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The Next 25 Years: Bonner's Commitment to Access & Engagement
The document outlines the Bonner Commitment to Access & Engagement and the AAC&U’s Leap Challenge, emphasizing the importance of engaged signature work in higher education. It details various community engagement projects, the structure of academic courses, and developmental models for student involvement over four years, highlighting examples from institutions like WPI and Emory & Henry. The document also discusses competencies, training needs, and the necessary infrastructure for managing engaged signature work across campuses.
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The Next 25 Years: Bonner's Commitment to Access & Engagement
- 1. The Next 25YearsBonner Commitment to Access & Engagement
- 2. Signature Work AAC&U’s callto action: The LEAP Challenge—calling on colleges and universities to engage students in Signature Work that will prepare them to integrate and apply their learning to a significant project with meaning to the student and to society.
- 3. Definition How will youdefine “engaged signature work”? ➡ Types of engagement projects? ➡ How are partners involved in defining projects?
- 4. WPI Example Project-Based Learning ➡What constitutes a project? - authentic, open-ended problems - real, messy, interdisciplinary - goal, methods, criteria chosen by students - requires integration, analysis, synthesis - generation and communication of useful results
- 5. Community Engagement How wouldyou scaffold engagement activities? ➡ Sequence of positions/projects each year? ➡ What training topics needed at each stage?
- 6. Community Engagement Bonner DevelopmentalModel Year 1 Exploration roles First Year Seminar First Year Trip Year 4 “Senior Intern” Capstone Course Site Leadership/ Capstone Project Year 2 Project Assistant (Team) Second Year Exchange Service- Learning Course Year 3 BLT! Site Leadership International Trip Research Course
- 7. WPI Example Senior Year ➡Senior Year — Major Qualifying Project: - academic project determined ultimately by faculty member and awarded academic credit (9 credit hours but not a course) - not an internship - lots of help from recipient of project in paying for it
- 8. WPI Example Junior Year ➡Junior Year — Interactive Qualifying Project - 9 credits but not a course - students conduct inquiry under faculty direction - teams of 3-4 students - projects identified by community partners
- 9. WPI Example First YearGreat Problems Seminar Project -provide context and motivation for subsequent course and project work -leverage the students’ expectations that college will be different -increase intellectual engagement -increase community engagement -build confidence -earlier access to internships and relevant jobs -acknowledge their knowledge, they already know quite a bit
- 10. WPI Example First YearGreat Problems Seminar Project - students divide into team (3-5) - select/receive project topic (a small piece of a big problem); - research the problem, identify potential solutions, evaluate them, select one, develop an assessment plan; - produce a report/poster; - present to campus community
- 11. Courses How would yousequence academic courses? ➡ What kinds of courses are needed at each stage? ➡ issue-based, project-based, competency- based, process-based
- 12.
- 13. Year 1 Year2 Year 3 Year 4 Knowledge & Commitments • Knowledge of self • Knowledge of community • Exploration of diversity • Community building • Introduction to civic engagement • Analysis of diversity • Knowledge of poverty • Understanding of place and ability to think critically around community • Introduction to forms of civic engagement • Multiple forms of civic engagement • International perspective • Critical thinking & systems analysis (understanding root causes) • Leadership skills and application through practice • Exploration of social justice • Vocation and career exploration/ preparation • Spiritual exploration • Connection to academic study (capstone/thesis) Skills • Sense of place • Listening • Time management • Goal setting • Organization & professionalism • Reflection • Balance • Conflict resolution • Planning • Teamwork • Volunteer recruitment • Broader understanding of civic engagement • Event planning • Facilitation • Fundraising • Volunteer management • Community-based research • Power and privilege • Building organizational capacity • Marketing and outreach • Networking • Public speaking • Public policy • Capstone research Roles & Positions • Exploration: learning about issues and community; discovering passions and talents • Settling into primary site and position • Experience: commitment to an issue, agency/site, and place • Expanded position and responsibility, including Capacity Building (see “Step It Up Sophomores”) • Example: Project coordinator or leader role; managing of project or volunteers • Expanded leadership roles in the Bonner Program (i.e., Bonner Leadership Team) • Capacity building project • Expertise: Capacity building role; project or site leadership • May link to academic major, minor, certificate, or coursework • Senior Interns High-Impact Connections • First Year Seminars • First Year Trips • Learning Communities • Second Year Exchange • Learning Communities • Service-Learning • Third Year Leadership • International /Global Immersions • Undergraduate Research • Policy Research / Issue Briefs • Senior Capstone Courses and Research Projects • Policy Research / Issue Briefs Courses • Lead-in Course (First Year Seminars) • Poverty / Economic Development • Service-Learning Courses • Policy Courses/Internships • International Course • Research Methods (CBR) Capstone / “Signature Work” Culminating Project Bonner Developmental Training Sequence
- 14. WPI Example Required Courses ➡Second Year Arts & Humanities: - 6 courses - depth in one area (5 in depth) - 6th course is a capstone project > inquiry seminar > practicum
- 15. WPI Example Required Courses ➡First Year Great Problems Seminars: This two-course introduction to university-level research and project work focuses on themes of current global importance. Everything you do will be tied to current events, societal problems, and human needs. GPS is all about important problems. The skills you’ll develop are exactly what you’ll need to be successful in your project work at WPI, and in your future career.
- 16. Emory & HenryExample Interdisciplinary Program in Civic Innovation As a central part of the curriculum in Civic Innovation, students are actively solving community-identified problems and achieving outcomes for people and places. Graduates understand the innovation process, have the skills, knowledge, and attributes to be innovative problem solvers, to organize, lead, and coordinate civic initiatives, and to help forge creative alliances of persons and organizations to meet community needs and achieve outcomes that serve the common good. In collaboration with their advisor, students chart a course of study that provides skills that they can apply in the public and private sectors or in post- graduate study. Throughout the curriculum, students build and maintain a results portfolio, presenting this at points in their study, culminating in the senior capstone presentation.
- 17. 400 Level Courses •Senior Project (6 credits) • Civic Innovation, Citizenship, and Place: Capstone Seminar and Thesis • Independent Study • Civic Project • Honors Thesis I & II • Change Skills Seminars (1 credit each): ‣ Innovative Leadership for Projects Interdisciplinary Program in Civic Innovation Emory & Henry Example
- 18. 300 Level Courses •Politics and Public Policy • Innovative Capacity and Community Development • Special Topics (4 credit hours) • Change Skills Seminars (1 credit hour each): ‣ Innovative Leadership for Projects Emory & Henry Example Interdisciplinary Program in Civic Innovation
- 19. 200 Level Courses •Public Movements, Social and Cultural • Research Methods for Innovation • Appalachia • Place, the Built Environment, & Civic Innovation in NYC • Ireland • Change Skills Seminars (1 credit hour each): ‣ Building Collaboratives and Alliances for Innovation (4 hrs) ‣ Innovative Leadership for Community Groups, Projects, and Nonprofits ‣ Funding Innovation ‣ Program Development and Assessment for Innovation Emory & Henry Example Interdisciplinary Program in Civic Innovation
- 20. Emory & HenryExample Interdisciplinary Program in Civic Innovation 100 Level Courses • Introduction to Civic Innovation • Skills Seminars (1 credit hour each): ‣ Project Design and Project Management for Innovation ‣ Public Presentations ‣ Interviewing and Collaborative Research ‣ Building Collaboratives and Alliances for Innovation ‣ Innovative Leadership for Community Groups, Projects, and Nonprofits
- 21. Macalester College Example Issue/Problem-Based Concentrations 5-8courses | align internships, community-based research, study-away, and social entrepreneurship ➡ Community & Global Health ➡ Human Rights and Humanitarianism ➡ International Development ➡ Urban Studies ➡ Food Security
- 22. Community Partnerships How willyou manage having 25% of your senior class doing engaged signature work? ➡ Team vs individual projects? ➡ Issue/Problem-based vs Competency- based ➡ Place-based ➡ Annual vs long-term planning?
- 23. Siena College Example Competency-BasedCertificate Programs ➡ Community Development (Bonner Program) ➡ Non-Profit Management (Business Department) ➡ Policy Research (Public Policy Department) ➡ Other Possibilities: ✓ Communication ✓ other?
- 24. Campus-Wide Center What wouldbe the role of campus-wide community engagement center? ➡ What office on campus will have primary responsibility to manage “Engaged Signature Work”? ➡ What (new) staff positions would be needed?
- 25. Outline • Definition of“Engaged Signature Work” • Sequence/scaffolding: community engagement • Sequence/scaffolding: courses & training • Infrastructure: community partnerships • Infrastructure: campus-wide center role
- 26. Engaged Signature Work Follow-UpDiscussion
- 27. Observations Thoughts on whether“engaged signature work” is…. • a worthwhile goal? • a current or realistic goal for your Bonner Program? • a realistic goal for an academic department on your campus? • a realistic goal for your institution?
- 28. Introduce into Institutional StrategicPlanning Pilot with Academic Dept or Concentration Pilot with Bonners (or Other Cohort) Next Steps
- 29. Support Needed • Outreachdirectly to your campus ✓ visit for meetings & campus workshop? ✓ publications for provosts or other academic leaders? ✓ …? • National support ✓ Foundation-hosted national gathering or as part of AAC&U or other conference? ✓ start-up guide with examples? ✓ …?