Service Learning, Volunteerism, and Careers

1. Service Learning, Volunteerism, and Careers Dr. Steven Jones Coordinator, Office of Service Learning IUPUI

2. Engagement of Faculty Work In and With the Community

3. Definition • Service learning is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students • a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs, and • b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility. define 2 (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995)

4. Key Elements of Service Learning • Reciprocity • Partnerships • Dialogue to structure the service experience • Reflection • “Perplexity” (Dewey, 1933) • Activities to structure learning from the service experience define 4

5. Why Service Learning Within Higher Education • Active learning strategy • Develops civic responsibility • Enhances student development • Involves faculty expertise • Supports an expanding role of higher education • Addresses community need

6. Why Service Learning at IUPUI • Consistent with the University’s Civic Engagement Mission • Consistent with Chancellor Bantz’s goal of doubling the numbers of students and faculty participating in service-learning courses • Consistent with the goals of the IUPUI Solution Center • Part of IUPUI’s Civic Initiative

7. Service Learning Outcomes • Academic Development • Persistence and retention • Achievement and aspirations • Life Skills • Racial tolerance • Cultural understanding • Civic Responsibility • Commitment to community • Aspirations to volunteer (Sax & Astin, 1997) (See www.compact.org/resource/aag.pdf)

8. Civic Responsibility • “collective action toward the common good” (Barber 1998; Boyle-Baise, 2002) • “active participation in the public life of a community in an informed, committed, and constructive manner, with a focus on the common good.” (Gottlieb & Robinson, 2002)

9. Key Principles • Academic credit is for learning, not service. • Set learning goals for students. • Establish criteria for the selection of community service placements. • Be prepared for uncertainty and variation in student learning outcomes. • Maximize the community responsibility for orientation of the course. • Do not compromise academic rigor. (Howard, 1993) course 7

10. Types of Service Learning Classes • Optional component • Required component • Group service project • Disciplinary capstone project • Community-based action research • Service internship (Heffernan, 2001)

11. Effective Service Learning • >15 hours of service • Frequent client contact • Weekly in-class reflection • Written reflection • Student discussions with instructor and site supervisor (Mabry, 1998)

12. Models of Service-Learning Courses • “Pure” Service Learning • Discipline-Based Service Learning • Problem-Based Service Learning • Capstone Courses • Service Internships • Undergraduate Community-Based • Action Research

13. The Impact of Service-Learning on Student Outcomes • Service-learning has a positive impact on • Personal development • Personal efficacy • Personal identity • Spiritual growth • Moral development • Interpersonal development • Ability to work with others • Leadership skills • Communication skills • Social outcomes • Reducing stereotypes • Facilitating cultural and racial understanding • Social responsibility and citizenship skills • Ongoing commitment to service after graduation

14. The Impact of Service-Learning on Student Outcomes • Academic outcomes • Improved understanding of course content • Application of discipline-specific knowledge to the “real world” • Mixed results on impact of service learning on course grades and GPA • Demonstrated complexity of understanding • Problem solving • Critical thinking • Cognitive development

15. Effects of Service-Learning and Volunteerism on Career Choice After Four Years as Measured by the percentage of College Seniors Choosing a Service Career (Vogelgesang and Astin, 2000)

16. Long-Term Effects of Volunteerism-Five Years After Graduation (Astin, Sax, & Avalos, 1999) • Students who participate in community service continue their service after college • The more service one does in college increases the likelihood of continued service after college • College service had a significant, positive effect on the following variables • Degree completion • Attending graduate school • Donating money to alma mater • Socializing with someone from a different ethnic/racial group • Helping others in difficulty • Participating in community action programs • Participating in environmental cleanup • Developing a meaningful philosophy of life • Belief that alma mater “prepared me well for work.”