Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Intro music
Hello I’m Dr. Lynn Donahue, director of the Service Learning Program.
At St. John Fisher College, Service Learning is incorporated in academic courses across the disciplines. To meet course learning goals and the needs in our community.
We now have a center for service learning and experiential learning support that is central to the mission of the college.
The number of service learning course sections per year has more than doubled, From 10 in 2008, to over 40 today.
Last year about 650 service learning students worked with about 30 community partners to solve Rochester’s most pressing needs.
Community based service learning is defined as: a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
How did the program come to exist at Fisher?
We realized well really the major, or one of the major issues we have is that its not integrated into our curriculum.
We knew there was definitely interest. So we were thinking of new ways to get people involved so that spirit of service would not just be a couple events thoughout the year, but it would be something that students are doing regularly.
What are the types of service learning?
Client support or a sort of a direct supporting role that students could play
in a course where for example they might partner with a literacy center
or a public school in the city and they might work one on a one with other students that are in elementary school
or high school who need that extra support.
Another type of project would be what could be called capacity building. I kind of consider this and literature talks about this as being behind the scenes work.
to build up the infrastructure of a community organization and to help meet some of their needs for things like, publicity, writing, writing up mission statements, putting materials on their website, doing research for them…
So service learning projects have to meet course goals, it has to be related to the discipline that the students are studying and then it has to have off campus work with a community partner and benefit that community partner in some way.
The hours vary from 15 to 30 but the average number is about 20.
In volunteerism community service you might have students cleaning out a stream bed for example
but in service learning students are in a Chemistry course or Environmental Science course and
they are applying their understanding of environmental issues to being able to clean out that streambed.
What are the benefits that service learning offer?
According to last year’s end of semester student impact survey, 95% of students stated that Service-Learning increased the meaningfulness of their course material.
And 94% reported that it helped them understand how course concepts can be applied to practice.
I think it truly helps the students connect to the material a lot better, only when they try to apply it to a real client and a real set of problems, they can truly understand the complexity, the breadth, the scope, and the importance of it.
It was a really different opportunity to kind of expand the ways I could approach problems.
89% of students reported that service-learning helped them to become more aware of the needs in our community and understand and interact with diverse individuals.
We make a very hard effort to place students in environments that they wouldn’t ordinarily encounter in their daily existence.
Getting people into environments and communities where they wouldn’t otherwise go is really important to their understanding a culture other than theirs.
their understanding of social issues
93% of students stated that it helped them gain communication and professional skills and increased their awareness of career choices.
What this allows them to do is explore what marketing does for a company and helps them realize okay is this something I want to do as a major? Or something I want to do is a career?
We have talked about the benefits to the students, but how do community partners benefit?
One of the greatest things that I have gotten as partner through service learning is I have gotten the exposure to a lot of innovative students and some really innovative ideas.
it’s a really neat way for us to serve our community and help you guys learn how to be more proficient when you enter the work world.
For them to feel free and interested enough to ask questions about how their learning interacts with the needs and services of the neighborhood center.
We are really hoping that students take ownership,. There are pretty used to in a class taking direction from a faculty member. You take a test when a faculty members tells you it’s coming up, you do what a faculty member tells you to do.
But in service learning we are really hoping that students are excited about the project and taking oninitiative and that will lead to success because the faculty member will not be there with you during the project, it’s really on you on the student.
To set up some expectations for communication really helps the student get the best opportunity and me as a community partner to know what my students are doing and where.
First they have to come in with an open mind because whatever preconceptions they have for what a service learning project will be or what marketing means specifically what marketing means specifically for this course will change over the semester.
You have to immerse yourself. You have to get into it. The first couple weeks we walked in with anxiety and confusion of what would happen. But after the first couple weeks we started to enjoy the kids we looked forward to every Thursday to going there.
I tell the students they should see themselves as consultants. As depending on you so they really need your help that’s why they are reaching out.
You have to take it seriously and its an effort so they have to plan ahead. They need great management skills, great planning skills.
Be open minded, that’s the most important thing. I was working with homeless women. I was very hesitant. If you keep an open mind you will get a lot out of it.
When I first meet the service learning students from St. John Fisher is one of the things that really impresses me is when they dress like they are going to a business interview. Not in a suit but with professional attire.
They talk often about the importance of body language. Being able to make that first meeting or first appointment, having a really positive attitude,
a good handshake, positive demeanor, good eye contact, and so that’s all really important in being able to convey that you are ready to contribute as a professional and that you have something to give.
When they follow through on their commitments, so if I have a student that says I’m going to be here at this time and they actually do it, it makes me go, this is someone who is reliable.
They make the most of the commitment between us, is spending time with us here at the center, that way we can make it exciting for students to be in the community.
They make the most of the commitment between us, is spending time with us here at the center, that way we can make it exciting for students to be in the community.
We will recommend that when students go in the community that they travel in pairs or groups that they find a good place to park,
and they lock their doors that they communicate where they’re going maybe to someone they know,
that they map out in advance where they are going so they know the directions and where they are going.
Service learning is a valuable valuable program.
I have a broader perspective on things because I’ve done service and I can talk from that perspective.
Service learning has become an exciting way for students to enhance the meaningfulness of their course material. They can apply course content to solve real issues in the community and finally gain professional and civic skills.