Community-Based Service-Learning @ St. John Fisher College Rochester, NY

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Community-Based Service-Learning

@ St. John Fisher CollegeRochester, NY

Dr. Lynn Donahue, Coordinator – Center for Experiential Learning

Service-Learning Faculty Training

May 2012

2 Definition of Service-LearningLife Biography creation

with St. John’s Home

ENG 425: English Senior Seminar

WGST 101: Introduction to Women’s Studies Service-learning is a teaching

and learning strategy that integrates meaningful

community service with instruction and reflection to

enrich the learning experience, teach civic

responsibility, and strengthen communities.

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1. Meaningful Service: Service meets real community needs and is sustainable over multiple semesters. It acknowledges the wisdom and skills of our community partners.

2. Student Learning: Service work meets course goals. It increases the meaningfulness of course material and enhances students’ learning.

3. Reflection: Assignments link course content with service. Reflection results in learning from service.

Criteria for Community-Based Service-Learning

Minimum # of Hours: 15;

Average # of Hours: 20

Optional or Required

Capacity-Building or Client Support

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1. Volunteerism and Community Service: 1. Focus more on community and the service.2. No integration with academic courses.

2. Field Education and Internships: 1. Focus more on student and learning.2. Has academic component, but not always integrated with an academic course.

3. Service Scholars and First Generation Scholars: 1. Focus is on both the community and the student.2. No integration with a 3-credit academic course.

4. Community-Based Service-Learning: 1. Focuses on both students and community and service and student learning. 2. Service is integrated with a 3-credit academic course. 3. Projects tend to be semester-long and sustainable.

Continuum of Community-Based Experiential LearningCommunity

Partner/Service

Student/Learning

Volunteerism &Community Service

(SWAV; Teddi)

Service Scholars & 1st Gen. Scholars

Service-Learning Field Education & Internships in the major

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Arts and Science

Management, Nursing, and Pharmacy

American Social Justice Student teams worked with Saint’s Place to assist with resettlement.

Environmental Studies In partnership with Cobblestone School, students developed a Sustainability Fair.

Analytical Chemistry II Lab Students conducted water analysis in partnership with Monroe County Department of Environment.

Digital Literacies Students provide training to St. John’s Home elders on Facebook

Promotions Management Students created promotional campaigns for Southeast small businesses

Management Capstone Students created a campaign to market the selling of Coffee Connection’s fair-trade coffee.

Multicultural Community Health In partnership with St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, students assessed the benefits of a unique health care model.

Pharmacy of Cancer Students will conduct educational workshops for agencies like Gilda’s Club.

Sample Service-Learning Courses

CI & A Primary Literacy Students designed and created new learning centers for a partner City schools

Collaboration for Inclusion Students researched topics of need for parents of children with exceptional needs through a partnership with the Advocacy Center

Diversity in American Society Students provided workshops and research for Catholic Family Services.

Education

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Program GoalsSoil testing for presence

of lead for SE neighborhoods

CHEM 315: Analytical Chemistry Lab

CHEM 412: Advanced Topics Chemistry

Increase capacity within nonprofits in three primary areas of need impacted by the economic downturn: Health Care and Wellness Housing and Economic Development Youth and Education

Create sustainable, reciprocally beneficial service-

learning partnerships within nonprofit organizations and neighborhoods in the city of Rochester.

Create opportunities for SJFC students to engage in two types of service-learning:

1. Client Support2. Capacity-Building Projects

Cultivate students’ academic, professional, personal, and civic development.

 Youth:

The Advocacy Center Center for Youth Cobblestone School East High School Monroe YMCA Teen City Red Cross Next Generation Leaders

Program Safe to be Smart at Rochester Public

Library

Partnerships have been created based on those that 1) have been significantly impacted by the economic downturn, 2) have identified needs for client support and/or asset-based/capacity-building service-learning projects, 3) are located in or serving the Southeast neighborhood of Rochester, and 4) have the resources to support SL students.

Housing:

Bethany House Catholic Family Services Mary’s Place NeighborWorks Rochester Rochester Interfaith Hospitality Network Saint’s Place SEAC Sojourner House Volunteers of America - Residential Services

Health Care:

AIDS Care American Red Cross CP Rochester St. John’s Home Rochester Roots St. Joseph Neighborhood Center Neighborhood Soil and Water Testing South Wedge Farmer’s Market

South East Neighborhood:

Highland Park Neighborhood Association Southeast Area Coalition (SEAC) SouthWedge Planning Committee Upper Monroe Avenue Neighborhood (TREC; Street

Manager)

Community-Based Service-Learning Partners

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Growth of CBSL at SJFC(funded by CNCS Learn and Serve America)

2008-2009 (Pi-lot Year)

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

0

200

400

600

# SL Students# SL Course Sections

Fisher students: 533

Course Sections: 38

Faculty: 28Community Partner

Projects: 60

Fisher students: 640

Course Sections: 38

Faculty: 21 Community

Partner Projects: 71

Fisher students: 360

Course Sections : 23

Faculty: 14 Community Partner

Projects: 42

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Research and Theory that inform CBSL at Fisher

PROBLEM-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING: “PBSL engages students working in teams in the solving of real, community-based problems. Through PBSL, students are presented with problems and asked to seek authentic and viable solutions” (Gordon, 2003).

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN: Learning is profoundly influenced by the social relationships individuals engage in and is enhanced by “emotionally resonant, challenging situations involving multiplicity of inputs that allows students to make connections among ideas and experiences (Caine and Caine, 1997 as stated in Gordon, 2003).

CONSTRUCTIVISM: Knowledge is not fixed, but “socially constructed” by individuals’ interactions with others and their environment. Cognitive conflict is the stimulus for learning and determines the natures of what is learned (Savery and Duffy, 1995).

DEWEY AND FREIRE: Their theories of the importance of experience, reflective activity, citizenship, community, and democracy informed the emergence of service-learning (Giles and Eyler, 1994). While many of their theories overlap, they depart on the ideological purposes of education and Freire engaged in critical reflections of race, class, and power.

KOLB: Illustrated the importance of combining individual action with reflective thinking to develop greater understanding of course content through an Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1994).

SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL OF LEADERSHIP: Increasing students’ ability to take initiative and serve as leaders during the service-learning process can occur through the incorporation of three leadership principles: Community, Collaboration, and Common Purpose (Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA, 1993)

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A Commitment to Maximizing Community Impact Through

Stoeker’s 3 C’s

1. Commitment:1. To long-term, sustainable relationships.2. To meeting community partners’ needs (not just student learning goals) and

mutually beneficial outcomes.3. To collaborating with vs. providing service to the community.

2. Communication:1. Within a student-professor-organization triad.2. That’s frequent, open, honest, and consistent in order to build trust and clarify

goals, expectations, and resources.3. About the issues that impact our partners, an important step in finding solutions.

3. Compatibility:1. Between the students’ course learning goals and the needs of a community

organization.2. Between the students’ skill sets, culture, and academic schedule and the demands,

culture, and schedules of the community partner.

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A Commitment to Maximizing Student Learning

C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T A N D C O M M U N I T Y L E A R N I N G :

Understanding of community, population, diversity, and cultural perspectives

Understanding of relevant public policies and historical perspectives

Increased civic engagement and activism

Adapted from Center for Community-Service Learning.  California State University; Rubin, 2001.

Content Learning, Discipline-Specific, Critical Thinking

Enhanced meaning of disciplinary learning/subject-matter content

Application of course concepts within a real world context

Use of service-learning as text and evidence within research, analysis, and writing

Inter and Intra-personal Learning: Enhanced collaborative learning and effective communication Enhanced professional competencies and working with clients and agency

staff. Development of self-efficacy and empathy

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Putting it All Together - The Time-LinePreparation:Create meaningful service partners and projects that address a real community need and student learning goals.

Define course goals met through SL. Decide how service goals will meet course goals and vice versa.

Determine how you will prepare students to tasks, expectations, and social/contextual issues and front-load with knowledge and skills.

Action:Orient students to tasks, expectations and social/contextual issues.

Communicate logistics of students supervision and project benchmarks.

Assign reflection assignments to connect service with course content, problem-solve, and reflect about perceptions.

Conclusion and Dissemination:Create opportunities to recognize, honor, and thank work done by students and community partners.

Disseminate results of service work to community partner.

Provide opportunities for students to share results with each other and possibly with college community.

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Challenges Solutions

Communication

Student Preparation and Learning

Meeting community partner needs

Memorandum of Understanding:An MOU is completed and shared that outlines partner needs and desired outcomes, faculty course assignments and schedule, and student responsibilities.

Podcast and Reflection Assignments:Students are shown an Introduction to SL Podcast on expectations and safety and sign an Agreement form. Reflection and relevant assignments are created to bridge the service with the learning.

Scaffolding with Project Schedule andProcess Support: Depending on the course, create a work plan and time-line for projects; require drafts of students’ work and mid-semester meetings with partner and faculty.

Challenges

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For More Information:

Community-Based Service-Learning Website and Showcase Site: http://www.sjfc.edu/academics/servicelearning/

Dr. Lynn DonahueCoordinator, Service-Learning Program and Center for Experiential Learning Phone: 585.385-7342

Dr. Jennifer RossiCo-Chair, Service-Learning Advisory BoardPhone: 585.385.8110

Dr. Deborah VanderbiltCo-Chair, Service-Learning Advisory BoardPhone: 585.385.8193