Introduction to Service-Learning for Students

1. Introduction to Service-Learning for Students

2. What is Service-Learning? Reciprocal Partnership Need/Interest defined by community Meaningful integration with course content Critical Reflection to “harvest” learning from community Credit/Assessment based on demonstration of learning

3. Service-Learning is… “Service-Learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development” (Jacoby, 1996).

4. Criteria for UVM SL Courses There are 5 criteria for designation • It is a credit-bearing undergraduate and/or graduate level course. • It integrates service and academic course content so that each significantly informs and enhances the other. • There are planned benefits for the community partner and the students; and the service addresses a need and follows processes that are mutually agreed upon by the partner agencies and the instructor. • Student course assessment and credit are based upon the demonstration of student learning including critical reflection regarding the integration of the service and the academic course content. • The course actively guides and supports students in critical reflection regarding the integration of the service and the academic course content.

5. Office of Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning MISSION To connect the university and community as partners in addressing real-world challenges through engaged scholarship and transformative learning experiences.

6. What We Do • Support faculty in developing service-learning and community-engaged courses at UVM • Connect community partners to faculty and students at UVM • Provide service and community-based learning opportunities for students

7. Benefits of Service-Learning • For the Faculty: • Creates a collaborative, experiential classroom experience for students, making faculty impact more lasting. • Offers opportunities to test theories on real problems. • Provides access to interview, survey, and other data. • Creates a collaborative partnership that can help in securing funding. • For the Institution: • Positively impacts student retention. • Enhances teaching, research, and program development. • Increases institution’s awareness of societal issues as they relate to academic areas of interest. • Engages faculty and students in local and state community issues. • Provides opportunities to extend College’s knowledge and resources.

8. Benefits of Service-Learning • For the Student: • Applies concepts from the classroom to real-world experiences, enhancing understanding and retention. • Increases meaningful connections to faculty, other students, and community. • Provides platforms to analyze and discuss civic, personal, and professional development. • Increases sense of self-efficacy, analytical skills, and social development. • A “high-impact practice” increasing retention & academic challenge • For the Community: • Enhances positive relationships with the college. • Provides awareness-building of community issues, agencies, and constituents. • Contributes to positive exposure in the community. • Creates ways to expand current services by providing both technical and research support, actual onsite work. • May help to secure outside funding.

9. Student Development in S-L Service-learning is a “high-impact practice” and has demonstrated effects on students in six domains: • Academic and Cognitive Development • Civic Development • Career Development • Ethical and Moral Development • Personal Development • Social Development

10. Partnerships “Service-Learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development” (Jacoby, 1996).

11. Key Element of Service-Learning Reciprocity… • Equal benefit and investment; • Every individual, organization, and entity involved in service-learning functions as both a teacher and a learner. • (From: http://www.compact.org/aboutcc/glossary/glossary.html#reciprocity)

12. Principles of Good Practice • Agreed upon goals and values • Mutual trust, authenticity, and commitment • Identifying and addressing strengths and weaknesses • Balance of power and sharing of resources • Open Communication • Collaborative process • Feedback for improvement • Sharing of responsibility • Committing time and resources From Cress et al. (2005), Learning Through Serving

13. Partnership Facilitation • Managing Expectations • Help students limit scope and timeline • Appropriate project matches to student skills • Communication is Key • Syllabus to Partners • Maintain regular and planned communication • Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement CUPS Community Partner Survey

14. Reflection “Service-Learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development” (Jacoby, 1996).

15. The Learning Cycle • According to David Kolb’s Learning Cycle (the process that participants go through in experiential learning), reflection is one of the four stages in the process that students will be exploring. Concrete experience Concrete experience Observation and Active experimentation Reflection Forming abstract concepts

16. PARE Model Preparation Action • What is the community need? • What do you hope to learn? • Time you spend doing the project • Reciprocal • Addresses a community need Evaluation Reflection • Adjust as necessary • Continuous • Captures your learning

17. Characteristics of quality reflection • Clearly communicate ideas and analysis. • Critically examine experiences with • Relevance, Accuracy, Clarity • Depth, Breadth, Logic, and Significance • Explore connections between academic and service components. • Seek alternative explanations for incidents

18. Reflection… • Reflection is not just about telling what you did, it’s about making connections between the service and the learning, thinking critically about your experience, and going beyond the surface to uncover the less obvious aspects of the experience.

19. Continuous Reflection Model During Service Reflection Pre-Service Reflection Post-Service Reflection

20. For more information: www.uvm.edu/partnerships 656-0095, partnerships@uvm.edu SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER • Training & development • Institute for Community-Engaged Learning • Individual Consultation • Syllabus Feedback • Reflection Assignment Construction • Partner Facilitation • Implementation Support • Service-Learning Implementation Grants • Service-Learning Teaching Assistant Program • Resources • Service-Learning, Engaged Pedagogy and CBR Library • Faculty, Student & Community Partner Guides • Examples in the Disciplines • Sample Syllabi, Reflection and Partnership Materials

21. University of VermontCommunity-University Partnerships and Service-Learninguvm.edu/partnerships – partners@uvm.edu – 802-656-0095 Questions or Comments?