More than 100 Bonner students and seven recent graduates of the program shared their service experiences with the Foundation Staff this Summer, highlighting the role the Bonner program played in their growth as students, advocates, and civically-engaged professionals. Their responses bring to light specific program aspects such as “exposure to or experience with diversity,” “long-term community engagement,” and “community-defined service-projects” with implications for program structure and practices. The program implications are discussed through two research briefs (included), prepared by Rollins Bonner Leader Emily Curran who served as the Student Impact Intern, and Rachayita Shah, Community-Engaged Scholarship Director at the Bonner Foundation.
Together, Curran and Shah analyzed three open-ended survey items from the 2020 Student Impact Survey, which included on average 100 responses per survey item. They also conducted in-depth interviews with seven recent graduates who have completed community-engaged capstone-level projects. The interviews were conducted with students who were identified by their respective Bonner Coordinators as having particularly strong, capacity building capstone projects. Lasting approximately an hour each, the goal of the interviews was to better understand the factors that contribute to meaningful and high-impact capstone experiences, as well as the areas in which students can be supported further. Together, these sources were also used to make programmatic recommendations.
The first research brief is designed to help programs and staff members across the network better understand how to use capstone projects to increase student success. Based on which, the program recommendations included having faculty members on board, helping students find academic connections with their community-defined projects, and establishing deep partnerships, keeping in mind sustainability of the projects.
The second research brief highlights the ways that Bonner serves as a framework for student, community, and institutional success. Through the Student Impact Survey and interviews with recent graduates, the Foundation was able to draw on both quantitative and qualitative data on the impact Bonner has on student’s awareness of a social issue, practical or leadership skills, personal growth, and relationships, and how a four-year co-curricular model of engagement has the potential to transform students, communities, and institutions. Recommendations are included so that Bonner Programs can explore ways for academic integration, and better support meaningful partnerships between students, community partners, and institutions.
These research briefs are a product of cooperative efforts between the Foundation and schools in the network. As primary investigators on the project, Curran and Dr. Shah leveraged their research backgrounds.
According to Curran, “Results from Foundation interviews and Student Impact Survey responses emphasize the transformative nature of relationship-centered community engagement on student growth and campus-community partnerships. My own experience as a long term volunteer with the Holocaust Center in Maitland, FL is a testament to these findings. I hope that these research briefs, which provide a framework to Bonner Programs and other institutions of higher education, help foster these engagement opportunities for future students.”
“The findings underscored the importance of certain program aspects - sustainable community engagement, critical reflection, cohort-based training opportunities, and mentoring - which contribute to positive student learning experiences. We also learned from student interviews how valuable the long-term engagement is in making a significant impact in the community and in strengthening students’ bond with the community. We are hopeful that these research briefs will help inform program-related decision making at institutional level” said Shah.
Emily Curran and Rachayita Shah worked in tandem with Ariane Hoy, Vice President, who provided guidance for the development of the survey, supporting literature, and specific survey items for further examination regarding the scope of this project.
For further information, please contact Rachayita Shah (rshah@bonner.org).
To learn more about Bonner’s capstone process, click here!