University Community Partnership through Academic Service Learning in a Virtual Environment

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University Community Partnership through Academic
Service Learning in a Virtual Environment

• Naim Kapucu, Ph.D.
• Department of Public Administration, University
  of Central Florida
• nkapucu_at_mail.ucf.edu
• (407)-823-6096

11th Sloan-C International Conference on
Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) The Power
of Online Learning Mobilizing to Expand
Community November 17 - 19, 2005, Orlando,
Florida
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Outline

• Online teaching and learning at UCF
• Service-learning at UCF
• Service-learning and community building
• Partnership strategies
• Online course materials

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University of Central Florida
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About the University of Central Florida

• Metropolitan University -- 13 miles east of
  Orlando, Florida
• One of 11 universities in Florida State
  University System
• Diverse student population
• 55 female, 94 FL residents, 29 minority
• 45,500 enrolled Fall 2005
• Rapid growth

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UCF Models of Web-based Instruction

• Web-based courses delivered entirely over the
  Web, with no regular class meetings
• Mixed-mode courses deliveredpartially in
  classroom and partially over the Web (blended,
  reduced seat time)
• Enhanced courses Web enhancement but no
  reduction of seat time

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What Is Service-learning?

• Service-learning is an experiential teaching
  approach that uses community service as a vehicle
  for teaching specific course-based skills and
  strategies
• Combines community service and academic learning
• Combines real-world action with critical
  reflection
• Service-learning can take place in a number of
  settings
• Nonprofit agency
• Public school
• Government agency
• Campus organization
• Business with philanthropic commitments

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Elements of Service-Learning Based on the
National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993
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Benefits of Service-Learning

• Real-world experience
• Opportunity to field test knowledge in a
  supervised context
• Community connections
• Encouragement of civic commitments
• Positive image for university
• Teachers learn, too
• Great opportunity for interdisciplinary courses

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Universities and capacity building in community
organizations

• Analyzing the factors to have a positive impact
  on capacity building, it was determined that
  among the perceived technical assistance
  opportunities were colleges and universities that
  bring a new quality to technical assistance
• (Hansberry 2002).

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Organizational Capacity Building and Effectiveness
Organizational Capacity
Organizational Effectiveness
Organizational Capacity
Capacity Building Effort
Increased Organizational Capacity
Increased Organizational Effectiveness
Source Light, P.C. 2004a. Sustaining nonprofit
performance The case for capacity building and
the evidence to support it. Washington, DC
Brookings Institution Press.
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Importance of Service Learning

• What is actually done through service learning is
  the promotion and sustenance of the common good.
  And this is called civic engagement. Civic
  engagement, in turn, builds social capital
• Social capital is also conceived more simply as
  trust among citizens that allows for the
  effective pursuit of mutual goals (Bowling Alone)

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Service-Learning at UCF

• Service learning is
• A teaching method that uses community
  involvement to apply theories or skills taught in
  a course. Service-learning furthers the learning
  objectives of the academic course, addresses
  community needs, and requires students to reflect
  on their activity in order to gain an
  appreciation for the relationship between civics
  and academics.
• Service Learning Office
• http//www.servicelearning.ucf.edu/index.cfm

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UCFs Master of Nonprofit Management

• Completely online
• 33 Credit Hours with 9 core courses
• Service learning utilized in 5 core courses
• Nonprofit Administration
• Grants and Contract Management
• Volunteer Management
• Strategic Planning and Management
• Program Evaluation for Public and Nonprofit
  Organizations

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UCFs Nonprofit Management Program

• Nonprofit management is based on service.
• Courses provide opportunity to serve the
  community
• Directly relates course content to the community
• Connects to community
• Students use real organizations to apply theories
  
• Identifies barriers to application of theories
• Meets a community need through helping one
  program
• Provides for reflection
• Requires students to identify for themselves the
  connection between theoretical content and
  community application

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Service-Learning Course Materials

• Syllabus
• Course goal worksheet
• RFP for SL Projects
• Community organizations
• ABCD Easy Access to Better Community Data
• 211 Community Information Service
• Community organizations based on the RFP

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Example of service learning implementation

• Nonprofit Administration class (UCF) worked with
  more than 75 organizations to
• conduct an organizational effectiveness analysis
• design marketing strategies
• create personnel manuals
• design volunteers management systems
• design evaluation mechanism for the Board
• design grant proposal template
• design development strategies
• design event management strategies, etc.
• All these activities are an exact match
  frameworks addressing capacity building in
  nonprofit organizations
• Students worked on all elements of capacity
  building resources, products and outputs,
  outreach and leadership

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Tips for Successful and Manageable
Service-Learning Projects

• Start small
• Let the students do the footwork
• Choose the model that works for you and your
  students
• One group activity
• Combined reading and observation
• Production of documents
• Client services

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Strategies for Effective Collaborations

• Review the UCF service-learning definitions and
  objectives
• Remember that service-learning is quite different
  from internships, co-ops, and practica
• Clear course goals, objectives, schedules, etc.
• Most up-to-date and reliable contact information
  for the partnering agencies
• Clear description of the organizations structure
  so that students are able to find information
  that they need, etc.
• Provide a contact information for the partnering
  agency
• Clear role description for the community
  partners
• Responsibility of the community organization
  keeping track of student performance, evaluating
  work products, etc.
• Establish clear goals and expectations for the
  collaboration, focusing on the overlap between
  the community organizations needs and the course
  objectives
• Focus on the reciprocal nature of
  service-learning, remembering that both the
  community organization and the student are
  supposed to benefit

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Strategies for Effective Collaborations

• Make notes about ways to improve the process as
  you go along. If you notice that certain kinds of
  activities arent working, that certain
  instructions or expectations arent clear, or
  that some groups of students dont seem
  adequately prepared to work on some facets of the
  project
• Clear sense of the class schedule and how it
  overlaps with the community organizations plans
• Communicate your deadlines explicitly with the
  community organization
• Talk with community organization bout long-term
  projects that could build on each other to
  develop a vision for the collaboration over the
  long term

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Conclusion

• Through Service Learning
• Build trust via long lasting relationship with
  the community social capital
• Serve the community by helping to address its
  needs capacity building
• Educate students and teach them how to become
  better citizens civic engagement

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Challenges for the future

• Service Learning _at_ Online Environment

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Acknowledgement

• The following individuals provided information
  and insights to the paper
• Linda S. Hargreaves, Program Coordinator,
  Undergraduate Studies, University of Central
  Florida
• Melody Bowdon, Assistant professor, Department of
  English, University of Central Florida
• Dr. Diane Wink, Professor, School of Nursing,
  Senior Faculty Fellow, Office of Academic Affairs
• I do gratefully acknowledge their assistance.

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Thank you