Academic Service Learning: Extending CSD Student Development Beyond the Classroom

1
Academic Service Learning Extending CSD Student
Development Beyond the Classroom

• Mona R. Griffer, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, BRCLS
• Department of Communication Sciences Disorders
• E-mail griffer_at_marywood.edu
• Ann M. Jablonski, Ph.D.Department of Education
• E-mail jablonski_at_marywood.edu
• Marywood University
• Scranton, PA

2
Overview

• Definition of academic service-learning (ASL)
• Components of an ASL program
• Faculty challenges suggested solutions
• Benefits of ASL
• Examples of ASL experiences for CSD students

3
Marywood Universitys Definition of ASL

• Faculty, professional staff, administrators, and
  student members of
• Marywood Universitys ASL Committee (2005) offer
  the following
• definition
• Academic service learning is a structured
  educational experience integrated into the
  curriculum that includes the following
  objectives
• Meets an identified domestic or international
  community need
• Provides a reciprocal method by which students
  and community benefit
• Fosters personal development, civic duty, and
  social responsibility
• Applies newly acquired knowledge to real life
  service experiences
• Provides structured time for students to
  critically reflect on the educational
  experience(s) and
• Reflects the Marywood University Mission
  Statement and embodies the curricular purpose of
  Living Responsibly in an Interdependent World.

4
Components of ASL Programs

• Fundamental components of well-designed ASL
• programs/experiences incorporate the following
• academic rigor, reflection, and evaluation
• active faculty roles and responsibilities
• the selection of appropriate community partners
  and
• the assurance that these partners have a voice
  that is respected and valued (Mintz Hesser,
  1996).

5
Challenges for Faculty

• Linking the service component directly to course
  curriculum
• Finding appropriate community partners
• Determining reciprocal benefits
• Balancing traditional pedagogies with
  experiential learning that includes opportunities
  for reflection
• Appropriate assessment and evaluation of student
  learning including
• knowledge of content
• service contribution
• depth of reflection
• Time commitment

6
Suggested Solutions

• Challenge Linking the service component directly
  to course curriculum
• Solution The Service-Learning Quadrant

Source Erickson, J. A. Anderson, J. B. (eds.)
(1997). Learning with the community Concepts and
models for service-learning in teacher education.
Washington, DC American Association for Higher
Education
7
Suggested Solutions

• Challenges Finding appropriate community
  partners
• Determining reciprocal benefits
• Solutions
• Advocate for a Coordinator of ASL on your campus
• Reduced course load for faculty member
• Professional staff position
• Establish a ASL committee comprised of
  representative constituents (e.g., faculty from
  various disciplines, an academic dean, dean of
  students, UG GRAD students, professional staff
  from collegiate volunteers office)
• Know your community (i.e., history, culture,
  demographics, potential agencies/organizations)
• Network with other professionals and community
  leaders
• Talk with colleagues who have a successful track
  record with ASL programs

8
Suggested Solutions

• Challenge Balancing traditional pedagogies with
  experiential learning that includes opportunities
  for reflection
• Solutions
• Participate in an extra-curricular
  service-learning experience with students
• Identify a specific student-learning outcome
  (SLO) for which ASL pedagogy would be appropriate
• Determine how much time to dedicate to the ASL
  experience
• Consider whether the ASL experience should be
  part of the course, an extension of the course,
  or a combination of both
• Build in time for reflection
• Design or select meaningful reflections

9
Designing or Selecting Meaningful Reflections

• The purpose of the reflective component is to
  examine the underlying social, cultural,
  economic, political, and historical causes of the
  needs in the community (Kendall as cited in
  Jacoby, 1996).
• This reflection can be oral (small groups) or
  written (e.g., reflective journals or papers)
  (Porter Honnet Poulsen as cited in Jacoby,
  1996).

10
Suggested Solutions

• Challenge Appropriate assessment and evaluation
  of student learning
• Solutions
• Knowledge of content
• Specify objectives for and have students keep a
  portfolio
• Have students design and present projects that
  demonstrate mastery of SLO
• Service contribution and depth of reflection
• Journals
• Reflective papers
• Have students share reflections using electronic
  chat-rooms or bulletin boards
• Design grading rubrics

11
Suggested Solutions

• Challenge Time commitment
• Solution
• Set a professional development goal to infuse ASL
  experiences into courses you teach
• Remember that any goal is just a dream or wish
  unless you set a target date
• To set target dates
• Make a calendar of the ideal work day or week
• Schedule appointments with yourself, blocking off
  time to dedicate to this goal

12
Benefits of ASL Programs for Students

• Students acquire the knowledge and skills to
  confront and resolve social problems and attend
  to human needs in the increasingly global
  communities in which they live and work (Griffer,
  2006).
• Students acquire a capacity to work with diverse
  populations while developing the potential for
  life-long service.
• Students participate in active learning and
  engage in critical reflection that enhances their
  problem-solving abilities.

13
Benefits of ASL Programs for Faculty

• Professionals recognize ASL as both
• a philosophy of education that aims to prepare
  students to become responsible and active
  citizens in their communities and as
• an instructional method that integrates real
  world activities within an academic program
  (Jablonski, 2005).
• Faculty members have the opportunity to expand
  professional networks within the academic
  community as well as the community-at-large.

14
Benefits of ASL Programs to the Community

• Community partners benefit from receiving
  services that might not otherwise be possible.
  They also expand their affiliations with the
  university and/or faculty within their respective
  professions (Zlotkowski, 2005).
• ASL is viewed as a philosophy of reciprocity,
  which implies a concerted effort to move from
  charity to justice, from service to the
  elimination of need (Jacoby,1996, p. 9).

15
Examples of ASL Experiences for CSD Students
ASL experiences include clinical practicum
opportunities in the area of early intervention
and cognitive-linguistic rehabilitation and
oral-motor/feeding with the geriatric
population.

• St. Josephs Center Mother-Infant Home (SJCMIH)
• This community-based program houses and provides
  various services
• to qualified single women who are pregnant or who
  have recently given
• birth. Infants-toddlers born to single mothers
  are identified as an at-risk
• population. These at-risk infants and toddlers
  receive comprehensive
• communication assessments, and as needed,
  therapeutic interventions
• to facilitate communication development.

16
Examples of ASL Experiences for CSD Students

• Our Lady of Peace Residence (OLP)
• This facility serves as a residence for aging and
  infirmed IHM
• Sisters. Many of the Sisters exhibit dementia and
  related disorders as
• well as benefit from using adaptive equipment for
  therapeutic feeding.
• Both the SJCMIH and OLP settings provide
  excellent opportunities for
• graduate students in SLP to provide comprehensive
  communication-language
• and/or oral-motor-feeding evaluations for these
  special clinical populations.
• Discussions with the Program Administrators at
  these facilities have identified
• the need for these services, since the programs
  do not include funding to
• employ speech-language pathologists.

17
Examples of ASL Experiences for CSD Students

• Choctaw Indian Reservation
• During the 2005 Spring Break, an academic
  service-learning trip was planned
• that involved taking students majoring in CSD or
  Education to the Choctaw
• Indian Reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
  Students worked in early
• intervention, Head Start (Preschool), and
  elementary school programs. Under
• supervision, CSD students provided
  speech-language screenings for 130
• children and meet with the educational staff to
  discuss results and
• recommendations. Education students conducted
  classroom observations and
• assisted teachers with instructional strategies.
  Immersing students in
• multicultural experiences, which bridge academic
  curricula and servicefosters
• learning that transcends traditional classroom
  experiences (Griffer, 2006).

18
References

• Academic Service-Learning Committee. (2005).
  Definition of academic service-learning.
• Scranton, PA Marywood University.
• Griffer, M. R., (2006). Academic
  service-learning Extending student learning and
  development to meet community needs. Marywood
  Impressions, Issue II, Summer, p. 7.
• Erickson, J. A., Anderson, J. B. (Eds.).
  (1997). Learning with the community Concepts and
  models for service-learning in teacher education.
  Washington, DC AAHE.
• Jablonski, A. M. (2005, October). Expanding the
  definition of learning Preparing teachers
  through civic engagement. Paper presented at 30th
  Annual Conference ATEE, Amsterdam.
• Jacoby, B. (1996). Service-learning in todays
  higher education. In B. Jacoby and Associates
  (Ed.), Service-learning in higher education
  Concepts and Practices (pp. 3-25). San Francisco
  Jossey-Bass.
• Mintz, S. D., Hesser, G. W. (1996). Principles
  of good practice in service-learning. In B.
  Jacoby and Associates (Ed.), Service-learning in
  higher education Concepts and Practices (pp.
  26-52). San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Zlotkowski, E. (2005, May 11). Integrating
  service-learning across the curriculum Liberal
  learning for the 21st century. Lecture presented
  for Faculty Development Day, Marywood University,
  Scranton, PA.