structured experience; (c) Valued relationships; and (d) Drew connections to the classroom and the field.

Promoting Awareness Of Self: Cultural Immersion And Service-Learning Experiences Of Counselors-In-Training, Rose Helen Merrell-James, Marcy J. Douglass, Matthew R. Shupp

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Promoting Awareness-of-Self: Cultural Immersion and Service-Learning experiences

Abstract

Counselor education is committed to exploring innovative pedagogy to provide opportunities for counselor trainees to increase multicultural competence. International cultural immersion and service –learning create an environment for counselors-in-training to explore their cultural competence through cultural interactions, relationships, and heightened self-awareness. This exploratory, qualitative, phenomenological study using focus group data collection investigated the lived experience of counselors-in-training through international cultural immersion and service-learning. Awareness-of-self emerged as the overarching theme which included themes of personal and national privilege, cultural encapsulation, sense of belonging, and racism. Subthemes include attitudes and beliefs, cultural norms, time, …

Shifting Views: How Experiential Learning Shapes University Students’ Sense Of Civic Engagement And Solidarity On Migration, Karen Larke

Master's Theses

Higher education institutions have put more weight on the use of experiential learning to provide students with opportunities to grow intellectually and develop as engaged citizens. Many recent studies have looked at the quality and educational impacts of a variety of experiential and service learning experiences, yet few have explored what other ideological impacts may result from specific non-curricular experiential learning experiences. This study measured the impact of experiential learning, in the form of week-long migration-themed trips, on undergraduate student’s self-reported levels of solidarity, and related measures of civic engagement and political engagement and activism around migration issues. This study …

Preparing For A Short-Term Volunteer Experience, Beth Sullivan

Occupational Therapy Collection

Occupational Therapy (OT) practitioners who volunteer for short-term medical service trips in developing countries face many challenges, including gaining an appreciation of that country's culture (values, economy, political, and medical systems) and understanding how these factors influence provision of OT services.

As OT practitioners, we "contribute to the global health of society and individuals by enabling the right to engage in meaningful, purposeful occupations" (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, n.d., para 4). The frequency of short-term medical service trips (STMST) undertaken by persons living in high income countries to low income countries is increasing (Sykes, 2014). Despite this fact, systematic …