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Students as Colleagues: Research Possibilities

Students as Colleagues: Research Possibilities. Edward Zlotkowski IRCSLCE October 29, 2010. The Four Quadrants of Service-Learning Program Design. Student-Centered Structured Learning. Common Good Focus. Academic Expertise Focus. Service-Learning. Community-Centered

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Students as Colleagues: Research Possibilities

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  1. Students as Colleagues: Research Possibilities Edward Zlotkowski IRCSLCE October 29, 2010

  2. The Four Quadrants of Service-Learning Program Design Student-Centered Structured Learning Common Good Focus Academic Expertise Focus Service-Learning Community-Centered Unstructured Learning

  3. Rationale Behind Students as Colleagues • Operational Needs and Leadership Opportunities • Democratic Practice • Generational Change

  4. Bentley Service-Learning Center Student Leadership Roles • CWP • Basic level leadership, paid position, supervise 4th-credits • Project Manager • Oversee one site of a program • Program Director • Oversee one program at multiple sites and organizations • Action Committee – • Design and/or lead orientation sessions, reflection sessions, publications, and other central initiatives • Steering Committee • Monitor and guide all of the above

  5. Democratic Practice “On a more theoretical level, service-learning is a pedagogy that emphasizes democratic development…and thus is a natural fit with a course that employs a democratic learning process from course creation through implementation. The goals of both service-learning and democratic development are met to a greater extent when the two are employed together in the same course than when employed individually.” Bunn, Elansary & Bowman, Students as Colleagues

  6. Dispelling a Myth “First and foremost, simple claims that today’s youth…are apathetic and disengaged from civic life are simply wrong.” Zukin et al., A New Engagement (2006) “Assertions about the decline in citizenship norms among younger Americans are incorrect. Rather, generations are changing in the types of citizenship norms they stress.” Dalton, The Good Citizen (2008)

  7. Generational Attitudes • Government has a role to play in solving social problems • Government is less untrustworthy than corporations • Many people can be trusted • Diversity is a positive value adapted from Zukin et al., A New Engagement & Dalton, The Good Citizen

  8. Factors Influencing Youth Civic Engagement • Relevance to own life • Personal connection • Ability to make a difference • Possession of needed skills • An invitation to participate adapted from Zukin et al., A New Engagement

  9. Student Roles in Service-Learning: A Pyramid of Engagement Level of Intellectual Engagement Students as Engaged Scholars Faculty-Student Partnerships Students as Reflection Leaders Students as Staff

  10. Learning and Peer Interaction “[The findings in this study] are consistent with previous research that the peer group is, arguably, the most powerful influence on college students…activities that bring students together for meaningful purposes such as service learning…peer mentoring, and living-learning communities…may be most useful in achieving the intended goals and personal/social learning outcomes of college attendance.” Strayhorn, “How College Students’ Engagement Affects Personal and Social Learning Outcomes,” Journal of College and Character

  11. Institutional Literacy “We feel that the leaders of colleges and universities often consider the voices of trustees and donors to be more important than that of their students, creating an academic atmosphere that is not necessarily conducive to civic engagement….In addition, students are generally unaware of how to participate in the college community. They know little about the administrative functions of higher education and are organizationally illiterate about the particular universities they attend.” The New Student Politics

  12. Deferral of Responsibility “Many of the Wingspread participants acknowledge that while citizenship requires them to assume certain duties, social and economic forces tend to encourage college students to defer those responsibilities until they are established in their careers. The overwhelming message is that one does not enter the public arena until one’s private life is secure….Students perceive their institutions as willing players in the message of deferral of responsibility.” The New Student Politics

  13. Designing S-L as a “developmental journey”Patti Clayton, NC State Model

  14. In-class introduction of projects/ student preparation and pre-service reflection Faculty and partner(s) discuss/design projects Possible projects identified On-site Orientation (possible project contract) Project implementation and ongoing reflection Project completion (product delivery)/ presentations and post-service reflection Project portfolio created and filed Faculty-partner debriefing and project assessment

  15. PublicEngagement Problem-solving /Asset-creating Projects Personal Contact & Direct Service Research as Resource

  16. Research Opportunities: Operations • What do we know about the benefits and challenges of student operational leadership in service-learning programs? • Do programs with a strong student leadership dimension have a distinctive culture? • What specific research questions follow from the programs and practices described in Students as Colleagues?

  17. Research Opportunities: Reflection • How does student-led reflection differ from 1. faculty- and 2. community partner-led reflection? Does such reflection have distinctive benefits and liabilities? • How does student-led reflection affect the student facilitator’s sense of agency? • How does student-led reflection affect other students’ attitude toward engaged work?

  18. Research Opportunities: Faculty-Student Teams • What do/can student colleagues contribute to the curriculum and syllabus development process? • How are faculty attitudes towards civic engagement and service-learning affected by partnering with a student colleague? • Does strong student leadership significantly affect community partner outcomes and attitudes?

  19. Research Opportunities: Student-Authored Work • What opportunities exist on any given campus for engaged student research? • Does student-authored research have typical characteristics and/or foci? • How have students been invited to co-author engaged research with faculty? • What effect does engaged student research have on career interests?

  20. Misdiagnosis “The ‘crisis of democracy’ literature misdiagnoses the current situation because it focuses on the negative consequences of the shifting balance of…two norms, without paying sufficient attention to the full process of change….the current challenge for American democracy is not to convince young people to act like their grandparents but for us to understand their changing values and norms and respond in ways that integrate them into the political process—and potentially change the process to match this new electorate.” Dalton, The Good Citizen

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