1 / 22

Service-learning program

Service-learning program. 7 Steps to Incorporation Whatcom Community College Kulshan 107. Mission statement. To engage students in meaningful, mutually beneficial service opportunities that simultaneously meet Whatcom’s core learning abilities and community-defined needs. purpose.

andrew-stanley
Download Presentation

Service-learning program

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Service-learning program 7 Steps to Incorporation Whatcom Community College Kulshan 107

  2. Mission statement • To engage students in meaningful, mutually beneficial service opportunities that simultaneously meet Whatcom’s core learning abilities and community-defined needs

  3. purpose • The Service-Learning Program provides opportunities for students to enhance their academic experience through service by applying their skills and knowledge to real-life situations while developing personal leadership skills, fostering a sense of civic responsibility, and enriching the lives of others.

  4. Step 1: CONSIDER YOUR COURSE’s LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Think about your course objectives and how service-learning could enrich your students’ learning through practical application in the community. • Service-learning can be effectively incorporated into any academic discipline; however, some may require a little more imagination that others. • Brainstorm how your course content can be applied as service in the community and how this application can help students meet their learning goals.

  5. Step 1 resource • View sample service-learning projects for mostacademic disciplines at: • www.compact.org/categoty/syllabi

  6. Step 2.a: BROWSE WEBSITE • Once you have identified the course in which you would like to incorporate a service-learning component, begin thinking about the partnering organization for your service-learning placement. • View the list of WCC Service-Learning Community Partners and Opportunities to find matching ideas for your course. • Browse the service-learning website and review the faculty page for tips, resources, and dates.

  7. Step 2.b: CONTACT SERVICE-LEARNING LEAD • Contact the Service-Learning Lead for further project ideas, resources, forms, and community partners relevant to your course and learning objectives. • The Service-Learning Lead will guide you in integration, can offer advice and aid in getting started, and will enter you and your class in the system and the website.

  8. Step 2 Resources • List of WCC Service-Learning Community Partners and Opportunities: • https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiSPoo-AvFcSdFAtblk1aU5wNHZLUk51RTFsX0kzc1E#gid=0 • Service-Learning Website: • www.whatcom.ctc.edu/servicelearning • Service-Learning Faculty Page: • www.whatcom.ctc.edu/servicelearning/faculty

  9. Step 3.a: CONTACT COMMUNITY PARTNERS • After talking with the Service-Learning Lead and looking through the website, contact your potential community partners to determine interest in working together, what the project could be, tangible tasks, and accommodations for your service-learners. • The Service-Learning Lead has all the community partners’ contact information in the S-L database • Communication with the community partner(s) during implementation of the project is essential in order to meet everyone’s needs. • This communication will also help create a lasting and sustainable partnership and will make it easier for you to incorporate the service-learning project in future classes.

  10. Step 3.b: CHOOSE PLACEMENT • Based on your communication with the community partners, choose the project and organization(s) you want to work with. • Limit your partnering organizations to 1-3 organizations for the most effective experience to get the most “bang for your buck.” • In communication with your chosen partner, discuss both party’s responsibilities, goals, and expectations. • Keep the communication channel ongoing throughout the quarter.

  11. Step 4: DESIGN / ALTER THE COURSE • As long as the learning goals of the course were kept in mind during the process of choosing a service-learning placement, the project should fit into your already existing course with only some alterations. • Faculty are encouraged to incorporate service-learning as an optional project: an alternative to an end-of-the-quarter research paper or other large project or test. • As a general guideline, a minimum of 10-12 hours of service for a 3 credit class is recommended in order for students to fully gain the meaningful benefits service-learning can provide, and to make it worthwhile for the organization.

  12. Step 4: Design / alter course (cont.) • The service-learning option should be fairly equivalent in work load to the traditional option. • Service-learning should not be seen as simply an “add-on.” • Rather, the service experience should be integrated into the course through readings and/or class discussions about the agency and main issues faced by its clients in relation to the class.

  13. Step 4 resource • Syllabus Checklist: • Burrows folder  PUBLIC Service-Learning  Forms  “Syllabus Checklist (form 1)”

  14. Step 5: PROMOTE SERVICE-LEARNING to YOUR STUDENTS • Once the quarter begins, encourage your new students to participate in the service-learning option by emphasizing the many benefits of service-learning and the meaningful experiences they can get out of it. • An effective way to do this is to invite the community partner representative to present to your class on the needs of their clients, the mission of the organization, how the students will be helping, etc. • Many organizations are willing and eager to do this, as it is beneficial for them to directly reach the students all at once and get any organization paperwork distributed.

  15. Step 5 resource • Service-learning introduction PowerPoint: • Touches on tips, steps, expectations, and student benefits • Burrows folder PUBLIC Service-Learning “SL Introduction for Classes”

  16. Step 6: ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL REFLECTION – wHY? • Reflection is what ties the service to the learning. • Reflection is the meaning-making component of service-learning and allows the students to: • Make deeper connections to the academic content of the course • Gain a better understanding of how they were individually affected by the service • Enhance their civic responsibility

  17. Step 6: ENGAGE IN MEANINGFUL REFLECTION – How? • Successful reflection has four components: • Continuous - occurring before, during, and after the service project • Challenging - going outside of comfort zones to make new connections between concepts and to think in new ways • Connected - serving as a bridge between the service experience and discipline-based academic knowledge • Contextualized - framed in a manner that is appropriate for the context in which the service experience takes place • Reflection can happen in a variety of ways such as journaling or writing a paper, class discussion or activities, presentations, or multimedia projects.

  18. Step 6 resource • List of reflection ideas and activities: • Burrows folder  PUBLIC  Service-Learning  “Sample Reflection Activities and Ideas”

  19. Step 7: track and evaluate • Students fill out and sign the initial Student Participant form before they start their service. • This form covers items such as liability, professionalism, and basic information. • Students fill out a Time Log during their service. • This form tracks their hours and is signed by both the student and community partner. • Students fill out an Online Evaluation at the end of the quarter. • This tracks the service-learning participants and evaluates the effectiveness of the project/program. • The student comments from the online evaluations are then distributed to both the faculty member and the community partner.

  20. Step 7: track and evaluate – why? • It is important to receive feedback from all the service-learning stakeholders -- students, faculty, and community partners -- in order to make the Service-Learning Program as effective as possible. • How you choose to assess the project in terms of grading is up to you, just remember that it’s not only about the number of hours served but rather the extent of the student’s learning and how his or her thinking has been transformed through the process.

  21. Step 7 resources • Service-Learning Guide • The formal academic service-learning guide and details about how and when the forms are used • Burrows folder PUBLIC Service-Learning  “Service-Learning GUIDE” • Participant Form • Burrows folder  PUBLIC  Service-Learning  Forms  “Student Participant Form – form 2” • Time Log • Burrows folder  PUBLIC  Service-Learning  Forms  “Student Participant Form – form 3”

  22. more WCC resources • Service-Learning Website: • www.whatcom.ctc.edu/servicelearning • Service-Learning Faculty Page: • www.whatcom.ctc.edu/servicelearning/faculty • Service-Learning facebook: • www.facebook.com/servicelearningwcc

More Related