The Nuts and Bolts of Creating and Maintaining Service-Learning Residential Communities

1. The Nuts and Bolts of Creating and Maintaining Service-Learning Residential Communities Brian Collins, Kathleen Edwards, and Chrissy Orangio

2. Here’s what we hope to discuss today: • What does a Service Learning Community look like? Its purpose, the students, the support • Various roles for students – participants and leaders • Relationship with Residence Life and other areas of the university • The advantages and disadvantages of a learning community • Some resources, problem-solving and ideas sharing between institutions on the call.

3. The Service Learning Community (SLC) at Elon University Purpose: • Introduction to service done the Elon way • Leadership training ground for the Kernodle Center • Intentional living learning environment that increases student engagement, academic success, and connection to the university

4. The Numbers • 12 first year students, selected through application process • 3 sophomore Service Learning Leaders (SLLs) who live on the floor • 1 senior SLC Director • 1 advisor • 25 hours of service p/person, p/semester • 3-4 service themes a semester • 17 SLC Corps members • 2 academic courses • 3 day orientation before school begins • 1 overnight retreat in the spring semester • Weekly meetings – SLC members, SLLs, SLC-D • 4 social issues dinners a year

5. SLC History • SLC began in fall 1994; 1st LC at Elon • SLC members – anywhere between 12-50 • Service Learning Leaders – between 3-8 • Has rarely looked the same from year to year • Service weekends, one service project a semester • Committees for the participants, no committees • SLLs SLMs SLLs • Two serious conversations in the past five years about whether or not to continue

6. Benefits of SLC For the students: For the University • Currently 25 of the 80 Kernodle Center’s student leaders were/are members of the SLC • Recognition in US News & World Report, Presidential Honor Roll, etc. • Strong retention tool • Curricular/co-curricular hybrid • Decrease in high risk behavior - In 2007 44.4% of LC students reported having an average of zero drinks p/wk, while only 11.7% of non-LC students reported zero drinks. (2007 CORE results) • Higher GPA - In 2007 average GPA of LC student was 3.29; non-LC average was 3.18 (internal research) • 100% of SLC members said that they would recommend a LC to a friend (RL survey) • Leadership experience • Core social group

7. Challenges of the SLC For the students For the university • Time consuming investment for advisor • Expensive • Recruitment • Accountability Time consuming investment for student leaders Recruitment Accountability Isolation, perception on campus Higher standards of behavior Disengaged students No common space

8. Levels of Student Involvement:Service Learning Community Members • Roles • Attend weekly meetings • Perform 25 hours of service , 10 individual • Apply knowledge to courses: call to service, global • Develop personal philosophy of service • Creates core social group important for first year students

9. Levels of Student Involvement:Service Learning Leaders (SLLs) • Training • Service planning, group dynamics, diversity, time management, growth and development, calendar planning, SLC orientation planning • Responsibilities • Service coordinating: structure, theme choice, PARE • Meetings: SLL, SLC • Residential: consistent interactions, high availability, positive reinforcement, building and maintaining trust

10. Assessment of Student Leadership:Learning Outcomes • Group Development • Giving & receiving feedback, strategic planning, goal setting & shared ownership, teambuilding, trust building, support + challenge, effective collaboration, seeking diversity • Individual Development • Effective communication, self-awareness, problem-solving, time management, PARE, program management, volunteer coordination, defining a personal ethic of service • Community Engagement • Valuing and seeking multiple perspectives, promoting a participatory democracy, ethical decision-making, programmatic sustainability

11. Levels of Student Involvement:Service Learning Community Director • Responsibilities • Fall and Spring training • Weekly meetings • Monthly feedback sessions • Conflict resolution workshops • Semesterly evaluations • Learning outcomes • Leadership model • Experience/training for future • Develop and implement training sessions

12. Levels of Student Involvement:Service Learning Community Corps • Purpose: maintain involvement in SLC • Pros • Service projects • Social events • SLC alumni projects • Cons • Communication errors • Two separate organizations to manage • Competitive levels of ownership (with SLLs) • Future: stay connected with SLC alumni even post graduation, possibility for various leadership roles

13. Assessment of Student Leadership:Values and Challenges Values: • The Legacy • Post graduate service • Ownership over LC • Strong leadership development Challenges • Time consuming for leaders and advisor • Hard to see immediate effect of commitment • Time Management • Higher standards of behavior

14. Residence Life and Learning Communities at Elon University • Key Concepts • Structure and Components • Lessons learned Residential Learning Community – (noun) a cohort of students residing in the same residential area, interacting together and with faculty through a shared class, academic major, or intellectual interest.

15. Key Concepts Community and Collaboration Advisor’s job: (1) assist students in getting to know each other, you, and other faculty – particularly in your field/discipline (2) create unique opportunities for students to collaboratively practice/engage in your academic discipline or intellectual theme Connection to Elon’s mission: Engaged learning, intentionality, seamless in/out of classroom learning

16. Structure and Components • Faculty Advisors and departmental support • Syllabus, money, Service credit • LC Leadership Group • Overall direction of LCs, training, budget • Residence Life support • Staff, housing, programming • Other • Faculty fellow, LC Challenge, LC Council, ACUHO-I

17. Lessons Clearly defined roles- advisors and Res Life staff Departmental support- financial, time Clear syllabus – goals, learning outcomes Assessment- demonstrate benefits to institution Growing pains- 2-3 years to success Faculty engagement- monthly contact Collaboration- faculty and Res Life Student buy-in-program planning, decision-making Streamlined finances- make it easy to spend money

18. Resources • Elon’s Residence Life webpage – look at different learning communities, link is on right hand side of page www.elon.edu/residencelife • ACUHO-I – Annual Living Learning Programs Conference • National Study of Living Learning Programs – www.livinglearningstudy.net • Smith, B., MacGregor, J., Matthews, R., Gabelnick, F. Learning Communities: Reforming undergraduate education. 2004. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Laufgraben, J. & Shapiro, N. Sustaining and improving learning communities. 2004. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Levine, J. & Shapiro, N. Creating learning communities. 1999. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.