WELCOME Wednesday January 10, 2007

1. WELCOMEWednesday January 10, 2007 The American Democracy Project Presented By: Dr. Mary Campbell The Redbird Outreach Program Presented By: Josh Gillespie, Brenton Kane, and Laura Myren

2. American Democracy Project • “The American Democracy Project focuses on the development of informed graduates who are committed to lives of engagement as citizens in our democracy”. American Association of State Colleges and Universities www.aascu.org

3. The American Democracy Project • Intends to increase student’s understanding of what it takes for a democracy to thrive • Intends to involve students in understanding current issues in their campus and larger community • Move students along toward becoming active members of communities

4. Institutional Culture Illinois State University Mission Statement We at Illinois State University work as a diverse community of scholars with a commitment to fostering a small-college atmosphere with large-university opportunities. We promote the highest academic standards in our teaching, our scholarship and the connections we build between them. We devote all of our resources and energies to creating the most supportive and productive community possible toserve the citizens of Illinois and beyond.

5. Definition of Civic Engagement • “Working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference” • > Thomas Ehrlich, Ed. Civic Responsibility and Higher Education 2000

6. “…higher education can do more than develop verbal skills and deposit information…It can contribute to more complex kinds of intellectual development and to more pervasive dimensions of human development required for effective citizenship”. (page 7) • David Kolb Speaking for Experiential Education

7. Service Learning provides: • A much greater opportunity for students to become actively involved in their own learning experience • A much greater and more meaningful opportunity for students to interact with each other • A much greater opportunity to interact with the larger campus and community • An opportunity to validate theoretical knowledge through application and reflection

8. For the testing of abstract thoughts in a ‘community’ laboratory • For enhanced opportunities for reflective thinking and reflective writing • Opportunities for students to assign meaning to the knowledge and the experience • For the beginning of the internalization of recently acquired knowledge

9. They have not just ‘heard’ from faculty….they have experienced • The interconnectedness of knowledge and experience increases future involvement

10. Social Work Intervention With Communities • Most Social Work students plan to become ‘therapist’ • Have been required ‘to do’ community service for major • Sr. level class integrates knowledge and application of community organizing • H.O.P.E > Hearing Our Personal Stories

11. SERVICE Service learning, when built on social foundations…….will result in a better world Service learning to align with faith, values, world view Societal context LEARNING Service learning when built on pedagogic foundations…..will result in enhanced student learning Service learning to fulfill curricular requirements Institutional context Foundations for Service Learning: Range of Perceptions

12. Service Learning In the Curriculum • Freshman to Senior Experience • Capstone Experiences • Honors Seminars • General Education • Majors • Curriculum-Based Alternative Spring Breaks • Interdisciplinary Courses

13. Integrated Learning Model Development of Critical Thought (Assessment of the process) Conceptual Knowledge (Theoretical lens) Reflective Learning (Integration of conceptual & experiential knowledge) Experiential Learning (Making meaning out of experience) Intervention (Professional response to a problem) Theory based –validated in experience (Cummins & Campbell, 1995)

14. Redbird Outreach Program MQM 380 Teams And Team Development Dr. Dale Fitzgibbons Fall 2006

15. Mission Statement Our mission is to encourage civic engagement and impact student education through a curriculum-integrated service learning program. We hope to foster the development of students to be citizens that are more socially involved, aware, and sensitive to the community and its values.

16. Goals • Create a website hosting projects • Collect projects from non-profit and social service organizations to be completed by students • Encourage faculty to incorporate these projects into their curriculum • Improve the relationship between ISU and the community

17. What Is Redbird Outreach Program? • A service helping faculty connect with non-profit and social service organizations in order to create learning opportunities for students • A website faculty will be able to use to incorporate projects into their courses • A website that offers projects to link the needs of the community with students’ abilities

18. Steps Taken • Contact agencies, faculty and department heads • Host informational meetings for organizations • Collect contact information from Bloomington-Normal non-profit and social service organizations • Create preliminary website

19. Benefits • Provide knowledgeable student volunteers to meet the needs of the community • Improves the relationship between ISU and the community • Add value to the educational process by creating real world learning opportunities • Website that creates an area of convergence for faculty and social service organizations

20. Results… • Have ensured participation of approximately 15 agencies including: The Baby Fold, Midwest Food Bank, Ecology Action Center, Project Oz, and Chestnut Health Systems • Documented faculty contact information for future reference

21. Website Results… • Lets check it out!! • http://www04.iwss.ilstu.edu/index.shtml

22. Past Examples • Volunteer database: business data management • Nutrition handouts: family and consumer sciences • Weekend camp for disabled: kinesiology and recreation • Autism society of McLean county: psychology

23. A Proposed Project From The Baby Fold • Internal audit control procedures project: -Internal audits are to be established agency wide for petty cash, billing, accounts payables, etc. as determined for a nonprofit agency with 273 employees. -Procedures are to be in written form with clear direction so it can be easily passed on to internal accounting staff.

24. Another Example Project • Depreciation calculations from access database -Requires a calculation function of monthly depreciation from an access database using visual basic -Programming must be documented in order to pass on to the users in the accounting department and the information systems department

25. Non-profit organization’s Concerns • What can they do? • How can we be sure the project will get done? • How much time will they have to take? • What is the time constraint? • What is the scope?

26. The Future • Inspiration • Foundation on which to build • Continued commitment

27. Questions??? THANK YOU FOR COMING!!