Engagement and Service- Learning: Benefits and Essential Strategies Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D. Senior Scholar, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Mar 30, 2015
Engagement and Service-Learning: Benefits and Essential Strategies
Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.
Senior Scholar, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Successful 21st Century Institutions must be:
• Intentional• Coherent• Focused• Integrated• Responsive• Autonomous in a context of mission-based
accountability• Driven by shared governance across stakeholders
– more democratic
Engagement and Higher Education
• Engagement aligns the intellectual assets (knowledge generation and dissemination) of the institution with public issues and questions as a way of strengthening teaching/research and the community’s capacity.
• Recognizes interdependent knowledge relationships – The nexus of intellectual, political, social, cultural, economic needs and assets
The Benefits of Engagement
• Response to accountability pressures• Counteract the overly-vocational focus of students• Improve town-gown relations• Improve shared governance• Recruitment, retention of faculty and students• Better learning; needs of contemporary students• New forms and modes of research including
undergraduate research• New streams of revenue; donor involvement
Incentives and Reputational Factors are Changing
• Incorporation of engagement into regional accreditation processes
• Federal research funding criteria• Potential for state support (e.g.,VA, KY)• Introduction into classifications/rankings-Carnegie
and US News & World Report• International commitment to engagement• Student demand for service-learning• Evidence of impact on student outcomes
Higher Ed Service-Learning Stats
• More than a third of postsecondary instit.
• Half of all community colleges
• 29% of students in SL (Compact members)
• Most SL focuses on tutoring/mentoring youth, health, environment, social issues
• Most partnerships are with non-profit organizations or schools
SL in Schools
• 69% of schools engaged students in service
• Approx 15 million students involved in SL
• Profound impact on academic achievement, school climate, student engagement
• Effects greater for students from low SES
• Maryland requires SL in all schools
• HS graduates look for SL in college
International Service-learning
• South Africa, India, Phillipines, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway….
• 9 nations at SL Research Conference• Greater emphasis on student voice• Similar goals to US, plus nation-bldg,
development of philanthropy, service, NGO sector, cross-cultural understanding
Overall Impacts of Engagement• Service-Learning is spreading across K-20 • Engagement is diversifying postsecondary
institutions• Global interest is making engagement a core
element of research excellence and institutional reputation/prestige
• Engaged learning matches the “new student”• Engagement is building awareness of the role of
higher education in creating “public good”• Challenges of quality design and practice remain!
Service-Learning:
Combines service activities and learning objectives with the intent that the activity benefit both the recipient and the provider. This is accomplished by linking learning to community-based tasks supported by structured reflections and guided explorations of related aspects of knowledge, skills and values.
Service-Learning Quality
• Academic credit for learning, not service• Rigorous and specific learning objectives• Structured reflection on both learning and
service outcomes• Thorough orientation of students• Community involvement in design; clear
roles and responsibilities• A collaborative approach to teaching
Service-Learning Challenges• Definitions, stereotypes, perceptions – The
problem with the “S” word• Setting clear and specific goals
– For student learning– For community benefit
• Coherence across curricular and co-curricular service-learning; logic of the learning experience– How much? Where in curr? To what end?
• Documentation/measurement of impacts• Visibility – internal and external
K12 SL Research Findings
• More control group studies• Measurement of elements of SL on outcomes
– #1 Duration – at least a semester
– #2 Directness of community involvement
– #3 Cognitively challenging activity and reflection
• The more responsibility, autonomy and choice students have – the greater the effects (Billig, 2005)
Higher Ed SL Research Findings
• Increases retention and progress-to-degree; aligns with needs of the “new” student body
• Makes learning relevant, effective, transforming• Influences career and course of study• Develops social responsibility, multicultural
understanding and leadership• Encourages students to be active in campus and
community life• Must be integrated into courses, major/gen ed
• Improved higher order thinking skills; analysis, understanding complex problems
• Civic responsibility, citizenship• Commitment to service• Career awareness/skills – awareness of options,
clarity of choice, technical skills• Personal outcomes – self-esteem, empowerment• Social outcomes – pro-social behaviors,
reduction of risky behaviors
Other Research Findings
Summary of SL Effects on Learning
Service-Learning
Academic Outcomes
Self-esteemEmpowerment
Prosocial behaviorsMotivation
Engagement
Clearly definedprogrammatic features
Mediating Factors
Successful Strategies• Discuss graduate attributes and learning objectives• Create a plan or pathway for service-learning• Invest in faculty development; incentives• Recognize diverse approaches; start with trial
courses and interested faculty• Create supportive infrastructure• Sustain partnerships relationships• Document and evaluate process and outcomes• Collaborate with other institutions; peer exchange;
build on existing good practices and literature
Trends in Service-Learning
• Attention to explicit learning goals• Service-learning and diversity• Greater involvement of partners as teachers• International service-learning – here and abroad• Service-learning in teacher preparation• Graduate service-learning• Service-learning capstones, minors, 1st Yr.• SL and undergraduate research
Students and Engaged Research
• Duke: “Research service-learning” courses involve students and faculty in research on community-identified needs.
• Similar programs:Brown CornellGeorgetown HarvardPrinceton MinnesotaMichigan Wisconsin
Resources
• Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (umich.edu/~mjcsl)– SL Course Design Workbook
• Campus Compact Introduction to SL Toolkit (Compact.org)• Community-Campus Partnerships for Health• International Service-Learning Research Conference• International Partnership for Service-Learning• American Association of Community Colleges – Horizons• American Association of State Colleges and Universities – American
Democracy Project; Stewardship of Place• Conference on Service-Learning at Faith-based Colleges and
Universities (messiah.edu)• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
(servicelearning.org)
Contact Information
Barbara A. Holland, Ph.D.
Senior Scholar
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Phone: 503-638-9424
E-mail:[email protected]
www.servicelearning.org