Presentation given by IACC Executive Director Emily Shields to faculty and staff at North Iowa Area Community College on the basics of civic engagement and service-learning and the resources Iowa Campus Compact offers.

1. CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
What, Why and How

2. • About Iowa Campus Compact
• What is Civic Engagement?
• Why is it important?
• How you can engage and how we can help
Session Overview

3. www.iacampuscompact.org
About Us

4. Member Benefits
• Resources
• Successful models
• Funding
• Visibility
• Faculty opportunities
• Recognition
• Professional development
• Technical assistance
• Advocacy and policy
• National movement
About Us

5. .
WHAT?
Civic Engagement
• Service-learning
• Community engagement
• Community-based research
• Civic education
• Community experiences
• Community-based learning
• Democratic practice
• Philanthropy education
• Other forms of engaged scholarship
• Other co-curricular offerings for students

6. Service-learning is 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 (Seifer
and Connors, 2007)
WHAT?
Service-Learning

7. The system of community colleges grew out of a
commitment to the democratic principles of access and
opportunity; its leaders were philosophically dedicated to
the belief that broad engagement of the diverse community
will create a strong educational, social, political, and
economic fabric. (Cohen & Brawer, 2003)
WHY?

8. The American Association of Colleges and Universities considers Service
Learning/Community-Based Learning a HIGH IMPACT practice
“The idea is to give students direct experience with issues they are
studying in the curriculum and with ongoing efforts to analyze and solve
problems in the community. A key element in these programs is the
opportunity students have to both apply what they are learning in real-
world settings and reflect in a classroom setting on their service
experiences.”
WHY?
High Impact

9. • Eyler, Giles, Stenson, and Gray (2001) found a range of benefits
for students:
• academic learning and ability to apply what they have learned
in the “real world”
• improves student satisfaction with college, more likely to
graduate
• sense of personal efficacy, personal identity, interpersonal
development, ability to work well with others
• spiritual and moral development
• leadership and communication skills
• reducing stereotypes and facilitating cultural and racial
understanding
• social responsibility and citizenship skills
WHY?

10. • 2010 Job Outlook Survey from the National Association of
Colleges and Employers candidate’s involvement in
volunteer work key factor in making hiring decisions
WHY?

11. • High-quality curricular and co-curricular civic engagement is
positively correlated with student success in K-12 schools,
community colleges, and public and private four-year
colleges and universities (Grantmakers for Education, 2010;
Meyer, 2003).
• Peer group interaction key for college student success, service
is one way to develop peer relationships (Astin, 1996)
• Service-learning is positively associated with student retention
and the likelihood of completing a degree (Astin and Sax,
1998)
WHY?

12. • Gallini and Moely (2003) effects of service-learning on
student retention, academic challenge, academic
engagement, interpersonal engagement, and community
engagement
• surveyed students about engagement, academic
challenge, and persistence
• students in service-learning courses scored
significantly higher on all measures
WHY?

13. • Campus Compact offices of Northern New England study
• 770 students at 17 institutions
• student survey on how service-learning course affected
them on five measures: retention, academic challenge,
academic engagement, interpersonal engagement,
and community engagement
WHY?

14. • AACC, Prentice and Robinson (2010) study
More than 2,000 students
• Statistically significant differences between service-
learners and non–service-learners on five out of six
learning outcomes
• educational success and academic development, civic
responsibility, critical thinking, communication, and career
and teamwork.
WHY?

15. • Today’s students demand opportunities
• More interested in service and civic engagement
• Need structured, team-oriented opportunities
• Want to see how their education will be used in the “real
world”
WHY?

16. • Advance Planning
• Strong, Reciprocal Partnerships
• Students As Colleagues
• Tie to Learning Outcomes
• Don’t Forget Reflection
HOW?
High-Quality Engagement

17. • Prepare yourself – goals, type of service (direct, non-
direct, indirect)
• Prepare your partners – site logistics, learning outcomes
• Prepare your students – background, larger
issues, expectations and assumptions
HOW?
Advance Planning

18. Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) Principles of
Partnership
• Specific purpose
• Agreed upon mission, values, goals, measurable outcomes and
accountability
• Mutual trust, respect, genuineness, and commitment
• Builds upon identified strengths and assets, works to increase capacity
• Balances power among partners
• Clear and open communication
• Principles and processes established with the input and agreement of
all
• Feedback among all
• Partners share the benefits
• Partnerships can dissolve, need plan for closure.
HOW?
Partnerships

19. • Student role in planning and evaluating
• Student leadership role in service experiences
• Students as research partners
HOW?
Students as Colleagues

20. • Clearly define objective of service-learning element
• Design assessment tools
• Utilize community partners
HOW?
Learning Outcomes

21. Reflection ”facilitates the students making connections
between their service experiences and their learning” (Eyler
and Giles, 1999)
• Dialogue
• Journaling (writing, video, blog)
• Incorporate in exams
• Class presentations
• Creative projects
• Community events
HOW?
Reflection

22. 1. Professional development
2. Funding opportunities
3. Student engagement programs
4. Faculty programming
5. Networking and collaboration
6. Information on research and models
7. Dissemination and recognition
HOW?
IACC Can Help

23. • Monthly webinars – next one is January 17 on Economic
Development
• Iowa Workshops – three per year, next one is on engaged
scholarship at Clarke University April 12
• Regional Summit – May 29 and 30 at Loras College in
Dubuque
• Other opportunities – STEM Conference in May, Peer
Coaching Circles, campus-specific training and technical
assistance
IACC – Professional Development

24. • AmeriCorps and VISTA
• Campus Speaker Network
• Faculty Fellowships
• Notices on other grant opportunities
IACC - Funding

25. • AmeriCorps and VISTA
• Day of Service
• Alternative Breaks
• National Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows
• NEW in 2013: Civic Ambassadors Network
IACC – Student Engagement

26. • Professional development learning and dissemination
opportunities
• Research and course models
• Awards and recognition
• NEW in 2013: Engaged Scholarship Faculty Fellows
IACC – Faculty Programming

27. • Research publications: Engaged Learning Economies, A
Promising Connection
• Hundreds of syllabi and models
• Civic Engagement Journals
IACC – Research and Models

28. • Publishing and presentation opportunities
• Ten Years of Engagement: 2013 Iowa Campus Compact
Anniversary Awards
• National Campus Compact Ehrlich Award
IACC – Dissemination/Recognition

29. Questions? Discussion?
Information and resources at:
www.iacampuscompact.org

30. References
• AAC&U High Impact Practices www.aacu.org/leap
• Campus Compact “A Promising Connection”
www.compact.org
• Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education
www.servicelearning.org
• Campus-Community Partnerships for Health www.ccph.info
• Millenials Coming to College
http://www.niu.edu/stuaff/grad_resources/pdfs/Millennials%
20Article_AHE.pdf