Developing a New Academic Service-Learning Course

What is Academic Service-Learning (ASL)?• Academic service-learning – A teaching method that combines community

service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility.

• An  academic service-learning course:• Uses experiential strategies characterized by

student participation in an organized service activity• Is connected to specific learning outcomes • Meets identified community needs • Provides structured time for students to analyze and

connect the service experience to learning• Adapted from: Heffernan, K. (2001). Fundamentals

of service-learning course connection. Providence: Campus Compact.

Getting Started• Goals today– Provide each of you with a formulaic

approach;– Examples in engineering and the

humanities;– Ask you to participate each step of the

way; and– Establish a Circle of Trust in which we all

share.

Some Questions for Reflection

• What is/are the purposes of higher education?– Is it to generate wealth?– Is it to enable students to become model

employees?– Or is it something else?– Your thoughts?

• Why are we university faculty members?– Again, your thoughts?

Making Connections with Academic Service-Learning

• I would suspect that..– we each care about the quality of the

education we provide; and– we want to make a difference in the

world.• I would submit that service learning

does both equally well.• Let’s begin!

Academic Service-Learning Across the University

• Humanities– BU Scholars Program– SCHL 280 Peace : An Historical Reflection

• 4 credit hour course• Gen Ed: H• Fall 2011

• Engineering– BE 450/451 Senior Level Capstone Design

• 2 semesters• 4 credit hours per semester• Requires a major design experience

BU Scholars ProgramSCHL 280 Peace : An Historical Reflection• Partnerships in BU Scholars Program• The Rescue Mission (http://rescuemission.net/)• The Rescue Mission is a grassroots organization offering

programs to help people physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually.

• The programs are holistic and involve the elements of personal responsibility, self-determination and an internal transformation of values and vision resulting in a restoration of self-respect. The homeless, the hungry, the sick, the addicted, the abused and the hopeless have all found a warm welcome at the Rescue Mission. Men, women and children have found a safe place and compassionate friends in their darkest moments. 

EngineeringBE 450/451 Senior Level Capstone Design• Partnerships in Capstone Bioengineering

• TRAID Program in NYS (http://cqc.ny.gov/advocacy/assistive-technology/traid-program)

 • TRAID’s goal is to increase the access and acquisition of assistive

technology in the four domain areas of education, employment, community living and information technology/telecommunications. Through the 12 Regional TRAID Centers (RTCs), staff provide information, training, device demonstration and loan, technical assistance and advocacy on how to obtain and use assistive technology services and devices. The TRAID Program, in collaboration with the NYS Department of Health Early Intervention Program, provides partial funding to the RTCs for equipment loan libraries for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. 

 

EngineeringBE 450/451 Senior Level Capstone Design• Partnerships in Capstone Bioengineering• Corazon de Dahlia (http://www.corazondedahlia.org/) • To collaborate with Peruvian communities to facilitate sustainable, healthy

development and provide educational opportunities to empower children and families.

 • “We provide children and families with opportunities for social and

academic enrichment, emphasizing respect for the people and land around them. Children thrive when they have a structure in place where they are nurtured and feel safe from physical and sexual abuse. Our Center for the Promotion of Child & Family Development is a social and educational project, in which we will develop skills and values through various outlets such as social development, cultural awareness, literacy proficiency, and mental health. We will improve the quality of life for children, families, and the society at large by offering tangible alternatives in order to advance their education through training, guidance, counseling, and support.”

 

Step One: Course Outline• Develop a brief description of your course

– What type of course do you want to develop?– What are the goals and learning outcomes of the course?– In what way(s) do you want to incorporate service-learning?

Step Two: StakeholdersFor consideration…• For whom are you

creating value or benefits?

• Who are your most important stakeholders?

StudentsCommunity MembersColleaguesAlumniAdministratorsNGOsBusinessesGovernmentUniversitiesPublicOther

Step Two: Impacts and Benefits

• What impact will your ASL course have on each stakeholder?

• Which of your stakeholders’ problems are you helping to solve?

• What services (or products) are you offering to each stakeholder segment?

• Which stakeholder needs are you satisfying? How will they benefit?

Practical assistance towards a sustainable community?

Community-based services Infrastructure development Professional development Student retention Enhanced learning Other

SCHL 280 Peace : An Historical Reflection

BE 450/451 Senior Level Capstone Design

Step Three: Key Activities

Information Sessions Direct engagement with

stakeholders Research/education Community Project Public Symposium Other

- What key activities need to take place for each stakeholder to benefit?

- Think about each stakeholder specifically and how you will interact with them to maintain your relationship.

Step Four: Key Resources• What key resources do you require to ensure each

stakeholder benefits?• What key resources do you need to maintain your

stakeholder relations? Physical resources (equipment) Information resources Human resources (knowledgeable

community members) Financial resources A brand (your program/university’s

reputation) Trust (long-term relationships,

positive past experiences) Other

SCHL 280 Peace : An Historical Reflection

BE 450/451 Senior Level Capstone Design

For Consideration: Value Streams

Returns• For what value are your stakeholders willing to “pay?”• What do they currently contribute or pay for?• How and in what form will your stakeholders return value? • How would your stakeholders prefer to contribute?• How much does each value stream contribute to the overall

success of your program?

Supporter donations for program costs

Scholarly publications for faculty Media coverage to promote

program Professional development for

students Health benefits for the community Other

For Consideration: Value Streams

Tuition Time, energy, enthusiasm Activities that place value at

risk Economies of program scale Economies of program scope Other

Costs and Outlays- What are the most important costs inherent to your program

value?- Which key activities are most expensive and in terms of what

value?- Which key resources are most expensive and in terms of what

value?

ASL Resources in the CCE• The Basics

– The CCE website has many relevant articles and links that outline the basics of incorporating academic service-learning (ASL) into one’s curriculum. The website also lists online resources and links to other organizations on campus that are relevant to civic engagement at http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/resources/

• Terminology– To access a list of terms commonly used when studying and/or

utilizing service-learning and civic engagement on campus please visit http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/terms-and-definitions.html

• Research and Reports– The CCE relies on published research and reports on service-

learning, civic engagement, and volunteerism for decision-making processes.

– These can be viewed at http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/ccereports.html

ASL Resources in the CCE• Faculty FAQ– The CCE has compiled a list of frequently asked

questions about service-learning and starting civically engaged higher education courses that can be found at http://www2.binghamton.edu/cce/faculty/sl-faq.html

• CCE Lending Library– Library in the office open to faculty and staff

use– Over 300 books in areas including service-

learning, research and journals of community service, student development and MORE!

Starting a Dialogue

• George Catalano PhD• Watson School, Bioengineering• BI 2614• catalano@binghamton.edu

• Questions?• Hopes• Fears• Hesitations• Anxieties• Contact Information • Center for Civic Engagement | Binghamton University

Library South Ground Floor 548Phone: (607) 777-4287 | Fax: (607) 777-3099Email: cce@binghamton.edu

• Jacqueline Fritsch• Graduate Assistant • Center for Civic Engagement • Library South Ground 548• jfritsc2@binghamton.edu

References• This handout is an adapted version of the Learning

Through Service Program Model Blueprint developed by Kurt Paterson, PhD, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech

• Learning Through Service Program Model Blueprint by K.G. Paterson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on works at http://businessmodelgeneration.com and http://weblog.tetradian.com