Strengthening Institutional Support for Service Learning and Civic Engagement

1. Strengthening Institutional Support for Service Learning and Civic Engagement • Robert G. Bringle, Ph.D. • Chancellor’s Professor of Psychology and Philanthropic Studies • Director, Center for Service and Learning • Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis • rbringle@iupui.edu

2. The scholarship of engagement means connecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems, to our children, to our schools, to our teachers, and to our cities. -Boyer (1996) Boyer’s Civic Engagement

3. What is needed is not just more programs, but a larger purpose, a larger sense of mission, a larger clarity of direction. Ultimately, the scholarship of engagement also means creating a special climate in which the academic and civic cultures communicate more continuously and more creatively with each other. Boyer’s Civic Engagement

4. Learn from constituencies and analyze capacity to serve Commitment and capacity to engage and provide service Demonstrate responsiveness to dependentconstituencies Internal and external constituencies value the organization’s services Criterion Five: Engagement and Service

5. Civic Education Civic Engagement Community engagement Community-based Learning Community Service Engaged Scholarship Experiential Learning Outreach Participatory Action Research Partnerships Professional Service Public Scholar Public Service Scholarship of Engagement Scholarship on Engagement Service Service Learning Student Engagement Voluntary Service Engagement, Outreach, and Public Service

6. Faculty and Student Activities In the Community

7. Teaching, research, and service in the community Occurs in profit, nonprofit, and government sectors Has no geographic boundaries Community Involvement

8. Community Involvement Defined by location Occurs in the community Civic Engagement Defined by location and process Occurs in and with the community Demonstrates democratic values of participation Impact + Partnerships Differentiation of Terms

9. Civic engagement is active collaboration that builds on the resources, skills, expertise, and knowledge of the campus and community to improve the quality of life in communities in a manner that is consistent with the campus mission. IUPUI Definition of Civic Engagement

10. Faculty and Student Activities In the Community

11. Best methods for ensuring that graduates have knowledge/skills: Internship/community-based project where students apply college learning in real-world setting. 83% “Very Effective” and “Fairly Effective” Senior project incorporating depth of knowledge, problem-solving, writing, and analytic reasoning skills. 79% Essay tests 60% Electronic portfolio 56% Multiple Choice Exams 32% AAC&U’s Survey of Employers

12. Not all community-based instruction is service learning Field work experiences (e.g., Museum Studies, Anthropology) Cooperative Education Internship Practicum Service Learning Pre-professional field experiences: Clinicals, Student Teaching Applied Learning Experiential Learning Public Service-Focused Learning Academically-Based Community Learning Academic Service Learning Student Engagement Community-Based Learning

13. A course-based, credit bearing educational experience in which students Participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community goals Reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility (Bringle & Hatcher, 1997) Service Learning

14. Reflection “Perplexity” (Dewey, 1933) Activities to structure learning from the service experience Reciprocity Partnerships Dialogue to structure the service experience Civic Education Key Elements of Service Learning define 4

15. Distinctions Among Approaches to Service & Experiential Learning Recipient BENEFICIARY Provider Service FOCUS Learning SERVICE LEARNING COMMUNITY SERVICE FIELD EDUCATION VOLUNTEERISM INTERNSHIP (Furco, 1996)

16. Good Pedagogy Structures Educationally Meaningful Service Addresses Community Needs Promotes Civic Responsibility Student Development Student Persistence and Retention Supports an Expanding Role of Higher Education Why Service Learning in Higher Education?

17. Active Engagement Frequent Feedback Collaboration Cognitive Apprenticeship Practical Application Marchese Promoting Learning for Understanding

18. Why do we need more than a vocational education? In part, because we live more than a vocational life: we live a larger civic life and we have to be educated for it. - D. Mathews

19. Battistoni (2002) Civic Professionalism Social Responsibility Social Justice Connected Knowing: Ethic of Care Public Leadership Public Intellectual Engaged/Public Scholarship What is Good Citizenship?

20. Faculty and Student Activities In the Community

21. Service applies a faculty member’s knowledge, skills, and expertise as an educator, a member of a discipline or profession, and a participant in an institution to benefit students, the institution, the discipline or profession, and the community in a manner consistent with the mission of the university. Service @ Indiana University: Defining, documenting, and evaluating. (http://csl.iupui.edu/servicelearning/facultydevelopment.html) Professional Service

22. Only listing university committees No evidence of nature of activities or results Evidence on outcomes, but no evidence of individual role No review by others No evidence on how service work is consistent with professional development or goals Unsatisfactory (Documentation of) Service?

23. Time on task: Difficult to use as a criterion, although scope may be relevant Remuneration: Typically not relevant Process vs. Outcomes: Must be balanced, but process should not be emphasized to the detriment of demonstrating outcomes Issues Related to Service

24. Doing An Activity Teaching, Research, or Service Well-informed Scholarly Teaching Scholarly Discovery Scholarly Service Contributing to Knowledge Scholarship of Teaching Scholarship of Service Scholarship of Discovery Differentiation of Terms

25. There are differences between professional service as scholarship and Doing good Doing one’s job well Administrative work Clerical work Evaluation for a merit increase Collegiality Citizenship Advancement And Tenure Are Decisions About The Academic Nature Of Work

26. Service documented as academic work Evidence of significance and impact from multiple sources Evidence of individual contributions Evidence of growth and leadership Dissemination, including publications (some of which are peer-reviewed academic ones) Dissemination to peers, clients, patients Peer review of professional service, including process and outcomes Promotion & Tenure for Professional Service

27. Faculty and Student Activities In the Community

28. Collaboration between the campus and community Partnerships Democratization of knowledge that acknowledges different ways of knowing and different types of knowledge Social change through actions based on the research that promote social justice. Strand et al., 2003 Participatory Action Research

29. Focus on the adequacy of the process as well as the outcomes Peer review by multiple stakeholders, including academic Outcomes for multiple stakeholders Dissemination to multiple stakeholders Participatory Action Research

30. Responsible and Moral Choice Improve the Quality of All Academic Work Self-interest Harkavy: Why Emphasize Civic Engagement?

31. Mission

32. Two Types of Engagement Institutionalization of Service Learning Institutionalization Of Other Types Of Engagement Low High High Low

33. To institutionalize service-learning effectively, service-learning must be viewed not as a discrete “program” but as a means to accomplish other important goals for the campus. Furco & Holland

34. Comprehensive Action Plan for Service Learning (CAPSL) Bringle, R.G., & Hatcher, J.A. (1996). Implementing service learning in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 67, 221-239. Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2000). Institutionalization of service learning in higher education. Journal of Higher Education, 71(3), 273-290. Bringle, R. G., Hatcher, J. A., Hamilton, S., & Young, P. (2001). Planning and assessing campus/community engagement. Metropolitan Universities, 12(3), 89-99.

35. Mission, Organizational structure Faculty Involvement Promotion and Tenure Student Involvement Community Involvement Publications and University Relations Holland’s Areas of Development

36. Develops the public purposes of higher education Change the traditional assumptions about faculty work Change the way faculty teach Increase interdisciplinary work Contribute to the nature of first-year, honors, scholarships, capstones Promote democratic values in the academy and with the community Broaden assessment Broaden promotion and tenure Increase the salience of service in the campus culture Change campus/community relationships Change institutional accreditation and quality assurance Service Learning as a Subversive Activity

37. NCA Accreditation Process and Carnegie Documentation • Focuses institution-wide attention • Assures public of institutional quality • Supports institutional improvement • Expands literacy and understanding • Creates critical data sets • Facilitates decisions, planning • Spurs institutional, strategic change • Connects CE to other institutional work

38. What are we doing in CE? How well are we doing CE? What should we, as a campus, be doing in central Indiana? *NOTE: Prior to release of 2003 Criterion 5 IUPUI NCA: Three Primary Tasks*

39. I. Enhance capacity for civic engagement A. Demonstrate advocacy and support B. Expand internal resources and infrastructure C. Secure external funding D. Document the quality and impact II. Enhance civic activities, partnerships, and patient and client services A. Offer academic community-based learning opportunities B. Engage in community-based research C. Provide professional services D. Create opportunities for community service III. Intensify commitment and accountability to Indianapolis Central Indiana, and Indiana A. Establish widespread community participation B. Establish widespread campus participation C. Conduct regular forums on the campus community agenda for central Indiana. IV. Identify strengths and challenges for future work NCA Self-Study of Civic Engagement

40. Document/categorize CE activities Topical issues (e.g., homeless) Academic unit Increase understanding of CE Internally (e.g., planning, collaboration) Externally Provide recognition for CE Schools/campus reports Individual faculty Contribute to quality and impact Hope to replace with eFAR Civic Engagement Inventory

41. A focused selection of real work, combined with narrative interpretation and reflection, that demonstrates institutional achievements and shows learning and improvement over time—i.e., “institutional effectiveness.” Institutional Portfolio

42. Information more accessible, transparent, authentic, dynamic, interactive—you can show something, not just describe it Can be updated Accommodates multiple types of evidence Focus on evidence and alignment Information accessed/linked more efficiently (e.g., to support recommendations and conclusions, contextualize information) Facilitates campus involvement Why Electronic?

43. www.iport.iupui.edu

44. Primary materials from students and faculty Assessment and performance data and reports Survey results and reports Statistical information Narrative analysis, interpretation, and reflection Contents

45. Individual (examples) Program or other unit (reports) Institution (performance indicators) Levels of Aggregation

46. Accrediting agencies Community leaders and members State governments Prospective/current students Prospective/current faculty, administrators, staff Employers Portfolio Audiences

47. Internal Objectives (e.g., strategic planning, reports, exemplars) External Representations Accreditation Carnegie Pilot Project Quality Assessment Research Purposes

48. Can foster ongoing conversation about learning, improvement, and assessment Catalyst for making improvement efforts more continuous, coordinated, collaborative, and complete Promotes faculty development in ways compatible with institutional needs Enhances stakeholder understanding of institution’s special mission, roles. and accomplishments Demonstrates accountability and credibility Can be updated Benefits

49. Lots of counting Lots of counting of what’s available Look for the intersection of (a) practical to collect and (b) meaningful Need more on outcomes, evaluation, impact Developing partners to help (e.g., Institutional Research) Institutional Maturity

50. Identify leadership for CE assessment Customize process to advance campus goals Use to expand capacity of institutional research Use to develop community voice and participation Identify multiple purposes Analysis must be mission driven Tips