2009-2010 Annual Assessment | Thayne Center for Service & Learning

Thayne Center for Service & Learning • Annual Assessment Report • 2009-2010

Learning to Serve.Serving to Learn.

Annual Assessment Report {2009-2010}Thayne Center for Service & Learning at Salt Lake Community College

It has been an exceptional year. A year of exceptional challenges and a year of exceptional accomplishments. More students than ever before were engaged with our community and we’ve tracked record-breaking statistics in nearly every program we coordinate.

One of our favorite moments is the recycling revolution started by two of our students who volunteered at the SLC Marathon. Their story illustrates the true results of the learning outcomes we set for our student leadership programs. Read their story on our blog (http://bit.ly/97iTzK) and watch them in action on YouTube (http://bit.ly/aXR035).

We encourage you to follow the inspiring stories of our students throughout the year. Visit www.slcc.edu/thaynecenter and click the links to become a part of our growing social media network.

Our 2009-2010 assessment efforts focused specifically on four programs: Service Council, Alternative Spring Break, Service-Learning, and Community Partnerships. We hope you enjoy our Annual Assessment Report as much as we enjoyed our exceptional year!

http://bit.ly/97iTzK




http://bit.ly/aXR035

http://bit.ly/aXR035

http://www.slcc.edu/thaynecenter

http://www.slcc.edu/thaynecenter


Service CouncilThe Service Council is a

cohort of 17 competitively-selected student leaders. These students attend weekly trainings, plan service projects and community tours, and commit to at least 100 hours of volunteering and training per semester. For their time and hard work, these students receive a tuition waiver.

The program is structured around four specific learning outcomes: heightened awareness, leadership development, empowerment, and social change. The weekly training meetings present a curriculum based on these learning outcomes.

This program is an ideal example a relatively small number of students making an exponential impact. Michael Whitney is one example of a student creating a lasting impact.

Michael came home from an Alternative Spring Break trip to Seattle, Washington and focused his Service Council efforts on establishing a comprehensive recycling program at SLCC. Service Council members collected more than 1,300 petition signatures and Michael worked tirelessly with mentors and administrators. SLCC launches it’s first comprehensive recycling program in fall 2010.

This is a high-impact program and a transformative experience.

VITAL STATS

Volunteering

with Wastach

Community

Gardens.

{ 2009-2010 }17 students

3,422 hours

Over 100 events planned for fellow SLCC students


Awareness Leading to Action

The first question students were asked upon entering the program was if they understood the issues that nonprofit community agencies are working to address. A low 22% of students claimed an awareness; whereas by the end of the year, every single student, 100% of the Service Council, had an awareness of the issues and the work of local nonprofits.

When asked it they had the skills necessary to take action on these social issues, only 55% felt confident at the beginning of the year. A full 100% students, 78.6% of those strongly agreeing,

left the program confident in their skills.

Along those lines, students were asked that if they knew a fellow student was homeless, could they refer her/him to the proper social services. Only 33% of students entering the program felt they could respond to that need. By the end of the year, every student was aware of the available social services.

Diverse CommunitiesStudents were also asked if

they were “often involved with activities outside [their] normal community.” Only 66% of students came into the program agreeing with that statement. By the end of the year, 100% of students were actively engaged outside of their ‘normal community,’ with 71.43% strongly agreeing that they are often engaged in diverse communities.

Political EngagementThirty-three percent of

students were involved in political issues before the Service Council, and 92.86% were politically active by the end of the year. Furthermore, only 55% of students agreed that they brought strong advocacy skills to the Council. Yet every student left the Council agreeing or strongly agreeing that they had strong advocacy skills.

Leadership Development

A collaborative style of leadership is important to the Thayne Center and it is the style of leadership we teach our students. While every student on both the pre- and post-test stated that leadership is collaborative, the students who strongly agreed with that statement increased from 33% to 85.71%.

At the beginning of their experience, only 33% of students strongly agreed that they could “motivate others to serve and work collaboratively.” After a year of leadership training, 79% of students strongly agreed and 21% agreed that they can motivate others to work collaboratively.

In Her Own Words

“ASB provided a way into the Thayne Center for Service &

Learning, a department I have grown to love and appreciate. It is the reason I can continue in

school with an accomplished and driven feeling. Having the

opportunity to be more involved keeps my motivation high and requires that I am continually, actively engaging in making

things better in society. I continue to have willpower and desire as a

result of feeling that I need to help those who are unable to help

themselves, advocate for those who can not advocate for

themselves, and bring awareness to issues overlooked.”

(Whitney Rose)

Anonymous Comment Submitted on Final Evaluation

“Service Council was an incredible eye-opener for me. I

have been civically engaged throughout the entire year, while

being actively involved in my education. I took 19 credit hours this semester and did over 100

hours of community service. I feel like my perspectives on

humanitarianism, politics, economy, and environment have all changed and grown. This is

solely because of my experience with Service Council. This was

one of the best years of my life. I have changed so much.”


Alternative Spring Break {ASB}

Travel can be a powerful experience. Traveling with a group of fellow students who commit to forgo a week of vacation for the opportunity to volunteer, is life-changing.

Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is a program that teaches students about social issues and then sends them as volunteers into communities outside their own.

We carried out two trips in the 2010 ASB program. One group of students went to Seattle, Washington to work on environmental restoration projects. A second group of students went to Kanab, Utah to

volunteer at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Our ASB program is structured around four specific learning outcomes: heightened awareness, leadership development, empowerment, social change.

Though we have coordinated ASB trips for nearly 15 years, the 2010 ASB trips are the first trips that we have formally assessed. Students completed a pre-test before the trip, and those same students completed a post-test once they came home.

An interesting thing happened in analyzing the results. Once the 19 questions were benchmarked pre- to post-test, only four responses changed with any statistical significance.

Volunteering with Earth Corps in Seattle.

VITAL STATS

{ 2009-2010 }26 participants

2 trips

960 hours

$20,016worth of service to the community


Upon further investigation, the responses were highly positive to begin with. In other words, students who opt into an ASB experience already agree or strongly agree with statements such as: “I am able to appraise my leadership abilities and areas for improvement.”

Recognizing Community Needs

Within the learning outcome of heightened awareness, we claim that the ASB experience will not only raise awareness of societal issues, but that students specifically become aware of these issues through direct service.

Prior to the ASB trips, 92.31% of students strongly or moderately agreed that they were able to recognize community needs. Ninety-two percent is markedly high to begin with, and yet, 100% of students upon returning from ASB said they can recognize community needs. The students who strongly agreed actually increased a full 25 points, from 50 to 75%.

Contribute to Community Efforts

The learning outcome of empowerment claims that students gain skills and knowledge that empower them to become active, informed community members.

To this end, students were asked if they were able to utilize personal skills and abilities to

contribute to community efforts. Prior to the ASB experience, 88.46% of students either strongly or moderately agreed that they could in fact utilize their skills. This is a high percentage, but once again our post-trip data shows a perfect 100% of students said they were empowered to use their skills to build community.

Diversity & Social Change

In explaining the learning outcome of social change, we claim that students not only work toward a more just and peaceful society, but that they do so with an understanding and respect for diversity.

Ninety-six percent of students strongly or moderately agreed,

prior to ASB, that they sought involvement with people different from themselves. A full 100% of students after the trip now seek engagement with diversity. What is significant, however, is that only 50% of students prior to the trip strongly agreed, whereas 83.33% of students strongly agreed after the trip, an increase of 33.33%.

Create Opportunities for Growth

The fourth statistically significant result deals with the learning outcome of leadership development. An effective leader is characterized, in part, by her/his ability to empower others and create opportunities for growth and improvement.

When students were asked if they were able to perform that function of leadership prior to the trip, only 88% of students strongly or moderately agreed. After the ASB experience, 100% of students are confident in their ability to lead by empowering others and creating opportunities for growth.

In Her Own Words

“Before going to Best Friends, I didn’t know how one voice can help make a difference. After

spending time there, I now know that my voice can help.”

(Linda Peck)

In Her Own Words

“I went on ASB to learn about how Best Friends addresses

issues all around the nation and how I could help in my own

community. It was even more beneficial than I could have

imagined! I learned so much in such little time.”

(Autumn Salinas)

In His Own Words

“I learned about planting trees, team work, and how good it would be if all human beings

started thinking about the environment more. I have

personally changed a lot since I came back. I do not waste as

much as I used to.”

(Safiullah Alemi)


Service-LearningService-learning combines

community service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking, and personal and civic responsibility. Service-learning programs involve students in activities that address community-identified needs, while developing their academic skills and commitment to their community. (American Association of Community Colleges)

The SLCC service-learning program focuses on cultivating community partnerships, facilitating course development, and supporting faculty who

engage in this innovative pedagogy.

The Service Learning Grant & Designation program was instituted in the fall of 2004. Since that time, SLCC has awarded 37 grants to faculty, resulting in 52 service-learning course designations, including the Occupational Therapy Assistant Engaged Department. Over the past four academic years, an average of 90 service-learning sections are taught per semester.

In 2009-2010, a total of 4,507 students enrolled in 213 service-learning sections, serving 51,575 hours in our community. Their service had an economic impact of $1,075,338.

Professor

Lambert with

two of her

students.

VITAL STATS

{ 2009-2010 }4,507 students

51,575 hours

213 sections

$1,075,338worth of service to the community


Assessment Results

Though service-learning course evaluation instruments are made available online to any faculty member wishing to use them, it is the current policy of the of the Thayne Center to assess newly-designated service-learning classes during the first semester in which they are taught.

Historically, this was accomplished through a time-intensive process involving paper evaluation forms and a manual tabulation of results. However, 2009-2010 was the second year we utilized online evaluation forms. There is a separate evaluation form for students, community partner organizations, and faculty members, creating triangulated results that ensure a well-rounded assessment of the service-learning experience.

This year the program designated an historically low number of courses: one course for fall semester and one course for spring semester, for a total of two courses. The quality of the service-learning experience, however, was exemplary. Fall Semester 2009

English 1810: Writing Center Theory and Practice, received service-learning designation and was scheduled to be taught in fall semester. Unfortunately, enrollments did not meet

capacity and the course did not carry. Efforts are currently underway to recruit and enroll students in this new course.

Spring Semester 2010

Business 1040: Ethics at Work, is designed with an optional service-learning experience. One student took advantage of this opportunity and partnered with the American Red Cross.

In addition to working full-time, this student performed a minimum of 20 hours of service. The student reports he was not performing community service prior to this course. On his final evaluation, he not only said that he would continue to volunteer, he specifically said that decision was due to his service-learning experience in BUS 1040.

The student agreed that he used his knowledge and skills from the academic discipline of the course to benefit the community partner, that he more fully understood course content because of service-learning, and that structured critical reflection activities tied the service work to course content.

Furthermore, the student strongly agreed that structured critical reflection tied his work to the concept of civic responsibility, and that the instructor effectively guided the reflection process. The student also strongly agreed

that his work provided a needed service to the community.

To add to the student’s perspective, the American Red Cross strongly agreed that the student’s service-learning work furthered the mission of the agency, improved the agency’s ability to meet community needs, increased the number of clients served, and also lightened staff workloads.

Areas for Improvement

There are two primary areas in which not only BUS 1040 could improve, but in which the entire service-learning program could improve.

The American Red Cross remarked that they had little to no contact with the faculty member or with the Thayne Center. Reciprocal communication with the faculty member ensures the organization understands course goals and learning objectives, a hallmark differentiating service-learning from non-academic volunteerism.

Communication with the Thayne Center ensures a more sustainable partnership overtime. For example, the organization stated that they were unaware of The Exchange online partnership database. Two full-time AmeriCorps VISTAs working in the Thayne Center are charged with solidifying the process of community partnerships.


Community Partnerships

Beginning April 2009 the Thayne Center team welcomed two full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members. Volunteers in Service to America was founded in 1965, then in 1993 the initiative was incorporated into the AmeriCorps national service program. VISTAs work across the country at nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and in our case, at institutions of higher-ed.

The Thayne Center’s AmeriCorps VISTA team is tasked to strengthen partnerships with nonprofit organizations in our community.

They first conducted a needs assessment and partnership audit. It is one thing to say we have 237 organizations in our online database, but what processes are in place for sustaining truly reciprocal partnerships?

With a 27% response rate, 62 organizations submitted the online survey. A series of 15 focus groups and/or personal interviews were then conducted to round out the data. Over 58% of the respondents have partnered with SLCC students within the past two years; however, 33% of respondents have not worked with our students in the past two years, if ever.

VITAL STATS

Students

planting trees

in Seattle.

{ 2009-2010 }237 nonprofit,

government, and community organizations

are registered online as partners of the Thayne Center.


What is particularly interesting about this finding is that it speaks to the fact that organizations who have not yet worked with our students are still willing to take time and provide feedback on our partnership processes and their needs. In turn, that speaks to the fact that we have much room to grow and many new partnerships to explore.

Increasing Capacity

Of the 58% of respondents who have partnered with our students, 72% say that students furthered the mission of their agency.

Sixty percent moderately or strongly agree that students improved the agency’s ability to

meet community needs. Exactly half said our students’ work directly increased the number of clients served.

Sixty percent also strongly or moderately agree that student volunteers lightened the workload of the organization’s staff, with 69.76% saying the management of students entailed an

appropriate time commitment from their staff members.

Logistics & Coordination

Fifty-six percent of respondents said students were well prepared and completed projects within a sufficient time period. When asked if students were reliable, 62.51% strongly or moderately agreed. The same percentage, 62.51% said that students performed as expected. 65.63% were satisfied with their communication with students.

However, after reading all of the qualitative responses, it is evident that many community organizations feel confused and frustrated. Granted, there are some who have navigated the process and established lasting, successful partnerships with SLCC; however, most are waiting in good faith for a viable, accessible opportunity to work with our students.

Problems Inherent in the Study

The most significant problem is that this study is not replicable - at least not replicable in a true longitudinal sense of benchmarking responses from the same partners over time. In other words, we could redistribute the survey, but that will not tell us if we addressed concerns submitted in the last batch of responses, or if the

responses are from entirely new organizations, etc.

Also, there was no distinction made between service-learning students specifically and any general volunteer who went to an organization as an SLCC student.

The problem with this is that we take great care in our designated service-learning courses to prepare students and articulate clear learning outcomes and goals. If there has been a breakdown in this process, or if the processes needs to be revisited and revamped, that would’ve been useful information to tease out of the results.

While not necessarily a problem with the study itself, but rather an issue of follow up, it should be noted that these responses were submitted in fall 2009. In other words, prior to eight months of concentrated partnership work done by our 2009-2010 VISTAs. We have yet to assess what impact that work might have had. We need to continue to seek ways to replicate partnership studies and build stronger bonds.

“My organization will not survive without the Thayne Center

partnership.”

“The Thayne Center is an invaluable resource that any

organization can utilize.”

“I would like a working relationship with faculty.”

“Students do not seem to understand and realize how

important the work they do is.”


Now what?Lessons for 2010-2011

Service Council

The Service Council is by far one of our most successful programs. This success is due, in part, to the fact that it is coordinated by a full-time professional staff member. The students receive intensive training throughout the entire academic year and the near perfect results of our assessment are not surprising to us.

However, one of the challenges inherent in any student leadership program is that we only have one year, two if we’re lucky, with these student leaders. This year we instituted a mentoring structure within the Service Council to mediate this issue. Second-year council members became team leaders, mentoring first-year council members.

We received feedback from second-year students that they need specific, targeted training related to mentoring and conflict resolution skills. This training will be instituted summer 2010 and throughout 2010-2011. This innovation to the structure of

Service Council lends itself to continued assessment efforts.

Alternative Spring Break

Our assessment indicates in no uncertain terms that students who opt into an ASB experience are already highly engaged, socially aware students. Qualitative responses tell us, however, that the educational component built into the ASB experience (through pre-trip meetings and on-site lectures) is important to students. As such, we will continue this practice.

The Thayne Center might be missing an opportunity to engage ASB participants in other programs after their trip is complete. There are stories of students, Michael Whitney and Whitney Rose most notably, who’s first point of contact with the center was ASB and who continued to be highly engaged in other Thayne Center programs. However, there has never been an explicit, concentrated effort to recruit and retain ASB students in other programs. This is an area

for improvement and for future assessment.

Service-Learning

The service-learning program has been without a full-time coordinator since September 2009. The program continued to offer course development grants and was responsive to individual faculty requests for instructional design and mentoring; however, the center has not had the staff capacity to be proactive in planning faculty development initiatives.

The program has a rich history of innovation and when the new coordinator begins work this fall, she will build on this rich history. Some program priorities include: Proactive outreach to faculty and departments, creating training opportunities for faculty and community partners, strengthening our relationship with Academic Affairs, and a reassessment of the most effective way to distribute course evaluations and gather quantitative data about the program’s effectiveness.


Now what?Lessons for 2010-2011...continued

Community Partnerships

Higher-ed service centers across the country struggle with assessing their true impact on community and struggle to find the best way to manage partnerships with large, diverse groups of community organizations.

The Thayne Center is no exception. In fact, community partner coordination has been a recognized deficiency of our center for years. Each program staff manages relationships with

those organizations that further her program and the work of her students. However, the center as a whole has never had a staff member dedicated to community partnerships and outreach efforts.

Eighty-one percent of survey respondents strongly agreed that their partnership with the Thayne Center could be strengthened. When asked for suggestions as to how we make that happen, responses included everything from simple “communication,” to the critique, “I have only been directed to The Exchange. A representative from the U of U came out to see our organization.”

This critique speaks directly to the issue of staff capacity. Without a staff member dedicated to community partnership development, existing staff are at or beyond capacity, only able to focus on program-specific partnerships.

The two full-time AmeriCorps VISTAs working 2009-2010 attempted to lay a foundation for

stronger partnerships, but a great deal of work still falls to the 2010-2011 VISTAs. Personal contact is being made with every single organization in our database, site visits and individual meetings are being arranged, and a formal partnership agreement document is being created.

Yet - AmeriCorps is a temporary solution. In a literal sense, our grant through Utah Campus Compact will come to an end by 2012, but also in a philosophical sense. Salt Lake Community College has demonstrated incredible institutional support for the Thayne Center, our staff, and our programs. We are recognized nationally among the top tier community college service centers; and yet, we do not have the capacity to build sustainable, reciprocal, accessible community partnerships.

The work the VISTAs do this year, and the assessment results of that work, will directly effect our request for funding for a full-time coordinator position.

“[We need] more one-on-one contact, not just a general newsletter with volunteer

opportunities.”

“Personal contact would be helpful.”

“I feel like the community college does not support

service-learning the way the U of U or Westminster does.”


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THA

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YO

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A special thank-you to Thayne Center staff who work tirelessly to make these exemplary programs and services available to our SLCC students.

Gail Jessen, Director and Service-Learning CoordinatorJean Young, Student Employee

Lesa Bird, Secretary / Office ManagerLinnie Spor, Service Leadership Coordinator

Lynne McCue-Hamilton, America Reads / AmeriCorps Coordinator2009-2010 AmeriCorps VISTAs Colleen McNutt and Treva Woody

2009-2010 Graduate Research Assistant Silvia Ibarra Garcia

Thank you to our colleagues at SLCC, to service-learning faculty, and to community partner organizations who make this work possible. Thank you also to our Community and Academic Advisory Board members. As always, it is an honor to do this work with students in the name of Emma Lou Thayne.

2009-2010 Annual Assessment | Thayne Center for Service & Learning

Documents

alternative

staff member

specic learning

year council

students strongly

moderately

learning outcomes

strongly agreed