Tennessee%20Academic%20Civic%20Engagement%20Program%20(TACEP)%20Fall%202006%20-%20Summer%202009%20CNCS/Learn%20and%20Serve%20America

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Tennessee Academic Civic Engagement Program
(TACEP) Fall 2006 - Summer 2009CNCS/Learn and
Serve America

• Roane State
• Community College
• August 20, 2007

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Session Agenda

• 200-210 p.m.
• Introduction to TACEP
• 210-230 p.m.
• Completion of Needs Assessment
• 230-300 p.m.
• Why Service-Learning?
• 300320 p.m.
• VU Mentoring Model
• 320-340 p.m.
• TNCC AmeriCorpsVISTA Project
• 340400 p.m.
• Q A

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TACEP Goals Academic
Service-Learning

• High School Mentoring Outreach
• Community College Service-Learning
  Curriculum Integration Outreach
• Tennessee Campus Compact

• Tennessee
• Academic
• Civic
• Engagement
• Project

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TACEP Model
Mentors assist youth with high
school completion and college access.
More Tennesseans attain degrees and
become civically engaged.
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More college students mentor youth
in local communities.
Mentees graduate high school and enter
post-secondary institutions.
TN Campus Compact institutionalizes
service-learning statewide.
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High School Component

• Vanderbilt Mentoring Model
• College undergraduates in service-learning
  courses or service organizations mentor high
  school juniors and seniors
• Academic Tutoring, ACT/SAT Prep, Post-Secondary
  Prep, Study Skills, Career Guidance, Personal
  Goal-Setting
• In-school and After-school programs
• Targets at-risk youth in high-poverty,
  low-performing high schools

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Community College Component

• Vanderbilt faculty will provide one-day training
  to TN community colleges
• Customized training will be a how to for
  integrating service-learning projects into
  existing courses
• Follow-up technical assistance available via
  teleconference or classroom support seminars
• Service-learning courses allow community college
  students to mentor area high school students
  through the Vanderbilt Mentoring Model

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TACEP Community College Outreach

• Year I 76 faculty at JSCC, SWTCC, CSCC, NESCC,
  and DSCC received full-day training.
• Faculty at JSCC, CSCC, and RSCC will receive
  introduction to training during fall in-service.
• Year II Regional Training (to be scheduled).
• Year III Training of Trainers (is being
  considered).

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Faculty Trainers

• Dr. Sharon Shields
• Professor VU Department of Human and
  Organizational Development at Peabody College
• Courses focus on service-learning partnerships
  that foster civic engagement and active
  citizenship
• Worked on national service-learning curricula
  and written articles related to service-learning
  instruction
• Dr. Carolyn Hughes
• Professor - VU Department of Special Education
• Developed the VU Mentoring Model, in which VU
  students mentor youth from high-poverty high
  schools in Nashville
• Published studies designed to promote
  self-directed learning skills of high-school
  students

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Tennessee Campus Compact(TNCC)

• Tennessee Campus Compact is a sustainability
  component of the TACEP grant
• Grants from Campus Compact, Vol TN, AmeriCorps
  VISTA, and Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
  facilitate statewide dialogue and support
  infrastructure capacity building
• TNCC will increase statewide collaboration and
  leverage funding for implementation of best
  practices in academic service-learning

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TNCC Presidential Engagement

• Annual service-learning conference for college
  presidents (Feb. 13, 2007 Mar 13-15, 2008)
• TNCC Presidents Council
• TNCC Executive Board
• TNCC Advisory Council

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TNCC AmeriCorpsVISTA Project

• Annual CNCS federal resource to embed civic
  engagement in TN postsecondary institutions
• Build on-campus civic engagement,
  service-learning, community service
  infrastructure capacity
• Help new institutions get started
• Help experienced institutions grow
• Help high risk K-12 schools communities
• Help TNCC build organizational infrastructure
• Help TACEP grant objectives
• Create awareness and foster action in all sectors
  of TN society political/governmental
  institutional/faculty student/families
  corporate business community service and
  faith-based organizations and public at-large

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CSCC FACULTY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

• Please complete and submit

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SESSION BREAK
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WHY SERVICE-LEARNING?

• The challenge is how will we assure that entering
  and exiting students graduate as individuals of
  character more sensitive to the needs of
  community, more competent to contribute to
  society, and more civil in habits of thought,
  speech, and action.
• (Wingspread Group Report on Higher Education,
  1993)

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Community Colleges Role in Promoting Citizenship

• 1,200 colleges and 12 million students
• Half of all minority students in higher education
• Community service in 71 of college mission
  statements
• Prepare students for effective involvement in a
  diverse democratic society
• (American Association of Community Colleges
  (AACC, July 18, 2007)

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AACCs Definition of Service-Learning

• Combines community service and classroom
  instruction, with a focus on critical, reflective
  thinking as well as personal and civic
  responsibility
• Involves students in activities that meet local
  needs while developing academic skills and
  commitment to community
• 60 of all community colleges offer
  service-learning as part of academic course work
• (AACC, July 18, 2007)

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Service-Learning Benefits

• AACC studies in 1999-2000 and 2004-2006 report
  that students service-learning experiences
  affected the following a lot or some
• Improved GPA 58
• Desire to stay in college and complete degree
  58
• Development of occupational skills 79
• Ability to work and learn independently 83
• Positive attitude toward community
  involvement/citizenship 90
• Increased commitment to continue serving 59
• (Cathy Doyle, Anne Arundel Community College and
  Gail Robinson, American Association of Community
  Colleges, National Conference on Volunteering and
  Service, Philadelphia, PA, July 18, 2007)

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Widely Recognized Academic Service-Learning
Definition

• A course-based, credit-bearing education
  experience in which students
• Participate in an organized service activity that
  meets identified community needs
• Reflect on the service activity in such a way as
  to gain further understanding of course content,
  a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an
  enhanced sense of civic responsibility
• Bringle Hatcher, 1995

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U.S. Department of Education on Academic
Service-Learning

• "Through service-learning, students have unique
  opportunities to learn the value of teamwork and
  build critical thinking skills while completing
  service projects in areas such as education,
  public safety and the environment. Studies have
  shown that students who participate in such
  programs demonstrate increased civic and social
  responsibility and improved academic
  achievement."
• Margaret Spellings, the U.S. Secretary of
  Education, June 2005 Press Release

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Service-Learning Models

• Discipline-based
• Project/problem-based
• Capstone Course
• Service internship
• Community-based action research
• Placement-based

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Service-Learning Helps Students Understand

• How communities function
• The kinds of problems they face
• The strength and richness of diversity
• The importance of individual commitments of time
  and energy to enhancing community life

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Services that Service-Learners May Provide

• Tutors
• Mentors
• Program development
• Technology assistance
• Advocacy
• Training
• Needs Assessments
• Discipline-specific assistance

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A Community Service Example

• If students remove trash from a streambed
• they are providing a service to the community as
  volunteers

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A Service-Learning Example

• When students, who are taking an environmental
  education course, remove trash from a streambed,
• analyze what they found,
• share the results and offer suggestions for the
  neighborhood to reduce pollution,
• and then reflect on their experience and the
  impact of their service
• THAT is service-learning!

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Service-learning is Not..

• An episodic volunteer program
• An add-on to an existing school or college
  curriculum
• Completing minimum service hours in order to
  graduate
• Service assigned as a form of punishment
• Only for high school or college students
• One-sided benefiting only students or only the
  community

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Characteristics of Authentic Service-Learning

• Positive, meaningful and real to the
  participants.
• Cooperative rather than competitive experiences.
• Promote teamwork and citizenship.
• Address complex problems in complex settings
  rather than simplified problems in isolation.
• Engage problem-solving in the specific context of
  service activities and community challenges,
  rather than generalized or abstract concepts from
  a textbook.

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Characteristics of Authentic Service-Learning

• Students are able to identify the most important
  issues within a real-world situation through
  critical thinking.
• Promotes deeper learning there are no "right
  answers" in the back of the book.
• Generates emotional consequences, which challenge
  values and ideas.
• Supports social, emotional and cognitive learning
  and development.

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Service-Learning..

• Goes beyond traditional community service by
  connecting the service experience to specific
  academic goals, which are facilitated by
  reflection, discussion, and integration with
  course material.

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Elements of High-Quality Service-Learning

• 1. Integrated Learning- clear outcomes
• 2. High Quality Service- actual community need
• 3. Collaboration- all partners benefit and
  contribute
• 4. Student Voice- students actively plan
  participate
• 5. Civic Responsibility- contribute/impact
  community
• 6. Reflection- connect service academic
  learning
• 7. Evaluation- measure learning service goals

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Benefits to Students

• Leadership Skills
• Enhancement of lifes realities
• Opportunities to experience diversity
• Career exploration
• Job opportunities
• Interpersonal skills
• Scholarships
• Self-esteem building
• Problem Solving skills/Critical Thinking

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Benefits to Faculty

• Discipline content enrichment connect real
  world to classroom instruction
• Provide students opportunities to develop
  critical thinking skills, empathy, and a sense of
  civic responsibility
• Student retention
• Increased enrollment
• Professional development

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Benefits to College Administration

• Mission
• Goodwill
• PR (recruitment)
• Leadership in academic community
• Curriculum enhancement
• FTE/Retention

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Benefits to Community Agencies

• Manpower at little or no cost
• Increased service to clientele
• Public relations image
• Potential employees
• Community goodwill/increased exposure of policy
  issues
• Increased productivity and effectiveness

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Benefits to Community Clients

• Experiences in self-planning and evaluation
• Empowerment
• Intra-cultural experience
• Learning opportunities
• Access resources (e.g., college resources)

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Implementing Service-Learning

• Modify, develop and improve course syllabi and
  service-learning components over time
• The Tennessee Academic Civic Engagement Program
  will provide training and technical assistance in
  2007, 2008, 2009
• The Tennessee Campus Compact will continue
  further support

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Common Faculty Concerns

• Academic rigor
• Competence in application of the strategy
• Students ability to contribute meaningful
  service
• Time constrains
• Liability
• Drs. Sharon Shields and Carolyn Hughes of VU will
  address these concerns during training.

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Service-Learning Advocates Funding Sources

• Campus Compact, founded in 1985
• Corporation for National and Community Service,
  founded in 1993
• National Commission on Service-Learning, founded
  in 1998
• Volunteer TN
• Tennessee Department of Education

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VU Mentoring

• Three at-risk High Schools
• 204 mentees served
• 201 mentorsGraduation RatesMaplewood-
  230Pearl Cohn- 131Stratford- 136

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Mentoring Logistics

• Mentors help mentees in areas of Completing HS,
  Post Secondary Prep, Career Goals, Job
  Preparation, and Personal Goal Setting.
• Mentors paired up one to one with mentees.
• Mentoring programs occur in school and after
  school.
• Mentors usually complete 22 hours a semester.

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Sample Mentoring Schedule

• Snack Time, Social Sharing- 15 mins
• Lesson for the Week (i.e. Scholarships)- 30-45
  mins
• Spend time working on what discussed in group,
  personal goals, ACT/SAT prep, college searches,
  Gateway prep, and homework- 1 hr

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Mentor Training

• Mentoring Manual
• Training diversity/cultural awareness,
  responsibilities as a mentor, community
  background, school background, curriculum
  overview
• Scheduling of car pooling
• Mentor interest forms

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Mentoring Evaluations

• Pre-Test given beginning of every semester.
  Second week of every semester.
• Post-Test given end of every semester. Last week
  of every semester.
• IRB exemption prohibits VU from mentee
  evaluations.
• Students grades, Gateway scores, and ACT/SAT
  scores are given in school averages from MNPS.

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Reflections

• Mentors do weekly reflections with mentees.
• Mentors do monthly focus group reflections.
• Mentees do monthly focus group reflections.
• Mentors and mentees do end of semester
  reflections.

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Mentor Experiences

• Help with retention in college
• Provide leadership opportunities
• A chance to see how other people live and issues
  they have to deal with
• How to network and utilize resources
• Experience things outside of comfort zone

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Mentee Experiences

• My mentor was a very great individual who really
  cared about our education.
• They (mentors) can help some kids believe in
  themselves-can push us to want to go to college
  and take the ACT.
• Shes someone I can talk to that wont judge
  me.
• I have benefited from my mentor because she gave
  me the push to believe in going to college.
• I wish all our students had access to a mentor
  this program allows students to see that there
  is a way.

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Mentor Media Clip

• Media Clip

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TNCC AmeriCorps VISTA Project

• 18,000-20,000 FREE Federal Resource
• One full year of service
• Work 40 hours/week , but available 24/7.
• Benefits provided by Federal Government.
• Ask that you try to help provide some kind of
  assistance, i.e. meal plan.
• Cannot work other jobs or attend school while in
  program.

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VISTA Activity Options

• Help with service-learning integration
• Program infrastructure
• Community College collaborations
• Needs Assessments
• Program Evaluations
• College research on number of students who
  participate in community service,
  service-learning, and civic engagement

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VISTA Administration

• Concept Paper
• MOA (TSU/TNCC CNCS)
• MOU (TSU/TNCC Institution)
• VISTA Project Plan
• Recruit VISTA
• VISTA Work Plan
• Training Schedule
• PSO Training
• Quarterly Reports

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VISTA Application Process

• PSO Training Form
• Member Application Form
• 2 Reference Forms
• Summary of Key Responsibilities
• VISTA Evaluation of Applicant
• Benefit Form
• Work Form-Document of Citizenship
• Work Plan
• Member Assignment Description

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Additional VISTA Processing

• Direct Deposit Form
• Life Insurance
• Beneficiary
• V81
• W4-W5
• Oath
• NSOR
• Background Check
• Child Care Check

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VISTA Member Work Plan

• Goals
• Activities
• Outputs
• Intermediate Outcomes
• End Outcomes

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TSU/TNCC SUPPORT

• Provide guidance with Concept Paper and MOU.
• Provides assistance with VISTA recruitment if
  necessary, and help with member work plans.
• All member documents go to TNCC for approval then
  on to the TN state office for approval.
• Deadlines for additional documents and trainings.

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Helpful Links

• Campus Compact
• http//www.compact.org
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• http//www.nationalservice.org/about/role_impact/h
  istory.asp
• Learn and Serve America
• http//www.learnandserve.org/about/lsa/index.asp
• Faculty Service-Learning Toolkit
• http//www.servicelearning.org/filemanager/downloa
  d/HE_toolkit_with_worksheets.pdf
• TACEP Website
• http//www.vanderbilt.edu/lsi/tacep.html
• (updates and additional articles will be posted
  by October or November of 2007).

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Q A

• QUESTIONS?
• COMMENTS?
• THANK YOU

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TACEP Contacts

• Mani Hull, TACEP Director
• Tel [phone]
• Email mani.hull_at_vanderbilt.edu
• Heather Jolly, TACEP Program Coordinator
• Tel [phone]
• Email heather.jolly_at_vanderbilt.edu