Service-Learning in Online Courses Minnesota Campus Compact Webinar:  February 9, 2010
How are faculty currently using s-l online? Multiple Pathways for integration Individual students create an action and implementation plan with a local community partner Instructor and community partner joint plan for all students in the same course
Pathway 1- Individual partnership Students investigate course content and make personal linkage to local community partner Link course skills to community need Create an individualized action plan and log Create measurements to see effectiveness
Benefits of model 1 Students have to link the content to  the community Multiple issues are addressed  Multiple communities have impact
Challenges With 30-40 students in a class, how can a faculty member keep track of 30-40 community partners? Does the community partner have access to the course, instructor, and university providing the course?
Potential Solutions Consider assigning students to work in small group teams of 5-6 with a community partner  Have an area on the on-line course structure where community partners can meet/discuss with each other and the instructor
At the University Level… Work with your CBL office when planning Survey students to determine previous experience with s-l/CBL
Pathway 2:  Faculty and Community design Faculty and community partner match course content with the community partner need All students work with ONE community site Students may work on different projects or needs at the same site
Benefits Instructor and community partner offer similar experience for all students in a course. Larger group of students can have a greater impact on one community partner vs. “drive-by” with multiple sites.
Challenges With distance learning, it is very difficult to have students in the same geographic location with one community partner. Like f-t-f service learning, 30-40 students will overwhelm a community partner.
What types of service are students engaging in? Early on (2003) models used separate place-based volunteering at individual community partner sites. Later models (2006) began using the community-based research model.  Here, students, instructors and community partners co-create both the experience and  assessment measures
My examples Bemidji State University—students chose individual partners and plan—most students were spread throughout the state of Minnesota. Hamline—students worked with one community partner—most students were local commuters
Current Model—Hamline University Each One, Teach One LEAD based not course based Goal:  Keep middle school students IN school Hamline students work with  New Orleans middle school students on-line for an academic year. Hamline students travel to New Orleans for face-to-face work 2-3 times per year  and stay in the project for 2-3 years on average.
What opportunities could online s-l create? International Rural Areas without an institution of Higher ed.
What are the next steps for online s-l? Tools Cell phones Twitter blue tooth Holograms??
What are the next steps for online s-l? Building capacity Experiment with variations on current models Collective  group to gather and disseminate research Mentoring teams to create new models, research, and tiered levels of service-learning.
What are the next steps for online s-l? Sharing resources across institutions/community partners Sharing resources within stakeholder groups MCC AACU NYLC
What are the next steps for online s-l? What do you think the next steps are or should be? Where’s the research evidence for effective online service-learning? How can online service-learning create transformational change in the community?

Service Learning In Online Courses

  • 1.
    Service-Learning in OnlineCourses Minnesota Campus Compact Webinar: February 9, 2010
  • 2.
    How are facultycurrently using s-l online? Multiple Pathways for integration Individual students create an action and implementation plan with a local community partner Instructor and community partner joint plan for all students in the same course
  • 3.
    Pathway 1- Individualpartnership Students investigate course content and make personal linkage to local community partner Link course skills to community need Create an individualized action plan and log Create measurements to see effectiveness
  • 4.
    Benefits of model1 Students have to link the content to the community Multiple issues are addressed Multiple communities have impact
  • 5.
    Challenges With 30-40students in a class, how can a faculty member keep track of 30-40 community partners? Does the community partner have access to the course, instructor, and university providing the course?
  • 6.
    Potential Solutions Considerassigning students to work in small group teams of 5-6 with a community partner Have an area on the on-line course structure where community partners can meet/discuss with each other and the instructor
  • 7.
    At the UniversityLevel… Work with your CBL office when planning Survey students to determine previous experience with s-l/CBL
  • 8.
    Pathway 2: Faculty and Community design Faculty and community partner match course content with the community partner need All students work with ONE community site Students may work on different projects or needs at the same site
  • 9.
    Benefits Instructor andcommunity partner offer similar experience for all students in a course. Larger group of students can have a greater impact on one community partner vs. “drive-by” with multiple sites.
  • 10.
    Challenges With distancelearning, it is very difficult to have students in the same geographic location with one community partner. Like f-t-f service learning, 30-40 students will overwhelm a community partner.
  • 11.
    What types ofservice are students engaging in? Early on (2003) models used separate place-based volunteering at individual community partner sites. Later models (2006) began using the community-based research model. Here, students, instructors and community partners co-create both the experience and assessment measures
  • 12.
    My examples BemidjiState University—students chose individual partners and plan—most students were spread throughout the state of Minnesota. Hamline—students worked with one community partner—most students were local commuters
  • 13.
    Current Model—Hamline UniversityEach One, Teach One LEAD based not course based Goal: Keep middle school students IN school Hamline students work with New Orleans middle school students on-line for an academic year. Hamline students travel to New Orleans for face-to-face work 2-3 times per year and stay in the project for 2-3 years on average.
  • 14.
    What opportunities couldonline s-l create? International Rural Areas without an institution of Higher ed.
  • 15.
    What are thenext steps for online s-l? Tools Cell phones Twitter blue tooth Holograms??
  • 16.
    What are thenext steps for online s-l? Building capacity Experiment with variations on current models Collective group to gather and disseminate research Mentoring teams to create new models, research, and tiered levels of service-learning.
  • 17.
    What are thenext steps for online s-l? Sharing resources across institutions/community partners Sharing resources within stakeholder groups MCC AACU NYLC
  • 18.
    What are thenext steps for online s-l? What do you think the next steps are or should be? Where’s the research evidence for effective online service-learning? How can online service-learning create transformational change in the community?