The Academic, Social, and Psychological Impacts of Service Learning by
To be true service learning, the student must have direct contact with a population or an environment and must learn from that involvement. For the student, intentionally designed reflection serves as the vehicle to forward the teacher/learner role. Reflection requires the student to step away from the service, to examine observations, many of which are sensual, to think critically about the event, and to share those reflections, orally or in writing. The Academic, Social and Psychological Impacts of Service Learning will guide readers and students to develop a deeper understanding of the issues present in their local and world communities, enhance critical-thinking skill, realize the sociopolitical effects on each issue, acquire a sense of social responsibility and active citizenship, and gain awareness of the true meaning of diversity and empathy. Although the hands-on experience of serving can produce an impact, it is only through reflection—the posing and answering of self-directed questions—that the verified learning occurs. In addition, the process engenders self-examination, which can lead to personal growth and maturity for students.
Assessing Civic Engagement by
How does one assess community service, civic engagement, and the impact of service learning on a college campus? This volume reviews contemporary research, measurement instruments, and practices in the assessment of civic engagement in higher education, including: meta-analyses of students, faculty, institutions, and higher education systems at-large, targeted case studies of campus-specific practices at individual institutions, efficient and effective ways to gauge the influence of civic engagement on higher education policy, practices, and outcomes, and quantitative and qualitative approaches to measuring the effort, importance of, and impact of students' and institutions' involvement in community service, community engagement, civic engagement, and service learning on a college campus. The research ranges between decisions made either as part of institutional agendas, curricular enhancements, or student life initiatives and student and professor involvement in civic engagement activities and supportive attitudes. This is the 162nd volume of this Jossey-Bass quarterly report series. Timely and comprehensive, New Directions for Institutional Research provides planners and administrators in all types of academic institutions with guidelines in such areas as resource coordination, information analysis, program evaluation, and institutional management.
Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement by
This issue of New Directions for Community Colleges establishes a philosophical framework for civic learning and democratic engagement in community colleges; details several approaches to enhancing the civic capacities of students in these institutions; provides best practice examples and lessons learned from practitioners in the field; and addresses some of the sticky issues with which civic practitioners and scholars are wrestling.
Community Partner Guide to Campus Collaborations by
Interacting with colleges can be confusing and frustrating. We learned the hard way through trial and error over the years. This Guide has great strategies for developing effective collaborations from the outset so that resources are leveraged for education and improvement.
Putting the local in global education: models for transformative learning through domestic off-campus programs by
The position taken in this volume is that domestic off-campus study can be just as powerful a transformative learning experience as study overseas, and that domestic programs can equally expand students’ horizons, their knowledge of global issues and processes, their familiarity and experience with cultural diversity, their intercultural skills, and sense of citizenship. This book presents both the rationale for and examples of “study away”, an inclusive concept that embraces study abroad while advocating for a wide variety of domestic study programs, including community-based education programs that employ academic service-learning and internships. With the growing diversification—regionally, demographically, culturally, and socio-economically—of developed economies such as the US, the local is potentially a “doorstep to the planet” and presents opportunities for global learning. Moreover, study away programs can address many of the problematic issues associated with study abroad, such as access, finance, participation, health and safety, and faculty support. Between lower costs, the potential to increase the participation of student cohorts typically under-represented in study abroad, the lowering of language barriers, and the engagement of faculty whose disciplines focus on domestic issues, study at home can greatly expand the reach of global learning. The book is organized in five sections, the first providing a framework and the rationale for domestic study way programs; addressing administrative support for domestic vs. study abroad programs; exploring program goals, organization, structure, assessment and continuous improvement; and considering the distinct pedagogies of experiential and transformative education. The second section focuses on Semester Long Faculty Led Programs, featuring examples of programs located in a wide variety of locations – from investigations into history, immigration, culture, and the environment through localities in the West and the Lowcountry to exploring globalization in L.A and New York. Section three highlights five Short Term Faculty Led Programs. While each includes an intensive immersive study away experience, two illustrate how a 7 – 10 day study away experience can be effectively embedded into a regular course taught on campus. The fourth section, on Consortium Programs, describes programs that are either sponsored by a college that makes its program available to consortium members and non-members, or is offered by an independent non-for-profit to which institutions send their students. The final section on Community Engagement and Domestic Study Away addresses the place of community-based education in global learning and provides examples of academic programs that employ service-learning as a tool for collaborative learning, focusing on issues of pedagogy, faculty development and the building long-term reciprocal relationship with community partners to co-create knowledge. The book is intended for study abroad professionals, multicultural educators, student affairs professionals, alternative spring break directors, and higher education administrators concerned about affordably expanding global education opportunities.
Research on Service Learning and Student Civic Outcomes by 
Service Learning in the Community : The Cultural Implications of Positive Change by
Service Learning in the Community is a unique, stand-alone text for courses that connect service to the community to the acquisition of academic knowledge–courses that ask students to venture into the outside world, and engage in the problems and projects of the communities surrounding their schools. Service Learning in the Community can be used in sociology and education courses, as well as in classes dealing with human development. It is also an excellent supplementary text for psychology and political science courses The book begins with an explanation of service learning, its roots, and definitions of useful terms. While other texts focus on theory, Service Learning in the Community emphasizes the how-to of the discipline, providing students with a clear roadmap for involvement in service fields. Written in a student-friendly, accessible style, the book combines academic instruction with participation through service. It encourages students to reflect on their service experiences, and to grow as responsive citizens. More than a textbook, Coming Full Circle is also an effective aid to self-awareness and personal development.