Presentation for the Johns Hopkins University Engaged Scholars, part of the Center for Social Concern. This session is part of faculty members' professional development, created by Ariane Hoy and Liz Brandt of the Bonner Foundation.

1. Critical Academic
Service-Learning &
Community-Engaged Learning
Best Practices
Ariane Hoy & Liz Brandt
The Bonner Foundation
For Johns Hopkins University
August 18, 2022

2. Welcome Johns Hopkins University
Today’s Agenda
• Welcome & Introductions (10 min)
• Examining JHU & Baltimore’s Diversity (10 min)
• A Case Study of CEL Potential Pitfalls (15 min)
• Critical Service Learning Model (10 min)
• CEL Best Practices & Example (10 min)
• HICEPs & Rubrics (15 min)

3. Introductions
Liz Brandt, M.S.
Community
Engagement
Director
Ariane Hoy, Ph.D.
Vice President

4. What motivated you to participate in the
Center for Social Concern’s Engaged
Scholars Program?
Is there a course you’re working on to
make community-engaged?
Introductions

5. Examining JHU’s Diversity

6. Examining JHU’s Diversity

7. Examining JHU’s Diversity

8. Examining Baltimore’s Diversity
Baltimore
National

9. Examining Baltimore’s Diversity
Baltimore
National

10. Full Participation
Catalyst Paper
Building the Architecture for
Diversity and Public Engagement in
Higher Education
By Susan Sturm, Timothy Eatman, John
Saltmarsh, and Adam Bush (2011)
Explores the interconnections between
institutional commitment to diversity
and community engagement

11. Case Study of Potential Pitfalls

12. Case Study of CEL Potential Pitfalls
•TAKEAWAYS: What observations or reactions do you have to
the case study and to what occurred in Professor Daniel’s
course? What larger themes does the case study suggest are
at work, especially for students in the course and for community
residents served by the course?
•EFFECTIVE PRACTICES: What could the professor have done
to more effectively prepare the students for the service-learning
experiences or to help them reflect on and process their
experiences during the course? What do you do?

13. Tania Mitchell’s Critical Service Learning Model

14. What are some ideas for your coursework and
projects that would help to use a critical
SL / CEL approach?

15. Critical SL Action Steps and Takeaways
• Embedding training and re
fl
ection throughout the course and projects
• Asking staff and student leaders to help design and lead reflection and
run the projects
• Working with other colleagues who have expertise in critical re
fl
ection
and issues of diversity
• Providing additional training and professional development (such as on
having difficult dialogues, confronting issues of oppression, etc.)
• Sequencing projects and courses, so that the work with the partner
continues and it can address community change and social justice
• Teaming up with other faculty across disciplines and staff across programs

16. Example of CEL Best Practices

22. Review of CEL Best Practices
• Visibly name Community-Engaged Learning
• Use campus and scholarly de
fi
nition
• Link CEL with Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
• Use at least one shared SLO that may be evaluated
• Involve partners throughout the process (project de
fi
nition,
syllabus review, assignments, check ins)

23. Review of CEL Best Practices
• Discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion (gender pronouns,
demographics of campus and community)
• Avoid de
fi
cits or racially coded language (poor, inner city,
etc.); follow guidelines you would for publishing
• Anticipate challenges and build in opportunities for critical
re
fl
ection
• Clarify purpose and expectations to students - collectively
develop rubrics and discuss grading criteria) (Multicultural
Instructional Plan)

24. High Impact Practices

25. Bonner High Impact Initiative and CEL Initiative

26. Bonner Pathways Initiative

27. Use a Taxonomy to Self-Assess and Grow

29. High Impact Community Engagement
Practices (HICEPS)
• PLACE—the engagement focuses on history, assets, needs, politics, economics, and other facets of
community
• HUMILITY – affirms that each involved individual and their knowledge and experience
• INTEGRATION—build across and break down boundaries
• DEPTH—fosters pathways for multiyear projects and strategic commitments
• DEVELOPMENT—appropriate to student and organizational (partner and campus) needs and capabilit
• SEQUENCE—progression of projects or roles
• TEAMS—involves multiple participants with roles and positions on various levels
• REFLECTION—structured and unstructured in oral, written, and innovative formats
• MENTORS—dialogue and coaching for making meaning
• LEARNING—collaborative and responsive teaching and learning,
• CAPACITY BUILDING—build or enhance the organization, school, or agency over time
• EVIDENCE— consider evidence-based or proven program models
• IMPACT—identify and achieve specific and measurable outcomes

30. Another Rubric
(Hart, Washburn University)
Uses HICEPs to
audit and
strengthen
work with
partners and
projects

31. Engage partners
and community
members into
your course as
co-educators
Allow experience
to co-create
knowledge and
rede
fi
ne teaching
(collaborative
paradigm)

32. Intentionally link
with broader
institutional and
disciplinary
outcomes
(graduating
effective civic
leaders; critical
thinking; civility,
etc.)

33. Re
fl
ecting on today’s discussion, what
is one way in which you can integrate or
deepen critical SL and CEL best
practices into your course and projects?

34. Resources
Articles
• Mitchell, T. D. (2008). Traditional vs. critical service-learning: Engaging the literature to
differentiate two models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 14(2), 50-65.
• Mitchell, T. D., Donahue, D. M., & Young-Law, C. (2012). Service learning as a pedagogy of
whiteness. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45(4), 612-629.
• Stoecker, R. (2009). Are we talking the walk of community-based research? Action Research,
7(4), 385-404.
• Strum, S., Eatman, T., Saltmarsh, J., & Bush, A. (2011). Full participation: Building the
architecture for diversity and public engagement in higher education. White Paper, Columbia
University Law School, Center for Institutional and Social Change.
Webpage Resources
• Academic Pathways
• High Impact Educational Practices
• IUPUI Taxonomy for Service-Learning Courses
• The Bonner Program Proven Impacts
• Access a full set of Community-Engaged Learning Trainings, including articles, campus
examples, and scholarship on Bonner Wiki under Faculty Engagement. These explore many
facets of incorporating community-engaged learning into coursework and pathways.