Community-Based Learning Commons^™

Vcu Service-Learning Impact Measure (Slim) Report, 2020-2021, Katie Elliott, Jackie Stephens

Division of Community Engagement Resources

The VCU Service-Learning Office distributes the Service-Learning Impact Measure (SLIM) at the end of every semester to evaluate the impact of service-learning classes on student learning. Results are used to guide program improvements that enhance the quality of service-learning courses and outcomes for students, faculty, and partners. This report covers the 2020-2021 academic years and highlights assessment focus areas including: career readiness, academic learning, civic learning identity development, diversity and inclusion, and the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Service-Learning Community Partner Impact Assessment Report, 2021, Rebecca Hoppe, Katie Elliott, Lynn E. Pelco

Division of Community Engagement Resources

In 2021, the Service-Learning Office at VCU conducted an assessment of the impact of service-learning on community partner organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment aimed to collect actionable feedback to inform and improve upon current service-learning course practices. Partners (N = 18) were prompted with questions to assess the following topics: operational capacity, economic functioning, social environment, and partnership quality, both prior to and in concurrent with the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative findings suggested an overall improvement in scores from the 2017 assessment. Qualitative findings indicated the importance of relationships, concluding that adaptation, communication, and involvement were key factors …

Vcu Service-Learning Impact Measure (Slim) Report, 2020-2021, Katie Elliott, Jackie Stephens

The VCU Service-Learning Office distributes the Service-Learning Impact Measure (SLIM) at the end of every semester to evaluate the impact of service-learning classes on student learning. Results are used to guide program improvements that enhance the quality of service-learning courses and outcomes for students, faculty, and partners.

Envisioning Critical Social Entrepreneurship Education: Possibilities, Questions, And Guiding Commitments, Mark Congdon Jr., Liliana Herakova

Communication, Media & The Arts Faculty Publications

Higher education institutions continue to be increasingly interested in examining how social entrepreneurship and community engaged approaches to education can work together. In light of the recent growth and interest in such programs, scholars and educators have called for attention to specific considerations when developing SE and community-based education, which can be summed up in three areas - pedagogy, relationships, and impact. The present essay builds on such propositions, and calls for a critically-orientated approach to SE, grounded in community engagement, collaborative dialogue among diverse voices, and a commitment to transforming oppressive structures

Vcu Service-Learning Impact Measure (Slim) Report, 2018-2019, Tamanna Sohal, Katie Elliott

Division of Community Engagement Resources

The VCU Service-Learning Office distributes the Service-Learning Impact Measure (SLIM) at the end of every semester to evaluate the impact of service-learning classes on student learning. Results are used to guide program improvements that enhance the quality of service-learning courses and outcomes for students, faculty, and partners.

2017-18 Student Success And Service-Learning Report, Lynn Pelco

Division of Community Engagement Resources

Institutional data across multiple academic years were used to assess the impact of undergraduate service-learning class participation on three critical student success metrics: Inclusive excellence, Degree completion, and Quality of learning. Results indicate that traditionally underrepresented student groups participated in VCU service-learning classes at expected rates given their proportion in the overall student population. Thirty-seven percent of undergraduate service-learning students were from underrepresented minority groups and 30% were Pell grant recipients. The average three-year retention rate across four matriculating cohorts of first-time, full-time undergraduate students was 84% for service-learning students compared to 70% for non-service-learning students. Seventy-two percent of undergraduate …

La Valorización De La Educación Superior Para Estudiantes Indígenas En Madre De Dios: Interrogando Discursos Y Acciones Del Estado, La Fenamad, Y Los Estudiantes Indígenas / The Valorisation Of Higher Education For Indigenous Students In Madre De Dios: Interrogating Speeches And Actions Of The State, Fenamad, And Indigenous Students, Sierra Houck

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación explora cómo los estudiantes indígenas en Puerto Maldonado (que provienen de comunidades en Madre de Dios) valoran y pretenden usar la educación superior. Este informe compara estas perspectivas y deseos con las perspectivas y acciones de personas en los institutos superiores, miembros del gobierno, y miembros de la organización indígena FENAMAD. Además, esta investigación analiza tanto los desafíos que los estudiantes indígenas enfrentan al estudiar en Puerto Maldonado como los sistemas de apoyo que existen y se están desarrollando para los estudiantes indígenas.

La educación formal fue introducida en las comunidades indígenas de la región de Madre de …

Served Through Service: Undergraduate Students’ Experiences In Community Engaged Learning At A Catholic And Marianist University, Elizabeth M. Fogle, Savio D. Franco, Edel M. Jesse, Brent Kondritz, Lindsay Maxam, Heidi Much-Mcgrew, Cody Mcmillen, Carolyn Ridenour, Daniel J. Trunk

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Students participating in sustained community service at an urban Catholic and Marianist university were volunteer informants in this qualitative exploration of the meaning they make of their service experiences. A PhD student research team (nine members) interviewed fourteen undergraduate students (eleven of whom were seniors). Findings were organized as themes constructed within three domains: background, experience, and meaning. Within “background,” students who had prior work in faith-based service before college deepened their meaning of service. Within “experience,” there were social and cultural dynamics of navigating on and off campus life, including the roles students played as well as the challenge …

Cumu Annual Conference, Jennifer Early, Catherine Howard

Division of Community Engagement Resources

The VCU Division of Community Engagement mobilizes university-community partnerships that generate innovative solutions to societal challenges and prepares the engaged citizens of tomorrow; they host the CUMU Conference (Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities) annually. Students, faculty, and community partners collaborate to effect positive change in social, organizational, and economic impact. Value Propositions are created to clearly summarize the value that students add to an organization, and the relevance and distinction. This information is complied through assessment, development, and communication.

Framing The Value Of Clinical And Field Education, Lisa Richardson Mss, Licsw, Rebecca Mcgill Edd, Rn, Christina Anderson Pt, Dpt, Linda Buxell Ma, Otr/L, Leah Harris Otr/L, Lisa Rovick Mhsc, Co, Comt

Interprofessional Papers and Writing

Community/university partnerships play a critical role in higher education. Community-based research, service learning, guest lectures, internships, and a host of other activities illustrate the shared opportunities for students, educators, practitioners, employers, and consumers, as communities and institutions collaborate to educate the future workforce and develop an informed and engaged citizenry.

Across the spectrum of health and professional disciplines, real world learning through community-based clinical/field education1 is essential to prepare practice-ready graduates. At St. Catherine University, for example, students complete over 7,000 clinical/field placements annually across multiple degrees and disciplines (see Appendix B). Without community/ university partnerships, our universities would not …

Exterior Of Dinand Gets A New Look, Evangelia Stefanakos

Civitas Branching Documentation

This article describes new art installations and landscaping which enhance the exterior spaces of Dinand Library at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The murals, "Civitas Branching" and "Lungs of the Planet," are collaborative art projects created by students of the College and members of the Worcester community. They were installed in April 2016. A dedication ceremony was held April 20, 2016.

Lungs Of The Planet Presentation, Virginia Raguin

Documentation

This slide presentation traces the creative process of Lungs of the Planet, a tile mural depicting line drawings on individual 6 x 6 inch tiles, as well as larger color images of blossoms, fruit, and birds to symbolize the cycle of life.

The mural was created as a collaborative art project by students in the Natural World Cluster of the Monserrat First Year Program at the College of the Holy Cross. The project was led by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the College. Particpants included students, faculty, staff and community members.

The mural was installed on the west …

Dedication Ceremony For Two Murals Outside Dinand, Jack Godar

Civitas Branching Documentation

Article reporting the rededication of Civitas Branching, a 5-panel mosaic depicting scenes from the College Hill neighborhood, originally installed on the College Hill Civic Association building located at 79 Kendig Street in Worcester, Massachusetts and Lungs of the Planet, a tile mural installed on the west patio Rooftop Garden of Dinand Library.

Civitas Branching: Rededication Program, College Of The Holy Cross

Civitas Branching Documentation

Program for the rededication of Civitas Branching, a 5-panel mosaic depicting scenes from the College Hill neighborhood. The mosaic was created as a collaborative art project by students of the College of the Holy Cross and residents of the College Hill neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was originally installed on the College Hill Civic Association building located at 79 Kendig Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In 2016, the mosaic was relocated to the east patio of Dinand Library on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. A rededication ceremony was held April 20, 2016. Several members …

Civitas Branching: Rededication Program Introductory Remarks, Jacqueline Peterson

Civitas Branching Documentation

Remarks given by Dean Jacqueline Peterson at the rededication of Civitas Branching, a 5-panel mosaic depicting scenes from the College Hill neighborhood. The mosaic was created as a collaborative art project by students of the College of the Holy Cross and residents of the College Hill neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was originally installed on the College Hill Civic Association building located at 79 Kendig Street in Worcester. In 2016, the mosaic was relocated to the east patio of Dinand Library on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. A rededication ceremony was held …

History Of Civitas Branching, Susan Hunt

Civitas Branching Documentation

A brief history and description of Civitas Branching, a 5-panel mosaic depicting scenes from the College Hill neighborhood. The mosaic was created as a collaborative art project by students of the College of the Holy Cross and residents of the College Hill neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts.

History Of Lungs Of The Planet Mosaic, Susan Hunt

Documentation

A brief history and description of Lungs of the Planet, a tile mural depicting line drawings on individual 6 x 6 inch tiles, as well as larger color images of blossoms, fruit, and birds to symbolize the cycle of life.

The mural was created as a collaborative art project by students in the Natural World Cluster of the Monserrat First Year Program at the College of the Holy Cross. The project was led by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the College. Particpants included students, faculty, staff and community members.

The mural was installed on the west patio …

Tile History: A Brief Presentation, Virginia Raguin

Documentation

Slide presentation used to introduce the art and history of ceramic tiling to participants who worked on Lungs of the Planet, a tile mural created as a collaborative art project by students in the Natural World Cluster of the Monserrat First Year Program at the College of the Holy Cross. The project was led by Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the College. Particpants included students, faculty, staff and community members.

The presentation includes photographic examples of ceramic tiling in architecture located in Jerusalem and Istanbul.

Supporting Sustainability Through Developing A Learning Network Among Traditional Food Producers: Applications Of Action Learning, Paul Coughlan, David Coghlan, Denise O'Leary, Clare Rigg, Doireann Barrett

Articles

Purpose: The chapter describes and reflects upon an EU-funded research initiative, TRADEIT, which has attempted to develop a learning network among European traditional food producers as one way of contributing to the economic sustainability of the ventures, the social sustainability of the food’s regional character, and the environmental sustainability of food production through the use of traditional methods.

Design/methodology/approach: The chapter describes TRADEIT before moving on to an exploration of learning in organizations and networks. It outlines the action learning research methodology developed and implemented to explore the development of a learning network in TRADEIT. A single case history …

Turning To Case Studies As A Mechanism For Learning In Action Learning, Denise O'Leary, Paul Coughlan, Clare Rigg, David Coghlan

Articles

Case studies are a useful means of capturing and sharing experiential knowledge by allowing researchers to explore the social, organisational and political contexts of a specific case. Although accounts of action learning are often reported using a case study approach, it is not common to see individual case studies being used as a learning practice within action learning sets. Drawing on a network action learning (NAL) project, this paper explores how the process of coaching, articulating, authoring, sharing and editing case studies provided a vehicle for learning and research within a NAL set. The intended contribution of this paper to …

Is Service-Learning The Answer? Preparing Teacher Candidates To Work With Ells Through Service-Learning Experiences, Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo

Scholarship of Metropolitan Mission

In an effort to address the gaps in preparing teacher candidates (TCs) to work with English Language Learners (ELLs), service-learning experiences (SLE) were integrated into two courses within a teacher education program. This exploratory case study sought to explore the outcomes of teacher candidates (TCs) engaged in SLE with diverse students and families, particularly ELLs. Content analysis of students’ reflections provided insights of the impact of the SLE. Findings indicate that participating in service-learning with ELLs provides opportunities for TCs to engage in positive interactions that help to address misconceptions about students, families, and communities. TCs also began to confront …

Enacting True Partnerships Within Community-Based Learning: Faculty And Community Partners Reflect On The Challenges Of Engagement, Seanna Kerrigan, Vicki L. Reitenauer, Nora Arevalo-Meier

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past two decades, the literature on campus-community partnerships as core components of pedagogies of engagement has grown exponentially. In this article, the director and a longtime faculty member of Portland State University’s capstone program report on interviews conducted with ten faculty-community partner pairs, gleaning insights on both the challenges of and lessons learned through partnering. This research adds to the literature through its use of relational methods that bring the voices of interviewees to readers, revealing a depth of connection across the institutional divide.

Online Community-Based Learning As The Practice Of Freedom: The Online Capstone Experience At Portland State University, Deborah Smith Arthur, Zapoura Newton-Calvert

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Given the design of Portland State University’s (PSU) undergraduate curriculum culminating in a capstone experience, the dramatic growth in online courses and online enrollments required a re-thinking of the capstone model to ensure all students could participate in this effective learning model and have a powerful learning experience. In recent years, a number of capstone courses have been developed that are offered fully online. This article examines PSU’s development of and institutional support for community-based learning (CBL) capstone courses in a fully online format. Emerging best practices and lessons learned may be useful for other institutions seeking to integrate experiential …

Building Civic Participation Of Undergraduates: Umass Boston’S Civic Engagement Scholars Initiative (Cesi), Rajini Srikanth, Aminah Pilgrim, Office Of Faculty Development, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Office Of Community Partnerships, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Civic Engagement Scholars Initiative (CESI) is a professional development program that supports faculty and community partners to effectively engage undergraduate students in service-learning and community-based research activities. CESI aims to reinforce classroom learning, foster civic habits and skills, and address community-identified needs.

Teaching The Catholic Intellectual Tradition Through An Experiential Learning Program, Susan T. Dinnocenti, Maria Lizano-Dimare, Khawaja Mamun, Rupendra Paliwal

WCBT Working Papers

A Catholic University has a specific mission of preserving, transmitting and developing the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. This paper proposes an experiential learning program to support this mission of the catholic universities. This program aims to provide integrated and practical learning of fundamental moral values of catholic intellectual tradition and issues related to social justice while developing the critical and analytical thinking through exposure to real world problems, their possible solutions and a personal reflection. In this paper, we use a microfinance program in an underdeveloped country as the premise for the experiential learning program specifically for business students. Moreover, the …

Ua68/1/3 Arts & Letters, Vol. 2, No. 1, Wku Potter College Of Arts & Letters

WKU Archives Records

Magazine created by WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters regarding faculty and student research, events and programs.

Community-Engaged Scholarship In Higher Education: An Expanding Experience, Judith A. Ramaley

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Higher education in this country has always been expected to serve the public good. Sometimes, the emphasis is on preparing educated citizens or practitioners in especially critical fields and how public service can deepen and enrich learning and prepare students to lead purposeful, responsible, and creative lives. Sometimes the focus is upon institutions themselves as major intellectual and cultural resources for a community. In this paper, based on the keynote presentation at the Community -- Engaged Scholarship for Health Collaborative's invitational symposium, the author explores four levels of engagement: the individual, the academic community and its concepts of scholarship, the …

An Anatomy Of A Community-University Partnership: The Structure Of Community Collaboration, W. Barry Messer, Kevin Kecskes

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland State University for the past twelve years has been engaged in a transformation of its general education program and a renewal of its urban mission. A major thrust of this reform has focused on broadening the involvement of students and faculty in community-based learning and scholarship. Curricular and administrative changes have significantly raised the presence of the university in the community and resulted in numerous academic units actively engaging in community collaboration. The collaboration has proven to be an important platform by which the university has expanded its boundaries into the community through actions involving many challenges to the …

The New Face Of Queer, The New Face Of Cuny, Shawn(Ta) Smith-Cruz

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

The seventh Queer CUNY conference for LGBT students, staff, faculty, and alumni, took place at Brooklyn College on April 1, 2006. Students from all over the CUNY system of schools gathered to discuss, debate, and deconstruct what LGBT community is and what it might be.

Disciplining Service Learning: Institutionalization And The Case For Community Studies, Dan W. Butin

Education Faculty Publications

This article argues that the service-learning field has been pursuing the wrong revolution. Namely, service learning has been envisioned as a transformative pedagogical practice and philosophical orientation that would change the fundamental policies and practices of the academy. However, its attempted institutionalization faces substantial barriers and positions service learning in an uncomfortable double-bind that ultimately co-opts and neutralizes its agenda. This article argues that a truly transformative agenda may be to create a parallel movement to develop an “academic home” for service learning within academic “community studies” programs. This “disciplining” of service learning is the truly revolutionary potential of institutionalizing …