The Context for Civic Learning and Engagement in Higher Education Today

The Context for Civic Learning and
Engagement in Higher Education Today
Dawn Michele Whitehead, PhD
Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for
Campus, Community, and Careers
AAC&U

Today’s Session
• Current Trends in Higher Education Related to
Your Work
• AAC&U’s Initiatives of Interest Related To Trends
in Higher Education
• AAC&U’s Approach to Learning and Implications
for for Bonner Scholars
• Connecting the Local and International through a
Global Focus

Who Am I?
• Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for Campus,
Community, and Careers at AAC&U
• Former Administrator (Curriculum Internationalization),
Faculty of Global and International Studies, and Study Abroad
Faculty Director
• Collaborator with Professional Schools on Internationalization
and Community-Based Global Learning
• International and Comparative Education (Education Policy)
and African Studies PhD

“We must reach out our hand in
friendship both to those who would befriend
us and those who would be our enemy. We
must believe in the power of education.”
Arthur Ashe

Table Talk in Duos/Trios
Ah-Go
Ah-May

Last year 29% of Americans said
they preferred allowing fewer
immigrants or none at all into
the country; 44% preferred
immigration levels staying the
same, and 24% wanted more
immigrants moving to the USA%
wanted more

58% Dissatisfied
40% Satisfied in the US

https://
www.pewresearch.org/
fact-tank/2019/10/08/
in-the-u-s-and-western-
europe-people-say-they-
accept-muslims-but-
opinions-are-divided-on-
islam/

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/
2019/10/08/in-the-u-s-and-western-europe-
people-say-they-accept-muslims-but-
opinions-are-divided-on-islam/

Today’s Changing Context of Higher
Education
More Diverse*More Expensive*Greater
Debate over Free Speech*Safe
Spaces*Brave Spaces*Engagement with
Difference*Academic Freedom*Contested
Value

More Low Income Students
Are Attending College and
Universities (Pew, May 2019)
“The overall number of undergraduates at
U.S. colleges and universities has increased
during the past 20 years, with students of
color and those from low-income families
making up much of that growth.”

Students of Color and Students
from Low Income Backgrounds:
Total Share of Undergraduate
College Students
From Low Income Families
12% in 1996 20% in 2016
Students of Color
29% in 1996 47% in 2016

Contested perception of institutions
of higher education in the US

Decline in Confidence in Higher
Education (Gallup 2018)
2015 2018 Change
U.S. Adults 57% 48% -9%
Republicans 56% 39% -17%
Independents 48% 44% -4%
Democrats 68% 62% -6%
Gallup 2018 (https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/242441/confidence-higher-education-down-2015.aspx?
g_source=link_newsv9&g_campaign=item_248492&g_medium=copy)

Higher Education was at 57% in 2015 
https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/242441/confidence-higher-education-down-2015.aspx

Transformation of Public Perception of
Higher Education
Sarah Bauder, Gates Foundation (2015)

Take a look at some
headlines from the last
few months

50% of American adults think colleges and
universities are having a positive effect on the way
things are going in the country these days. About
four-in-ten (38%) say they are having a negative
impact – up from 26% in 2012. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/the-growing-
partisan-divide-in-views-of-higher-education/

This is the context in which we must
do our work

AAC&U Initiatives That
Connect to Bonner

About AAC&U
• The leading national organization concerned with the
quality of student learning in college
• More than 1400 institutional members
–Public/Private, Two-year/Four-year, open access,
selective, highly selective, research, comprehensive,
liberal arts, state systems, international, etc.
• Network of over 30,000 faculty members, academic
leaders, presidents, and other working for educational
reform

AAC&U’s Mission
The mission of the Association of American
Colleges and Universities is to advance the
vitality and public standing of liberal
education by making quality and equity the
foundations for excellence in undergraduate
education in service to democracy.

What is Liberal Education?
Liberal education is an
approach to college learning
that empowers students to deal
with complexity, diversity, and
change for all majors
Broad Knowledge
In-Depth Field of Interest
Helps students develop a
sense of social responsibility,
intellectual and practical
skills

AAC&U’s Work
• Meetings, Conferences, and Institutes
Annual Meeting (January)
General Education and Assessment (February)
Diversity, Learning and Student Success (March)
Summer Institutes
–High-Impact Practices, Truth Racial Healing, and
Transformation, General Education and Assessment,
Integrative Learning and Signature Work, and STEM
Global Learning (October)
STEM (November)

Publications and Research
oPrint and On-line publications
• Peer Review, Liberal Education, and
Diversity & Democracy
• Focused issues on topics of interest to
members and highlighting project work
• Diversity & Democracy Summer 2018
▪ Examining the Past, Transforming the
Future
• Peer Review Fall 2017 Civic Learning in
the Major
• Community-Engaged Signautre Work
(D&D Fall 2016 with the Bonner
Foundation
Research and other Reports
Publications and Research

AAC&U Civic Initiatives Through the Years
Civic Prompts: Civic in the Major By Design
Greater Expectations: Goals for Learning as a Nation Goes to College:
Outcomes for Civic Learning
Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social
Responsibility-23 institutions
Citizenship Under Siege-7 two-year colleges engaging in public forums with
programs and educational resources
The Educated Citizen and Public Health
Bridging Cultures-3 year curriculum and faculty development
Civic Engagement VALUE Rubric
https://www.aacu.org/resources/civic-learning/projects

Civic Prompts: Civic Learning in the
Major By Design
3 Regional One-Day Convenings
November 15th Loyola University Chicago
January 31st California State University, LA
March 6th George Washington University,
Washington, DC
Give departmental faculty teams the time and space to
embed civic learning across the structure, concepts, and
pedagogies of their undergraduate majors.

Interfaith Leadership in Higher
Education
• Integrate interfaith and multi-
faith perspectives into curricular
and co-curricular initiatives
• Partnership with AAC&U and the
Interfaith Youth Core, funded by
the Arthur Vining Davis
Educational Foundations
• Summer institute on Teaching
and Learning for Campus-wide
Interfaith Excellence

Truth Racial Healing and
Transformation
Partnering with HEI to develop campus
centers to prepare the next general of
strategic leaders and thinkers to break
down racial hierarchies and dismantle the
belief in the hierarchy of human value.

TRHT Campus Centers
• Goal of erasing structural
barriers to equal treatment and
opportunity on campus, in
communities, and for the nation
• Campus and Community
Collaboration
• Summer Institute in June 2020
First 10 Institutions
Austin Community College (TX)
Brown University (RI)
Duke University (NC)
Hamline University (MN)
Millsaps College (MS)
Rutgers University-Newark (NJ)
Spelman College (GA)
The Citadel, The Military College of
South Carolina (SC)
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (HI)
University of Maryland Baltimore
County (MD)

“High-Impact Practices” that Help
Students Achieve the Outcomes
★ First-Year Seminars and
Experiences
★ Common Intellectual
Experiences
★ Learning Communities
★ Writing-Intensive Courses
★ Collaborative Assignments &
Projects
★ Undergraduate Research
★ Diversity/Global Learning
★ Service Learning,
Community-Based
Learning
★ Internships
★ Capstone Courses and
Projects
★e-Portfolios

Committing to Equity and Inclusive
Excellence: A Campus Guide for Self-Study
Guide and Planning  
(AAC&U, 2015)
Knowing who your students are and will be
Committing to frank, hard dialogues about
the climate for underserved students on your
campus, with the goal of effecting a
paradigm shift in language and actions

Inclusive Experiences
Look at the data—who participates?
Who doesn’t? Why not?
Offered as part of courses during the semester
Are there co-curricular opportunities?
Programs offered in collaboration with other
offices/departments

o LEAP Essential Learning
Outcomes Guide the Learning
Process to ensure students
know what is expected and
have opportunities to
demonstrate and apply skills
o HIPs ensure a high-quality
learning experience for
students
o Rubrics allow assessment
o of the experience
AAC&U Approach to Student Learning

Consider how the ELOs, HIPs, and the VALUE
Rubrics Could Useful in Your Work

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural
World
▪ Focused on engagement with big questions, enduring and contemporary
Intellectual and Practical Skills
▪ Practiced extensively across the curriculum and co-curriculum, in the
context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and
standards for performance
Personal and Social Responsibility
▪ Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and
real-world challenges
Integrative and Applied Learning
▪ Demonstrated through the application of knowledge, skills, and
responsibilities to new settings and complex problems
LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes

LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes

High-Impact Practices
Widely tested teaching and
learning practices
shown to benefit students from
many backgrounds—especially
new majority students

Who are New Majority Students
• Very, Very Diverse Group!!
• First Generation* ***
• Students of Color* ** ***
• Non-Traditional College Age * ** ***
• Low Income** ***
• Military* ** ***
• Working Students * ** ***
*SES Range; **Parental Education Range; ***Experience with HE Range

High-Impact Practices (HIPs)  
❖ First-Year Seminars and
Experience
❖Common Intellectual Experiences
❖ Learning Communities
❖ Writing-Intensive Courses
❖ Collaborative Assignment &
Projects
❖ Undergraduate Research
❖ Diversity/Global Learning
❖ Service Learning,
Community-Based
Learning
❖ Internships
❖ Capstone Course and
Project
❖ E-Portfolios
https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/HIP_tables.pdf

High-Impact Practices are not
magical

You must add the Quality Dimensions
to Make HIPs High-Impact

Quality Dimensions
Dimension
Interactions with
educators and peers
about substantive
matters
Practical Examples
One-on-one scheduled
conversations around
experiential learning
opportunities
Formal conversations for
students around place-based
issues (on and off-campus)—
location of this work
Modified from Ensuring Quality & Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale by George D. Kuh and
Ken O’Donnell, with Case Studies by Sally Reed. (Washington, DC: AAC&U, 2013). For
information and more resources and research from LEAP, see www.aacu.org/leap.

Quality Dimensions
Dimension
Significant investment of
time and effort by students
over an extended period of
time
Practical Examples
Experience and
engagement with the local
and global communities
before, during, and after
an experience.
Placement with African
Center before and after
program experience in
Ghana or program focused
on engagement with
African community.Modified from Ensuring Quality & Taking High-Impact Practices to Scale by George D. Kuh and Ken
O’Donnell, with Case Studies by Sally Reed. (Washington, DC: AAC&U, 2013). For information and more
resources and research from LEAP, see www.aacu.org/leap.

Quality Dimensions of HIPs
Dimension
Frequent, timely,
constructive feedback
Practical Examples
Written and Oral Feedback
prior to, during, and after
the experience
Feedback on Research and
Site Reports: Documenting
interaction with lab partners,
community members etc.,
and describing experiences
Oral feedback during critical
reflection sessions
Modified from Ensuring Quality &
Taking High-Impact Practices to
Scale by George D. Kuh and Ken
O’Donnell, with Case Studies by
Sally Reed. (Washington, DC:
AAC&U, 2013). For information and
more resources and research from
LEAP, see www.aacu.org/leap.

Quality Dimensions of HIPs
Dimension
Periodic, structured
opportunities to reflect and
integrate learning
Practical Examples
Frequent critical reflection
sessions as a group
Integration of learning in
assignments and reflections
•Connecting lectures and
coursework, community-based
experiences, and conversations
with community members and
scholars in written work
•
•Identity a conversation and a
reading on Sustainability in CR
Modified from Ensuring Quality & Taking
High-Impact Practices to Scale by
George D. Kuh and Ken O’Donnell, with
Case Studies by Sally Reed.
(Washington, DC: AAC&U, 2013). For
information and more resources and
research from LEAP, see www.aacu.org/
leap.

Quality Dimensions
Dimension
Experiences with diversity:
unfamiliar people and
circumstances
Practical Examples
Structured experiences in diverse
places with diverse people
Diverse Placements
• local public library (Kenya)
working with community
members and librarians
•Local school with people with a
range of educational backgrounds
•Class with local students and
facultyModified from Ensuring Quality & Taking
High-Impact Practices to Scale by George D.
Kuh and Ken O’Donnell, with Case Studies
by Sally Reed. (Washington, DC: AAC&U,
2013). For information and more resources
and research from LEAP, see www.aacu.org/
leap.

Discussion Break: Duos, Trios, and/or
Quads
How would you integrate 1 or 2 quality dimensions into an experience for your scholars?

Quality Dimension Initial Goal Possible Action Next Steps
Periodic, Structured Reflection
Interactions with faculty and
peers about substantive matters
Experiences with unfamiliar
people and circumstances
Performance expectations set at
appropriate high levels
Significant investment of time
and effort by students over an
extended period of time
Frequent, timely and
constructive feedback
Relevance of learning through
real-world applications
Public demonstration of
competence
How would you integrate 1 or 2
quality dimensions into an
experiential learning experience for
your course?

Discussion Break: Duos, Trios,
and/or Quads
What ideas did you discuss?

Quality Dimension Initial Goal Possible Action Next Steps
Periodic, Structured
Reflection
Provide written
reflection that
connects course
work with field work
Develop field guide
with space for making
connections between
academic and
experiential
Identify key areas for
reflection/
competencies
Craft questions
Interactions with
educators and peers
about substantive
matters
More formal
interaction among
students
More formal
interaction with
program leaders
10 Minutes of program
time for formal
feedback on concepts/
experiences
Quick written
response to
conversations
(demonstrating
listening and learning)
Decide which topics are
most important
Develop guiding
questions
Experiences with
unfamiliar people
and circumstances
Safe way to put
students in these
situations
Fieldwork, experience
in the community
Identify community
partner
Talk with relevant
offices on campus to
prepare students

The Avengers—The Power of Unity

The Avengers—The Power of Uniting
HIPs
GSL
Intern
FYE
CBGL*
Research
FYE
Intern

Uniting HIPS allows students to
Gain Global Knowledge
Demonstrate and Practice intercultural skills
Problem Solve in diverse groups
Gain an understanding of societies and
countries inside and outside the US
The Skills
Employers
Value

What Employers Want
Key findings from survey among 400
executives at private-sector and nonprofit
organizations that have at least 25 or
more employees for The Association of
American Colleges and Universities by
Hart Research Associates (2015)

Employers are increasingly globally
connected and are placing more
emphasis on hiring candidates with
global knowledge and experience
70% reported being globally
connected

A majority of employers want all students to
gain global knowledge and intercultural skills
96% SA or A all
students should have
experiences solving
problems with people
whose views are
different from their
own
78% SA or A that
regardless of a student’s
chosen field of study, all
students should “gain
intercultural skills and an
understanding of societies
and countries outside the
US”

Employers gave students weak grades
on key global learning outcomes
Students were “Not Prepared”
*Knowledge of global
developments
*Knowledge of cultures &
societies outside the USA
on 5 outcomes
*Foreign Language proficiency
*Problem-Solving in diverse
groups
*Scientific Literacy

Understanding Key Concepts in this
New Context
Historical and contemporary understanding of these
concepts in the local community—view them on these
terms, not your own terms
• Family
• Wealth
• Poverty
• Community
• Responsibility
• Education
• School

Conceptions of Wealth and Poverty

Ethical Community-Based Global
Learning
Experience engaging with the local community in meaningful ways
Becoming a part of the culture and community instead of
observing the culture and community
Shift from the Tourist
Many institutions draw on the VALUE
Rubrics

Familiarity with the VALUE Rubrics
•Currently using the rubrics (or have used them)
•Very Familiar
•Have heard of them
•Unfamiliar

Expectations for Students
Preparation to participate in life, work, and citizenship
“Understand responsibilities to societies—local,
nationally, and globally “
“Develop perspective on ethical and power relations
across the global and within individual societies”
“Engage and learn from perspectives and
experiences different from one’s own”
Intersectionality
AAC&U Global Learning VALUE Rubric-Personal and Social Responsibility

The Civic Engagement and Global Learning
VALUE Rubrics are good places to begin the
discussion on campus with colleagues across
departments, offices, and schools.
Common Language, Definitions, and
Performance Levels to Consider

Definition
Framing
Language
Glossary
Learning
Outcome

Definition
Performance
LevelsLevels
(4,3,2,1,0)
Dimensions Performance Descriptors
Learning Outcome

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT VALUE RUBRIC
for more information, please contact value@aacu.org
Definition
Civic engagement is "working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that
difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes." (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher
Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.) In addition, civic engagement encompasses actions wherein individuals participate in
activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community.
Framing Language
Preparing graduates for their public lives as citizens, members of communities, and professionals in society has historically been a responsibility of higher education. Yet the
outcome of a civic-minded graduate is a complex concept. Civic learning outcomes are framed by personal identity and commitments, disciplinary frameworks and traditions,
pre-professional norms and practice, and the mission and values of colleges and universities. This rubric is designed to make the civic learning outcomes more explicit. Civic
engagement can take many forms, from individual volunteerism to organizational involvement to electoral participation. For students this could include community-based
learning through service-learning classes, community-based research, or service within the community. Multiple types of work samples or collections of work may be utilized to
assess this, such as:
•The student creates and manages a service program that engages others (such as youth or members of a neighborhood) in learning about and taking action on an issue they
care about. In the process, the student also teaches and models processes that engage others in deliberative democracy, in having a voice, participating in democratic
processes, and taking specific actions to affect an issue.
•The student researches, organizes, and carries out a deliberative democracy forum on a particular issue, one that includes multiple perspectives on that issue and how best to
make positive change through various courses of public action. As a result, other students, faculty, and community members are engaged to take action on an issue.
•The student works on and takes a leadership role in a complex campaign to bring about tangible changes in the public’s awareness or education on a particular issue, or even
a change in public policy. Through this process, the student demonstrates multiple types of civic action and skills.
•The student integrates their academic work with community engagement, producing a tangible product (piece of legislation or policy, a business, building or civic
infrastructure, water quality or scientific assessment, needs survey, research paper, service program, or organization) that has engaged community constituents and responded
to community needs and assets through the process.
In addition, the nature of this work lends itself to opening up the review process to include community constituents that may be a part of the work, such as teammates,
colleagues, community/agency members, and those served or collaborating in the process.

Glossary 
The definitions that follow were developed to clarify terms and concepts used in this rubric only.
• Civic-identity: When one sees her or himself as an active participant in society with a strong commitment and responsibility to work with others towards public
purposes.
• Service-learning class: A course-based educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity and reflect on the experience in such a
way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility.
• Communication skills: Listening, deliberation, negotiation, consensus building, and productive use of conflict.
• Civic life: The public life of the citizen concerned with the affairs of the community and nation as contrasted with private or personal life, which is devoted to the
pursuit of private and personal interests.
• Politics: A process by which a group of people, whose opinions or interests might be divergent, reach collective decisions that are generally regarded as binding on
the group and enforced as common policy. Political life enables people to accomplish goals they could not realize as individuals. Politics necessarily arises whenever
groups of people live together, since they must always reach collective decisions of one kind or another.
• Government: "The formal institutions of a society with the authority to make and implement binding decisions about such matters as the distribution of resources,
allocation of benefits and burdens, and the management of conflicts." (Retrieved from the Center for Civic Engagement website, May 5, 2009.)
• Civic/community contexts: Organizations, movements, campaigns, a place or locus where people and/or living creatures inhabit, which may be defined by a
locality (school, national park, non-profit organization, town, state, nation) or defined by shared identity (i.e., African-Americans, North Carolinians, Americans, the
Republican or Democratic Party, refugees, etc.). In addition, contexts for civic engagement may be defined by a variety of approaches intended to benefit a person,
group, or community, including community service or volunteer work, academic work.

Definition
Civic Engagement is “working to make a
difference in the civic life of our
communities and developing the
combination of knowledge, skills, values,
and motivation to make that difference. It
means promoting the quality of life in a
community, through both political and
non-political processes.”
(Ehrlich, 2000)

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT VALUE RUBRIC
for more information, please contact value@aacu.org
Definition
Civic engagement is "working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a
community, through both political and non-political processes." (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.) In addition, civic engagement
encompasses actions wherein individuals participate in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial to the community.
Evaluators are encouraged to assign a zero to any work sample or collection of work that does not meet benchmark (cell one) level performance.
© 2009 Association of American Colleges & Universities. All rights
reserved.
Capstone
4
Milestones
3 2
Benchmark
1
Diversity of Communities and Cultures Demonstrates evidence of adjustment in own
attitudes and beliefs because of working
within and learning from diversity of
communities and cultures. Promotes others'
engagement with diversity.
Reflects on how own attitudes and beliefs are
different from those of other cultures and
communities. Exhibits curiosity about what
can be learned from diversity of communities
and cultures.
Has awareness that own attitudes and beliefs
are different from those of other cultures and
communities. Exhibits little curiosity about
what can be learned from diversity of
communities and cultures.
Expresses attitudes and beliefs as an
individual, from a one-sided view. Is
indifferent or resistant to what can be learned
from diversity of communities and cultures.
Analysis of Knowledge Connects and extends knowledge (facts,
theories, etc.) from one's own academic study/
field/discipline to civic engagement and to
one's own participation in civic life, politics,
and government.
Analyzes knowledge (facts, theories, etc.) from
one's own academic study/field/discipline
making relevant connections to civic
engagement and to one's own participation in
civic life, politics, and government.
Begins to connect knowledge (facts, theories,
etc.) from one's own academic study/field/
discipline to civic engagement and to tone's
own participation in civic life, politics, and
government.
Begins to identify knowledge (facts, theories,
etc.) from one's own academic study/field/
discipline that is relevant to civic engagement
and to one's own participation in civic life,
politics, and government.
Civic Identity and Commitment Provides evidence of experience in civic-
engagement activities and describes what she/
he has learned about her or himself as it
relates to a reinforced and clarified sense of
civic identity and continued commitment to
public action.
Provides evidence of experience in civic-
engagement activities and describes what she/
he has learned about her or himself as it
relates to a growing sense of civic identity and
commitment.
Evidence suggests involvement in civic-
engagement activities is generated from
expectations or course requirements rather
than from a sense of civic identity.
Provides little evidence of her/his experience
in civic-engagement activities and does not
connect experiences to civic identity.
Civic Communication Tailors communication strategies to effectively
express, listen, and adapt to others to establish
relationships to further civic action
Effectively communicates in civic context,
showing ability to do all of the following:
express, listen, and adapt ideas and messages
based on others' perspectives.
Communicates in civic context, showing
ability to do more than one of the following:
express, listen, and adapt ideas and messages
based on others' perspectives.
Communicates in civic context, showing
ability to do one of the following: express,
listen, and adapt ideas and messages based on
others' perspectives.
Civic Action and Reflection Demonstrates independent experience and
shows initiative in team leadership of
complex or multiple civic engagement
activities, accompanied by reflective insights
or analysis about the aims and
accomplishments of one’s actions.
Demonstrates independent experience and
team leadership of civic action, with reflective
insights or analysis about the aims and
accomplishments of one’s actions.
Has clearly participated in civically focused
actions and begins to reflect or describe how
these actions may benefit individual(s) or
communities.
Has experimented with some civic activities
but shows little internalized understanding of
their aims or effects and little commitment to
future action.
Civic Contexts/Structures Demonstrates ability and commitment to
collaboratively work across and within
community contexts and structures to
achieve a civic aim.
Demonstrates ability and commitment to work
actively within community contexts and
structures to achieve a civic aim.
Demonstrates experience identifying
intentional ways to participate in civic
contexts and structures.
Experiments with civic contexts and
structures, tries out a few to see what fits.

Dimensions of the CE Rubric
• Diversity of
Communities and
Cultures
• Analysis of Knowledge
• Civic Identity and
Commitment
• Civic Communication
• Civic Action and
Reflection
• Civic Contexts/
Structures

Dimension Description
Diversity of
Communities and
Cultures
The ability to reflect and adjust
one’s own attitudes and beliefs
because of working within and
learning from diverse communities
and cultures and to promote
engagement with diversity
Analysis of Knowledge The ability to connect and extend
knowledge (facts, theories, etc.)
from one’s own academic
discipline/field to civic
engagement and to one’s own
participation in civic life, politics,
and government
Civic Identity and
Commitment
The ability to see her or himself as
an active participant in society
with a strong commitment and
responsibility to work with others
toward public purposes
Civic Engagement
VALUE Rubric

Dimension Description
Civic
Communication
The ability to listen,
deliberate, negotiate,
consensus build, and engage in
the productive use of conflict
Civic Action and
Reflection
The ability to participate in
civic activities and reflect and
analyze the aims and
accomplishments of one’s
actions.
Civic Contexts/
Structures
The ability and commitment to
work collaboratively and
actively across and within
community contexts and
structures to achieve a civic
aim.
Civic Engagement
VALUE Rubric

Dimensions of the CE Rubric Relevant
to Your Work and Your Students
• Diversity of Communities and Cultures
• Analysis of Knowledge
• Civic Identity and Commitment
• Civic Communication
• Civic Action and Reflection
• Civic Contexts/Structures

Global Self-
Awareness
Systemic understanding of the
interrelationships among the self,
local and global communities, and
the natural and physical world.
*Guides thinking externally when
solving problems
Perspective
-Taking
Engage and learn from diverse
perspectives and experiences
How your place in the world informs
and limits one’s knowledge
Understand the interrelationships
between multiple perspectives
*Allows a different type of thinking
when solving problems. Willing and
able to draw on knowledge
construction and interpretation
rooted outside your discipline and/
or community.
Global
Learning
VALUE Rubric

Cultural
Diversity
Limitations in your own cultural
origins providing all one needs to
know in the world
Curiosity to learn respectfully
about cultural diversity
*Opens your eyes to pay attention
to different aspects than your own
when solving problems and
working with others
Personal and
Social
Responsibility
Recognize one’s responsibilities
to society--locally, nationally, and
globally—
Develop a perspective on ethical
power relations both across the
globe and within individual
societies.
*How will you work with others?
Ethical teambuilding and listening
to others and valuing diverse ideas
and perspectives
Global
Learning
VALUE Rubric

Global
Systems
Understand how these systems 1)
are influenced and/or constructed,
2) operate with differential
consequences, 3) affect the human
and natural world, and 4) can be
altered.
*Consider these factors when
developing new policies, projects
and engaging in discovery.
Knowledge
Application
Ability to apply knowledge and
skills gained through higher learning
to real-life problem-solving both
alone and with others.
*Taking knowledge beyond the
classroom and beyond theory!
Global
Learning
VALUE Rubric

Ethical Considerations
Perspective-
Taking
Engage and learn from diverse
perspectives and experiences
How your place in the world informs and
limits one’s knowledge
Understand the interrelationships between
multiple perspectives
*Unpack your own perspective and
limitations to understand using only your
culture
*Acknowledging all of your “places” in the
world—language, culture, race, SES,
education—and how you may be received
Cultural
Diversity
Limitations in your own cultural origins
providing all one needs to know in the
world
Curiosity to learn respectfully about
cultural diversity
Comparatively analyzing how cultures can
be marked and assigned a place within
power structures that determine
hierarchies, inequalities, and
opportunities and which can vary over
time and place
*Unpack the limitations of your cultural
origins to understand other cultures/
communities
*How do you explore your curiosity? What
types of questions should you ask? What is
appropriate?
*Identifying the power structures and
hierarchies at the service site, in this
community, and your home community
VALUE Rubrics: Articulating Dimensions of
Global Learning and Civic Engagement for
Students

Dimension Description Ethical Considerations for
Students
Diversity of
Communities and
Cultures
The ability to reflect and
adjust one’s own attitudes and
beliefs because of working
within and learning from
diverse communities and
cultures and to promote
engagement with diversity
*Enter with the goal of learning
—not reinforcing your existing
beliefs
*Explore poverty* in
communities at home before
work globally
*Look for diversity—in terms of
people, experience, roles, and
knowledge
Civic Identity and
Commitment
The ability to see her or
himself as an active participant
in society with a strong
commitment and responsibility
to work with others toward
public purposes
*What role do you play in your
own community?
*What is your role here?
*What is appropriate? Would
you do this in your home
community?

Dimension Description Ethical Considerations
Civic
Communication
The ability to listen,
deliberate, negotiate,
consensus build, and engage in
the productive use of conflict
*Understand why you should
listen before making any
recommendations
*Understand the power
structure—don’t try and
change it
Civic Action and
Reflection
The ability to participate in
civic activities and reflect and
analyze the aims and
accomplishments of one’s
actions.
*Consider what it would be
like if you weren’t there
*How does your presence
impact the site? In what ways?

Discussion Break: Duos, Trios, and/or Quads—How
Could the GL VALUE Rubric impact your work?

*Rank the dimensions based on importance in your work
**Jot down an experience that you could revise to help students
address this dimension. (Global Learning/Civic Engagement)

Global Self-Awareness/Diversity of Communities and
Cultures
Perspective-Taking/Analysis of Knowledge
Cultural Diversity/Civic Identify and Commitment
Personal and Social Responsibility/Civic
Communication
Global Systems/Civic Action and Reflection
Knowledge Application/Civic Contexts/Structures

Connecting the Local and the
Global

Global Challenges-UN Sustainable
Development Goals
Image from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships

Poverty and Disease
Poverty is a global issue that
countries, states/districts, and
communities of all types face.
Addressing the issue locally can be
solved by using global solutions
Health care: Lessons to
learn about healthcare
delivery, diseases and
disease patterns, and paths
of disease (HIV, Ebola, Zika,
etc.), and treatment

Migration: Refugees and Responses
Push and Pull Factors, Socio-Cultural Factors contributing to
migration, local, national, and international policies,
colonization, understand the sending and receiving states, etc.
Working with the community to highlight their goals and
priorities: policy briefs, interviews, mini-documentaries, policy
analysis, local education policy, letters to the editor, healthcare

Contemporary Realities around Sports and
Local Communities
ESPN: Meanwhile, next to the
stadium in Havana
Twitter Response outside US
Stadium—Citi Field
Response to social media-position paper and/or analysis of the
broader economic impact of sports—World Cup, Olympics,
MLB, etc.

Food and Water Security (At Home and Abroad) 
The Crisis for Clean Water: Flint
and the World
Water drives to send to Flint and
teach-ins about Power and
Privilege and access to clean
water
Connections between Water
Security around the world
African Diaspora Studies,
Sociology, student
organizations, and a host
of campus speakers

Human Trafficking: Understanding Awareness
and Action
Health and Adolescents—the RFID chip
Health Sciences, Medicine,
Anthropology, Social Work, Education,
and Global and International Studies
Student Organizations and Student Life

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
"Preventing the
conflicts of
tomorrow means
changing the
mindsets of the
youth of today."
Image from Independent On-Line
https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/happy-birthday-winnie-madikizela-
mandela-2072548

“The ultimate measure of a man is
not where he stands in moments
of comfort and convenience, but
where he stands at times of
challenge and controversy. The
true neighbor will risk his
position, his prestige, and even
his life for the welfare of
others.”
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in
Strength of a Man, 1963
Image from the
Louisville
Courier-Journal

Questions?
•whitehead@aacu.org

Critical Reflection Aronson, Kruidering,
& Sullivan, UCSF
• More than what happened
• More than personal opinion
• Requires:
–Data gathering and analysis
–Integration of past, present and future
–Contextualizing and reframing
–Learning

Discussion of Expectations
Challenges in the global
context?
Outside your home country
or home community, with
an immigrant/non-dominant
ethnic community
organization

Preparation for Critical Reflection
•DEAL Model (Patti Clayton)

Describe a SL---related experience
(objectively and in some detail)
–When did this experience take place?
–Where did it take place?
–Who else was there?
–Who wasn’t there?
–What did I do?
–What did others do?
–What actions did I/we take?
–What did I/we say or how did we communicate?
–Who didn’t speak or act?

Examine
• What specific academic material is
relevant this experience?
• Explain the concept, theory, etc.
clearly and concisely so that someone
unfamiliar with it could understand
• How did the material emerge in the
experience? When did I see it?

Examine
• What academic skills did I use/should I
have used? In what ways did I/others
think from the perspective of a
particular discipline and with what
results?
• In what specific ways are my
understanding of the material or skill
and the experience the same and in
what specific ways are they different?

Examine
•What are the possible reasons
for the difference(s)?
–bias, assumptions, lack of
information?

Articulate Learning
•Express an important learning, not
just a statement of fact
•Provide a clear and correct
explanation of the concept(s) in
questions so that someone not in
the experience could understand it.

Articulate Learning
•Explain your enhanced
understanding of the concept(s)
as a result of reflection on the
experience

Articulate Learning
•I learned that…
•I learned this when….
•This learning matters because…
•In light of this I will….

Practical Adaptations of DEAL
•Service Site Observation Form
•Service Site Report

Connecting the Service to the Learning
• Start with the course learning goals
• The service should reinforce the course goals
–Cross Cultural Education
• Service in a private school and a public school
• Readings about the History of Education and the
contemporary role of education

Application of DEAL
1.What is one way you could use the DEAL
model for a quick reflective activity?
2. How could you construct and assignment
using elements of the DEAL Model?

Putting it All Together
In a Table Discussion or an individual*
How could dimensions of the rubric enhance your
critical reflection for students?
Draft a few ideas for mapping and/or reflection planning
Identify dimensions of any of the rubrics that are
foregrounded in your experiences
Identify next steps in assessment and critical reflection

Sustainable Development Goals to Guide Service-Learning
Activities
Image from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships

Eradication of Poverty
Poverty is a global issue that countries,
states/districts, and communities of all
types face. Addressing the issue locally
can be solved by using global solutions:
Service experiences at home before
work abroad is critical
https://poverty.umich.edu/about/poverty-facts/

Good Health-–in Ethical Partnership
Lessons to learn about
healthcare delivery,
diseases and disease
patterns, and paths of
disease (HIV, Ebola, Zika,
etc.), and treatment
At Home and Abroad
Participation in health
care activities that match
skills and credentials
*Only do what you are
legally able to do in the
US
*Dr. Jessica Evert

Clean Water and Sanitation in Flint and the
World
Photographs by Wayne Lawrence of National Geographic, February 9, 2016

Themed Learning Community: Migration
• Collaboration between Civic Engagement Office and the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Students in a Global Studies and History courses interview people
who have migrated to the US
• Research to put their migration in context
• Interview to learn their stories
• Home/Complex Visits to Sort Mail and assist students with
homework

The Context for Civic Learning and Engagement in Higher Education Today

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