Service Learning Commons^™

Bard College: An Ecosystem Of Engagement, Jonathan Becker

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Despite its moderate size and rural location, Bard’s civic engagement efforts resonate locally, nationally, and internationally, and have significant public policy impacts. Bard has achieved success by making engagement central to its institutional mission, viewing liberal arts and sci-ences education as both a means and an end of civic engagement efforts, and forging an “ecosystem of engagement” that encourages organizational engineers, links student-led and in-stitutional initiatives, and unites a network of partners across the globe.

Youth As Actors On Their Worlds, Asif Wilson

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper seeks to examine theories and practices emergent within a youth organization that cultivates civic engagement and leadership development. It will highlight the theoretical and methodological approaches of the program while outlining constraints that young people within it face while doing this work.

Democracy In Action: The Contribution Of The Debatewatch Project To Civic Participation, Barbara A. Pickering, Leslie A. Rill

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Every four years, Americans participate in political talk about the presidential campaigns with co-workers, family, and friends. This communication impacts attitudes toward civic engagement. Using the 2008 presidential election as a focal point, this study seeks to understand the impact of communication among citizens who engaged in political discussions at DebateWatch events. We examine the effect of debate viewing and post-debate discussions on perceptions of political information gained and increased interest in a presidential campaign.

Service Learning Students’ Perceptions Of Citizenship, Audrey Faye Falk

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study examines the conceptions of citizenship held by students engaged in a service learning course. Open-ended responses to instructor-developed surveys were analyzed. Results indicated that students primarily viewed good citizenship in terms of community service; however, their ideas about service were limited to passive kinds of service such as helping others and volunteering, rather than active kinds of service such as community organizing. Results were compared with conceptions of citizenship held by students engaged in another course with a smaller volunteering component. Opportunities for broadening service learning students’ understanding of citizenship are discussed.

Bridging The Divide: From Service To Public Work, Paul N. Markham

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

An important aspect of public higher education is the development of active citizens. Students should leave our institutions not only with an appreciation for the value of community service, but also having the vital knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be public problem solvers. This article is a reflection on one professor’s experience of teaching students for active citizenship by moving from a service mindset to an emphasis on public work. This account emphasizes public work as a critical pedagogy for a potential next phase of civic engagement in higher education, which focuses on the development of student civic agency in …

Community-Based Learning And Social Capital: Exploring Student Attitudes And Perceptions Of Connectedness To Campus And Diverse Communities, August John Hoffman

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community service activities, civic engagement, and volunteer services have been identified as key elements in improving how individuals relate and communicate with each other in society. Social capital also has been described as a highly useful form of social networking that empowers community members to collectively use each other as potential resources. The current study explored how participants from non-traditional backgrounds (i.e., ethnicity, culture, and age) completed a variety of interethnic community service activities. We hypothesized that increased exposure with members of diverse ethnic groups through community service activities would show reductions in ethnocentric attitudes and also show increases in …

The Civic Minded (Post) Graduate: Examining The Long-Range Benefits Of Community-Engaged Service Learning, Catherine Wilkins

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This project seeks to fill gaps in the knowledge about the long-term benefits of undergraduate participation in community-engaged service learning (CESL). A mixed-methods research protocol delivered to graduates of an R1 public university three years after the completion of a CESL senior capstone course observed significant divergences in knowledge and behavioral attributes of civic mindedness. This research methodology could be employed by other scholars to determine if these findings are reproducible.

Service Learning As A Mode To Deliver Course Learning Outcomes In A Research-Based Exercise Science College Course, Jennifer Lape Kaiser, Madison Skaggs

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The following case study presents an approach to teaching research courses in undergraduate exercise science programs. Research courses are commonly required in the curriculum for this degree. Service learning (SL) is an effective way to promote student learning outcomes (SLOs) by providing hands-on experience for the students, and should be considered in exercise science research courses. Quantitative and qualitative survey results from students over two semesters of SL in an exercise science course are presented.

Motivation And Orientation: Faculty Perspectives On Development And Persistence In Service Learning And Community Engagement, F. Dan Richard, Becca Berkey, Heather M. Burk

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Quality service learning and community engagement (S-LCE) in higher education involves faculty and staff working alongside community members and students for mutual benefit. We investigate explanations, motivations, and intentions of faculty that contribute to the sustained commitment for S-LCE work. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews across two institutions of higher education. Results indicate that faculty rely on motives connected to student learning and community impact and that faculty approach S-LCE from a disciplinary or social change orientation.

Engaging Undergraduates In Co-Curricular Community-Based Research: Strategies For Success, Monica Williams, Pamela B. Payne

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper uses a case study of a co-curricular community-based research (CbR) program for undergraduates at a regional comprehensive university to identify five strategies to success in implementing such a program: prior planning, appropriate projects, student ownership, program structure, and teaching students to find resources. We address the strengths and limitations of CbR programs, provide recommendations for community engagement through research, and address opportunities and challenges of CbR programs for involving students in their communities.

Imparting The Skills Employers Seek: Community-Engaged Learning As Career Preparation, Elizabeth Otto, Elizabeth Dunens

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper explores the potential for postsecondary community-based educational experiences to impart the skills employers most desire from new college graduates. We gathered one U.S. university’s community-engaged learning (CEL) stakeholders to collect detailed descriptions of the behaviors students practice during CEL. Students, faculty, and community partner participants had at least one semester of service-learning or nonprofit internship experience coordinated by the university’s Center for Community Work and Learning. Qualitative responses generated from 46 participants were coded and then compared to the top skills business executives and hiring managers reported in 2018 as priorities for new college graduates. Data analysis yielded …

Finding Common (Moral) Ground In Critical Service Learning: Promoting Balance And Civil Discourse Through Moral Foundations Theory, James Morgan Lewing

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Critical approaches to service learning courses may not innately maximize student engagement, civil discourse, and the confrontation of stereotypes. The purpose of this article is to propose the utilization of Moral Foundations Theory as a complimentary framework for service learning courses seeking to critically analyze systems and policies. Recommendations for practice and future research are included.

Institutional Type, Organizational Pathways, And Student Engagement: Deepening Student Engagement And The Benefit-Use Paradox In Formal Engagement Space, Prabhdeep Singh Kehal, Cadence Willse

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

We explore how institutional types relate to individual students’ depth and breadth of engagement, and the degree to which organizational pathways can increase the presence of marginalized students in formal engagement structures. Institutional type and organizational pathways increase student engagement, particularly for marginalized students; however, students who participate at high levels are majority white and middle class. This illuminates how institutional type and organizational pathways operate jointly, and not as substitutes.

Focused Engagement: Lessons Learned From A Study Assessing Campus Climates For Political Learning And Engagement In Democracy, Jodi Benenson, Barbara Pickering, Andrea M. Weare, Anthony M. Starke

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

With the anticipated implementation of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) ruling, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) initiated a civic- university partnership between themselves; the University of California, Davis Center for Regional Change; and the University of Kentucky Community Innovation Lab, to design a training program that would provide organizational leadership with the skills and knowledge necessary to implement the AFFH ruling. This case study examines the dynamic civicuniversity collaboration and provides lessons learned from the experience.

Civic-Mindedness Development Throughout A Physical Therapy Curriculum, Kerstin M. Palombaro, Jill D. Black, Robin L. Dole, Heather A. Burns, Sidney A. Jones, Alexander Stewart

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Graduate professional programs seek to foster professionalism and civic-mindedness in their students. This study measures the development of civic-mindedness throughout a graduate physical therapy (PT) program curriculum committed to community engagement. Three class cohorts completed the Civic-Minded Professional (CMP) Scale at four time points. Scores increased throughout the curriculum. Participants involved in community service leadership had the highest scores. A professional program that allows for community engagement throughout the curriculum will encourage student development of civic-mindedness.

Using Games To Solve Real-World Civic Problems: Early Insights And Design Principles, Karen Schrier

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Video games are starting to be used to support civic learning and engagement. Moreover, games are being used to crowdsource solutions to real-world problems; however, few of these games address civic problems and engage adolescents and young adults. In this paper, I explore designing and using games for real-world civic problem-solving, as well as for supporting civic engagement among young adults. Using a design analysis approach, I investigate six video games and propose 20 initial design elements for use in creating and implementing civic problem- solving games. These include principles such as: using authentic civic problems, data, and tools; enabling …

University-Community Civic Collaboration: Reaching For Social Justice In University Partnership, Jessica T. Shiller

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

A community partnership between the Collins Academy, Jefferson, Texas, and the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, developed a plan to manage the 38-acre Port Jefferson History and Nature Center, located on Big Cypress Bayou. Students used knowledge of the resources, GPS (global positioning systems), ArcGIS 10.4, presentations, and posters to complete the project. The reflection and feedback with the community partners continued throughout the project and as guidance for future work. This partnership instilled in participating students the value of incorporating service learning into development of professional relationships for continued cooperation …

Liberating Service Learning And The Rest Of Higher Education Community Engagement By Randy Stoecker (2016), Barbara Jacoby

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The title and purpose of this book, Liberating Service-Learning and the Rest of Higher Education Civic Engagement, is an intentional double entendre. On the one hand, Stoecker seeks a form of service learning that “liberates” all those who are involved in it, whether they are inside or outside of higher education. In the second sense, Stoecker aims to liberate institutionalized service learning’s lack of significant accomplishments both in educating students and in enhancing communities. Stoecker proposes liberating service learning by making its current theory explicit, deconstructing it, and then building a new theory that leads to a new practice that …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

‘Post Service Learning’ : Civic Engagement, Social Justice And Beyond?, Man Lai, Manni Cheung

OSL Outstanding Student Series 傑出學生系列

Background: Civic model and social justice model of service-learning has been emerging in the US. It is believed that civic engagement and social justice can be promoted with the use of service-learnning as a pedagogy. This research investigates if service-learning programme at Lingnan University can promote civic engagement and provoking students’ thinking in a socially just way.

Method: 7 students is the sample, of which 2 being not having previous service-learning experience. The sample is obtained through purposive and snowball sampling technique. In-depth interviews are conducted to gather data in informants’ own words.

Result: Experiential Service-Learning and Participatory Service-Learning allows …

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.

Understanding Research Fatigue In The Context Of Community-University Relations, Elora Way

Local Knowledge: Worcester Area Community-Based Research

Community research fatigue has been understudied within the context of community-university relationships and knowledge production. Community-based research (CBR), often occurring within a limited geography and population, increases the possibility that community members feel exhausted or over-whelmed by university research —particularly when they do not see tangible results from research activities. Prompted by informal stories of research fatigue from community members, a small graduate student team sought to understand the extent to which community members experienced research fatigue, and what factors contributed to or relieved feelings of research fatigue. In order to explore these dimensions of research fatigue, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews …

Reinventing Citizenship As Public Work, Harry C. Boyte

Civic Engagement

The fate of democracy is inextricably tied to the work of educators, as well as to the meaning of citizenship and the practices of civic education. If we are to create a citizen-centered democracy—with citizens capable of tackling the mounting challenges of our time—we must revisit conventional ideas. We will have to reinvent citizenship as public work, for the sake of ourselves as educators, as well as for our students and for the democracy itself.

Service Learning Students’ Perceptions Of Citizenship, Audrey Falk

Education Faculty Publications

This study examines the conceptions of citizenship held by students engaged in a service learning course. Open-ended responses to instructor-developed surveys were analyzed. Results indicated that students primarily viewed good citizenship in terms of community service; however, their ideas about service were limited to passive kinds of service such as helping others and volunteering, rather than active kinds of service such as community organizing. Results were compared with conceptions of citizenship held by students engaged in another course with a smaller volunteering component. Opportunities for broadening service learning students’ understanding of citizenship are discussed.

Understanding How Institutional Leadership Affects Civic Engagement On University Campuses, Prairie Leigh Burgess

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education in America has a long tradition of civic engagement education. Although there is theoretical and rhetorical support, many institutions still struggle with implementing effective civic engagement on their campuses. The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of factors that contribute to successful civic engagement, specifically focusing on the affect of presidential leadership. The study used a limited sample of two groups to provide comparative analysis and offer much needed statistical research for civic engagement. Institutions were identified through the organization Campus Compact and the Carnegie Foundation's elective Community Engagement classification. Institutions that had joined Campus …

Strategies For Becoming A Nation Of Service, Servicenation

School K-12

Strategies for Becoming a Nation of Service represents a vision, endorsed by more than 110 ServiceNation coalition members, to unleash the energy of citizens on our most pressing social challenges by strengthening and increasing community and national service opportunities. This policy agenda proposes meaningful opportunities for service at every key life stage, and for every socioeconomic group, from kindergarten through the post-retirement years. These proposals will help instill a culture of service at an early age and provide opportunities for Americans to continue serving throughout their lifetimes. The policy proposals aim to make service a defining ethic of what it …