College of Arts and Sciences Community Engagement: Focus on Service Learning

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College of Arts and Sciences Community
Engagement Focus on Service Learning

• Janna Jones, Assistant Professor of Communication
  USF Service Learning Faculty Fellow
• Robin Jones, Coordinator,
• CAS Community Initiative
• Sandra Schneider, Associate Dean,
• Center for Research and Scholarship

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Arts Sciences

Social Sciences
Natural Sciences

Humanities
Professional Programs
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CAS Community Engagement

• Social Sciences Criminal justice training,
  archaeological trips, GIS, health, urban
• Natural Sciences Summer math camp, Coalition,
  REUs, corporations, arsenic/lead
• Humanities Humanities Institute, Great books,
  historical/religious trips abroad
• Professional Programs journalists, kinship care,
  community development, hearing

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Why Does Community Engagement Matter?

• Community is a fundamental constituency
• University is essential to the community
• Social network provides the context for knowledge
  generation and application
• Communities need knowledge/expertise
• Learning is real when it happens for-real

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Experiential Learning

• Educational Goal
• Gaining knowledge/ understanding of
• the world
• preparing for a career
• preparing for citizenship

• Experiential Process
• field work/applied research/internship
• practicum/internship
• service-learning

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Components of Service Learning

• Project addresses a social, community, or public
  issue
• Planned in collaboration with a community partner
• Tied to a course
• project is well integrated into the syllabus
• student reflection is required
• systematic analysis/evaluation is emphasized

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Benefits

• Engaged Learning and Teaching
• Enthusiasm of Students, Faculty, and Community
• Collaborative Partnerships
• Community Awareness and Immersion
• University Students/Faculty become trusted,
  necessary community resources

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Requirements for Success

• Issues for Faculty and Support Team
• Communication and Training
• Development of Community Partnerships
• Methods to Overcome Logistical Problems
• Sustained Network of Community Relationships

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Enhancement Strategies

• Faculty Workshops
• Faculty Fellow
• Mini-Grants
• Coffees for faculty and community partners
• Website address www.cas.usf.edu/servicelearning/
  index.html

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Looking Toward the Future

• Service Learning infrastructure at USF
  Mechanisms to reach the community
• Symbolic and material support for Service
  Learning/Community Engagement
• Translation of knowledge to application
• Staff assistance

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Community Thinking Bigger

• Broader perspective on university-community
  interactions and relationships
• Appreciation for the role of the university in
  knowledge generation and application
• Focus on the benefit of our unique metropolitan
  surroundings and our research strengths