|
ACADEMIC
CONNECTIONS:
RESOURCE HANDBOOK FOR STUDENTS
Welcome Academic Connections
Team!
The first thing that students
can do is to realize the importance of their own voice. Students
can initiate change and make suggestions to faculty, administrators,
and of course to other students. Don’t be afraid to
make your voice heard.
Coach
Ken Carter: What is your deepest fear?
Timo
Cruz: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel
insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children
do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And
as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from
our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
(First quoted: Williamson, Marianne. A Return to Love and
later in Coach Carter, 2005)
Why?*
a. Realize
that faculty ultimately control the curriculum. Therefore,
as a student, you want to get faculty involved when trying
to build academic connections.
b. Understand
that faculty want excited and interested students in their
classes. Excited and interested students always make
the class more productive, fun and engaging. If the professor
knows that you are involved in their class, they are more
apt to take your suggestions about integrating community
service in a positive manner. Offer to help them make it
happen.
c. When
faculty members understand the value of service-learning,
they are likely to join you as an advocate. Service-academic
connections can take learning to a whole new level. Your
partnership can help the professor see the benefits and
suggest them to other faculty. You can help make the case
for service-academic connections through your informal conversations
with faculty and the formal evaluations you provide of their
courses, among other ways.
d.
If faculty have a role in the process of integration of
service into the curriculum, they will be more receptive.
(Professors are not usually enthusiastic about students
and administrators handing a brand new curriculum to them)
* adapted and quoted from
Kendall, Jane C. and Associates. Combining Service and Learning:
A Resource Book for Community and Public Service. Vol. 1.
Raleigh: National Society for Internships and Experiential
Education, 1990, 486. 487.
No one really likes to be told
what to do. Professors want to be involved in designing courses,
research, trips, etc. that are of interest to them and their
classes. When included, professors will be more willing to
create meaningful and well-designed academic connections.
Faculty not only can be helpful
in integrating community service into the curriculum. But
they also can help you make community service in general a
more rewarding and educational experience. For example:
- Invite faculty to present issue based or skill workshops
at meetings, trainings, or retreats.
- Involve faculty in both orientation, reflection and/or
participation in events. Faculty can help take your community
service experiences to another level. If you are working
in a soup kitchen, having a better understanding of issues
related to poverty and hunger will help you have a deeper,
more meaningful experience. Moreover, you may be surprised
to find that your faculty members are “normal”
people just like you. Maybe they have a passion for community
service that you never knew about? They may want to get
involved too!
Just as faculty members can
take your weekly or monthly meeting to the next level with
their expertise, they may be exceptional resources for your
community service trips. Faculty can add a new dimension of
knowledge, historical and social context, and depth to reflection
and discussion.
1. Planning a trip
If you are planning a trip
to a particular area of the world, try talking to a professor
who has an interest is in that area. They may be able to
talk to you about the location you are planning to go to.
In fact, if they have spent considerable amount of time
there, they could give you some travel tips that could be
useful for planning a trip for your group. Additionally,
if you wanted to add a lecture portion to your service trip,
you could always ask a professor to come along.
2. Orientation
A classic part of every
great service trip. Students should be well versed not only
on what activities they will be partaking, but also in the
issues that are pertinent to the work, location and people
involved. If this is a service trip to a Native American
nation in the American West, have a relevant professor lecture
to your group for several weeks before departure on the
nature of the area, the history and current issues/events
of importance to the Native American nation you will be
working beside. For example, the professor could offer a
class on poverty, American history, legal decisions, social
and cultural issues, gender, the environment, or trade.
3. Integration
Who said that a service
trip had to be 100% pure service? In fact, the most effective
and meaningful trips include a lot of structured opportunities
for learning and reflection. Service is a learning experience
that can be reinforced by onsite lectures and post-activity
discussions/reflections throughout the trip. Consider asking
a professor to come along who can truly strengthen the quality
your trip.
4. Reflection
Good reflection is crucial!
It is a time to evaluate what you have learned and experienced.
Just as you may have asked a professor to facilitate your
orientation, consider making her/him a part of your reflection.
They can make connections between your experience and academic
theories and current debate. Moreover, they may be able
to help you make a connection between your trip and your
current community. For example, if your trip is to Mexico
to work with children, you could ask your professor (and
community partner) to talk to your group about current issues
and problems in your area. Maybe a political science professor
or policy studies major could do a workshop on advocacy
or policy options so you can start finding new ways to make
a difference in your own community after the trip.
Not so sure what kind of academic
connections you want to focus on? Get together an advisory
group or board consisting of students, administrators, faculty
members and community partners so you can generate discussion
about community needs. Find ways to bridge the gap between
the student life (extra-curricular activities, service experiences)
and academic life (courses, research, internships). Such a
conversation will generate key issue areas and allow an array
of voices into the creation of academic connections.
There is no such thing as a
standardized format for a service-learning class. Each are
designed differently. For more information regarding the characteristics
and models of service-learning classes and community-based
research please see the relevant sections.
The following sections were
adapted and proposed by Kendall, Jane C. and Associates. Combining
Service and Learning: A Resource Book for Community and Public
Service. National Society for Internships and Experiential
Education. Vol. 1. Raleigh: National Society for Internships
and Experiential Education, 1990, 487, 488, 489.)
1. Steps you can take to add
a service-learning component to an existing class
a. Check your course catalog
for a class that might connect to the work you are doing
in the community.
b. Find out what professors
are open to the inclusion of service-learning, community-based
research or community issues.
c. Let your professor know
that you are taking her/his course because you are doing
related work in the community and you are eager to learn
more about the theories, knowledge, and ideas that relate
from him/her.
d. Let her/him know that
you have actually met with a few other classmates who are
volunteering and discussed her/his class and how it relates
to the work you are all doing.
e. Propose to her/him that
you write your final paper not only on the readings for
class, but also on the direct experiences you have been
having.
f. Request her/his help in
writing an outline for your alternative work and how it
would be evaluated by him/her.
g. Acknowledge your awareness
of the difficulties in evaluating non-traditional work,
but state that you will be sure to incorporate enough of
the traditional reading and writing for a traditional grade.
h. Keep in touch with the
professor during/after the class other students (or offices)
may be able to involve her/him in later integration efforts.
2. Independent Study
a. What is your school’s
policy on independent study? See if you can work with a
faculty member to design an independent study where you
can read, write and discuss community work and issues.
b. When designing such a
course, be sure to make it well defined and structured.
Can you meet with the professor on a regular basis? What
texts will you read? How will your performance be measured
and evaluated? What kind of reflection activities will you
undertake?
c. A drawback to the independent
study proposal is that you are requesting time and more
work from an already busy professor. Be aware of this challenge
and keep trying. Professors may be enthused about your proposal,
but may not have time to advise/supervise you.
3. Design your own
Don’t’ be intimidated
by the course development process! Each school has their own
policy regarding the acceptance of student designed and proposed
courses. So find out what the policy is and take it step by
step.
a. Gather a support network.
Talk with faculty members who may be willing to sponsor/teach
your proposed course. Additionally, talk with administrators
who can provide helpful advice for writing a successful
course proposal.
b. Talk with your student
peers to gather interest for such a course.
c. Talk with community partners
to further integrate the academic and experiential portions
of the course. What are their needs?
d. Consult faculty syllabi
as references for course structure and/or materials.
e. Consider meeting times,
course structure, possible reading materials, evaluation
and assessment criteria.
For service-learning example
syllabi please refer to the “Sample Syllabi” section.
Some campuses in the Bonner
network are currently working to develop a Civic Engagement/Education
Certificate or Minor. In this type of program, a student who
is majoring in any field could also participate in an academic
program that addresses topics like civic education, participation,
and leadership. Five campuses—Mars Hill College, Portland
State University, The College of New Jersey, UCLA, and Washington
and Lee University—have been involved in the pilot of
this program for three years. Another ten or so campuses in
the Bonner network are working on the initiative now. The
Bonner Foundation is working on a written handbook for campuses
to glean lessons from this multi-campus experience. In the
meantime, you may find this FIPSE BLUEPRINT, which describes
the structure of the programs and some questions to ask on
your campus, to be a good starting point.
|
