Let It Be Known: An Institutional Designation Procedure

1. Let It Be Known: An Institutional Designation Procedure Making it Easier For Students to Identify Academic Service Learning Courses

2. Before There is Course Designation . . . There Needs to be Strong Support for Academic Service Learning

3. Support Needs To Be • Bottom Up & Top Down • Widespread The Goal is a Campus-Wide Buy-In The Process is Usually Incremental

4. Building Support at  Northern Michigan University Faculty Moving From a Departmental to a Campus-Wide Initiative • Administrative Structure • Focus Groups/Support Required • Faculty “Champions” • Programming • Services • Workshops • “Road Shows” • Mini Grants

5. Building Support at Northern Michigan University Administrative • Administrative “Champions” • Provost • Dean • Campus Compact Visits • “Positives” for the University are not hard to find

6. Benefits of Designating Coursesas Academic Service Learning • Students • Faculty • Institutional Research • Marketing and Public Relations

7. Benefits for Students • Assists in course scheduling because of differential workload required in ASL class • Allows students to avoid ASL classes because of workload or learning style issues • Allows students to choose a style of teaching/learning

8. Benefits for Students • Allows students to experience their discipline in a way which helps clarify what the individual could be getting into • Identifies opportunities to attain hours toward certificate programs such as Superior Edge • All courses will be ASL designated on the transcript

9. Benefits for Faculty • Encourages ‘engaged’ students to enroll in faculty member’s ASL course • Generates outcomes which constitute a public ‘good’ by supporting community or non-profit entities

10. Benefits for Faculty • Provides support to faculty members in promotion and tenure cases • Encourages faculty to revisit their traditional classes because real life applications reinforce class based material which permits more in-depth learning

11. Benefits for Institutional Research • Allows easy tracking of the number of students involved in academic service learning classes • Allows easy tracking of the numbers of hours being devoted by students in outreach & community service • Allows easy tracking of the range of academic programs and departments offering ASL classes

12. Benefits for Institutional Research • Provides documentable support as to how the university is accomplishing its public service mission • Provides documentable ‘evidence’ to employers about real-life involvement of students in their learning • Provides metrics for accreditation and program review

13. Benefits for Marketing and Public Relations • Provides ‘feel good’ material about the institution • Provides excellent marketing material which appeals to parents and potential students about the active hands-on, teaching/learning taking place

14. Benefits for Marketing and Public Relations • Provides excellent public relations material about the values of the institution and how it fulfills its civic responsibilities to the greater community • Provides concrete examples to potential donors about the good things that their contributions will produce

15. Definition and Criteria • Created by the ASL Advisory Board and approved by Academic Senate • The documents for the Course Designation Form and Action Grant Application are based on this definition and criteria

16. Definition and Criteria • Academic Service Learning is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students: • Participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs; • Reflect on the service activity is such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of both personal values and civic responsibility.

17. Definition and Criteria • Teaching Methodology Criteria: Academic Service Learning courses must include the following five common syllabus elements: • Community partners or agencies must be involved in the planning of the service projects • Service projects must have clearly conceptualized connection between course objective and service activities

18. Definition and Criteria • Service projects must enrich the learning experience • All parties involved in the service projects must benefit • There must be time built into the syllabus for formal active reflection.

19. Meeting with Stakeholders to Establish Course Designation Process Academic Service Learning Advisory Board: • The whole process began with meeting of the ASL Advisory Board itself to discuss the need for a course designation protocol • Existing climate on campus to support ASL Activity

20. Academic Service Learning Advisory Board • Meeting with the Chair of the Faculty Review Committee to make sure that departmental bylaws included provisions for recognizing ASL activity as valid tenure-earning work • Related to Boyer’s Four Forms of Scholarship: • Scholarship of Discovery: Generation of New Knowledge • Scholarship of Integration: Interdisciplinary Perspective • Scholarship of Application: Bringing Professional Knowledge to Problem Solving • Scholarship of Teaching: The Teaching/Learning Process

21. Academic Service Learning Advisory Board • Meeting with America Association of University Professors (AAUP) • Meeting with the Registrar to discuss designation procedure • Meeting to discuss the Senate sub-committee proposals

22. Academic Service Learning Coordinators • Meeting with various departments across campus to discuss campus activity and encourage support • Meeting with Deans and Department Heads • Meeting with Provost and President

23. Academic Service Learning Coordinators • Introducing the Course Designation Project to the Faculty Senate • Establishing a Senate Sub-Committee to outline a procedure and address contract issues and concerns • Creating an application process for course designation • Creating a review process for each application • “The faculty owns the curriculum.” • Creating a renewal process for registration • Senate approval

24. Academic Service LearningCourse Designation Implementation • Course Designation variety • Professor/Course • Course Curriculum • Renewal Form • Does not apply to all courses

25. Academic Service LearningCourse Designation Implementation • Course Designation process • Faculty • Department Heads • ASL Advisory Board • Registrar’s Office

26. Academic Service LearningCourse Designation Implementation

27. Academic Service LearningCourse Designation Implementation • ASL Advisory Board Approval is based on the teaching criteria of: • Community Partner Involvement • Connection between Course Objectives and Service • Enrichment of Learning Experiences • Benefits • Students • Faculty • Community Partner • Reflection

28. Academic Service LearningCourse Designation Implementation • First Semester with Course Designation • 21 Academic Service Learning Courses • Speech & Language • Nursing • Broadcasting • French • Public Relations • English • Health, Physical Education & Recreation

29. The Future of Academic Service Learning • GOAL: To have every academic service learning course designated • Academic Department Meetings • Building the procedure • Selling the principles • ASL identified as a Course Characteristic (Humanities, Liberal Studies, etc. )

30. Academic Service Learning Course Designation To Contact Us: • Dave Bonsall – dbonsall@nmu.edu • Paul Duby – pduby@nmu.edu • Charles Ganzert – cganzert@nmu.edu • Katy Morrison – mamorris@nmu.edu