E-Service Learning: A Pedagogic Innovation in Education

1. E-Service Learning: A Pedagogic Innovation in Education Donna Malvey, Ph.D., MHSA Eileen Hamby, DBA, MBA November 18, 2005

2. Definitions Service Learning: “a course-based credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity in such a way that meets identified community needs, and reflect on the service activity in such a way to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle and Hatcher 1996)

3. Definitions E-Service Learning: E-service learning is an electronic form of experiential education. It is delivered on-line and uses the Internet and state of the art technologies that permit students, faculty, and community partners to collaborate at a distance in an organized, focused, experiential service learning activity, which simultaneously promotes civic responsibility and meets community needs.

4. Advantages of E-Service Learning • expands access to a broad array of service-learning experiences in the community; • ensures diversity of experiences; • enhances the potential to standardize service learning experiences across the curriculum; • assists in efficient use of faculty resources to create, monitor, and evaluate service learning courses.

5. E-Service Learning Model Criteria • Addresses a need in the community (campus, local, and possibly regional) • Meets one or more course objectives • Demonstrates a clear linkage between the service activity and the course content • Involves reciprocity between course and community that results in students’ increased civic awareness and engagement • Involves structured reflection • Involves a collaboration with an appropriate agency representative

6. E-Service Learning Model Criteria • Involves a minimum of 15 hours of student service in the community • Involves student teams working collaboratively with community agencies and organizations • The community partner as well as the university or college must be technologically equipped to accommodate asynchronous communication • Students, faculty, and the community organization must receive training and demonstrate proficiency in the technologies to be used such as web conferencing.

7. E-Service Learning Model Outcomes • Increased student learning • Curricular emphasis on civic engagement • Promotion of university partnership goals • Improvement of student job readiness • Enhanced relationship between the college or university and the community

8. Outcomes Continued • Create opportunities for community organizations that may be geographically or structurally challenged to accommodate traditional service learning • Expand possibilities for students to gain real world experience at a variety of organizations • Expand potential community partnerships for the university or college • Reduce geographic constraints for students and partner participants

9. Stakeholders • Regional partners • National partners • Global partners • Students • Faculty • University • Community partners • Community at large

10. Student Outcomes Associated with E-Service Learning • Students are exposed to aspects of a subject that cannot be taught in the classroom or from a textbook • Students apply their knowledge in the real world, but in a supervised context • Students gain a sense of civic responsibility that will be useful in their careers and in their personal lives as well • Students make contacts in the community that may serve as future job prospects • Students augment their resumes with “real” experience • Students grow intellectually through structured reflection

11. Student Outcomes Continued • Gain experience in e-communication skills in a workplace setting • Augment their skill sets in team management by working on a virtual team • Gain opportunities to work in organizations that would not otherwise be available because of distance and geography • Permits students with disabilities to participate fully

12. Student Outcomes Continued • Minimizes scheduling conflicts for students • Become more versatile because of opportunities to work in many different sites and types of organizations • Become more marketable because of versatility and also because of acquiring experience in working asynchronously • Demonstrate proficiency in e-service learning, which may be attractive to future employers that value community service and linkages

13. Faculty Outcomes Associated with E-Service Learning • Faculty gain experience in exploring new and innovative methods of teaching • Faculty enhance their connections with working professionals in the field • Faculty members increase their opportunities for engaging in research, including field research and pedagogical inquiry as well as service activities • Faculty members increase their understanding of teaching by observing their students applying theory and concepts in the real world • Faculty gain opportunities to participate in grant activities for projects

14. Technological Tools Suggested for E-Service Learning Activities • Chat Rooms • White Boards • Discussion Boards • Videoconferencing • Internal Email • Document Camera • Digital Video Streaming • PowerPoint with Audio

15. Sample Learning Activities for Specific HSA Courses Finance: Create a zero-based budget for the local county health department • Post the previous three year’s budget history online on the discussion board. • Interview the managers of the various departments via videoconferencing to determine reasons for previous budget outcomes. • Use internal email to send each person the health department’s strategic plan and discuss in the chat room future goals and action plans. • Create a budget for the health department and use videoconferencing and a document camera to present it.

16. Sample Learning Activities for Specific HSA Courses – cont’d Human Resources: Update the human resources policies and procedures onsite at not-for profit acute care facility to ensure compliance with regulatory and accreditation agencies. • Perform an audit of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory and accreditation facilities. • The policies and procedures are posted online for the students to review, • Then the students conduct interviews in chat rooms with senior and middle management staff. • Recommendations are made in the form of revised policies and procedure with the reasons for the changes in an attached sheet. These are presented on the Discussion Board.

17. E-Service Learning Research There are many opportunities for future research to evaluate service learning and e-service learning, • Empirical research on the outcomes of student learning as it applies to both strategies. • Evidence based research on the effect of cost-effectiveness, access and quality relative to the traditional student experience also will be required. • There will also be occasion to examine faculty experiences and outcomes, including faculty satisfaction with the e-format.

18. Conclusions • The authors believe that e-service learning fits with the mission of our educational programs in healthcare management education. • We look forward to implementing e-service learning in our healthcare management programs • And ultimately to producing empirical research that evaluates the benefits of this pedagogic innovation.

19. Contact Information Donna M. Malvey, Ph.D., MHSA Visiting Assistant Professor University of Central Florida Regional Campuses Southern Region Health Services Administration Program 1519 Clearlake Road Cocoa, FL 32922 (321) 433-7859 dmalvey@mail.ucf.edu Eileen F. Hamby, DBA, MBA Senior Professor Dean of Undergraduate Studies Daytona Beach Community College 1200 West International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 (386) 931-0069 hambye@dbcc.edu