susan reed , suzanne buglione , amanda wittman and jeffrey howard iarslce annual conference
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SUSAN REED, SUZANNE BUGLIONE,
AMANDA WITTMAN AND JEFFREY HOWARD
IARSLCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 25, 2012 – BALTIMORE, MD
Leveraging adult students’ connected knowing and prior community relationships to strengthen their community engagement,
retention and success:
What we know and need to know
Session Outline
Who’s in the room and why
What we know about CBSL with adult students
Analyzing student experience from qualitative data
Best practices for CBSL faculty working with adult students
Discussion: Identifying a research agenda for the future
“Non-traditional” Student Characteristics (% undergrads)
25+ years of age (43%)Part time students (38%)Employed full time (39%)Parents (27%)First-generation college (47%)
(U.S. Department of Education, 2001; 2002; 2011)
Characteristics of Adult Learners
Adults negotiate multiple roles and responsibilities
With age, individual differences become more distinct
Adults seek learning that is relevant to real life
Adults’ new learning builds on prior learning
Adults participate in decision making about learning
Adults learn in dialogue with others(MacKeracher, 2004)
CBSL with Adult Students: Quantitative
• Adults and working students appreciate CBSL but less likely to strongly agree that project enhanced learning and skills (Rosenberg, Reed, Statham and Rosing, 2011)
• Service learning promotes persistence toward degree complete for students of all ages (Reed, Rosenberg, Rosing and Statham, 2012)
• Student engagement in active learning varies across the lifespan with adults being more or less engaged at different ages (Southerland, 2010)
CBSL and Adult Students: Qualitative
Adult students feel that they have a wealth of experience that should be taken into consideration (Largent and Horinek, 2008)
Adults appreciate community involvement as a lifelong practice….want flexibility (Reed, Rosing, Rosenberg and Statham, 2011).
Buglione’s (2012) indepth study of adult service learners
CBSL and Adults: Guidance for practitioners
Engage students of all ages in reflection on their knowledge and skills (Largent and Horinek, 2oo8)
Encourage working students to participate in CBSL and make sure options are flexible (Holland and Robinson, 2008)
Allow students to tap into existing social and political networks (Reed, Rosing, Rosenberg and Statham, 2011)
Campus Compact (2012) indepth study of experience faculty
SUZANNE BUGLIONE, ED.D. DEAN OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, BRISTOL
COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRINCIPAL, COMMUNITYBUILD
IARSLCE 2012
Nontraditional Students & Connected Knowing
The Study: Objective/Purpose
Isolation -Lack of Social Network
Part-time Enrollment(NCES)
Low-income
Financially Independent (NCES)of Parent (NCES)
First Generation College Students
Adult Learning Needs
Commuter Students
Have Dependents Other Than Spouse (NCES)
Experience
Are Single Parents(NCES)
Work Full-time While Enrolled (NCES)
Lack of Standard High School Diploma(NCES)
UNIVERSEOF THE
NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT
Over-represented Racial Minority
Immigrants
Delayed Enrollment in Postsecondary Education (NCES))
NCES (2002) Special Analysis: Nontraditional Undergraduates
The Study: Objective/Purpose
Highly Nontraditional Students in Higher Education
(NCES, 2002)
Minimally Nontraditional (one characteristic)
Moderately Nontraditional (two to three characteristics)
Highly Nontraditional (four or more characteristics)
4 or More:
Delayed enrollment in postsecondary education
Currently enrolled part-time
Financially independent of parent(s)
Currently works full time
Have dependents other than a spouse
Is a single parent
Did not receive a standard high school diploma (got a GED)
11% attain a Bachelor’s degree (NCES, 2002)
Participants (13)
Age Gender Race Discipline
NCES Nontraditional Characteristics Work Course
50 M W Psychology 4Utility Co Manager Internship
50 F W Gerontology 5 Waitress s-l
49 F BCriminal Justice 4 Office Worker s-l
48 F W Nursing 6 Nurse Online s-l 42 F W Social Work 5 Retail s-l 42 M W Photography 4 Technician s-l 41 M B Management 4 Military s-l 40 F W Psychology 5 Consultant vol/s-l hybrid39 M W Education 4 Cook pre-practicum 39 M Multi History 6 Cook s-l
38 M WComputer
Science 4 Technician Capstone s-l
34 F B Psychology 4Psych Unit
Worker s-l 30 F W Psychology 4 Child Care vol/s-l hybrid
NCES Characteristics13 Ages 30-50 7 Works Full Time 6 College Part Time
12 Financially independent8 Has dependents other than spouse2 No standard high school diploma4 Single Parent
8 Delayed college
11=1st s/l course
5=Senior 3= Jun/Senior
2 = Soph/Junior 1=First Year
2= Junior
Connected Knowing Adults Bring: Convergence of Life Experience, Past & Current
History of Challenge Lack of Family Support/Discouragement, Perceived
Academic Failure, Health/Social Challenges, Immigration, Recovery, Juvenile Justice involvement, Disability, Unplanned Pregnancies, Job Loss
Know them…
As a foster child, first to go to college, one of two siblings in a family of eight that graduated
high school, children’s academic failure, there’s a lot of pressure: I’m the one
Raine
My mom…didn’t encourage me, she said I don’t want you to be upset when you fail…
she was trying to be helpful…I am a grown up and I’m going to do this for me
Jacqui
Positive Worker Identity Connecting Work to Student Identity
Connected Knowing Adults Bring:Convergence of Life Experience, Past & Current
My background is in culinary
arts…hands on real time kind
of work…transferred over
well to academia…a
kind of intensity…
strong work ethic
Scott
I decided I don’t want to sit in a cube all day…that motivated me to go back to school...I’m pretty
dedicated…the first time around I was just getting a degree basically to get a job. I’m definitely putting more
effort into it this time aroundJennifer
I think of our generation… at the work place…we work extra, hard working, loyal and even at my waitressing job…I see the young people
come in, do what they have to do and…leave; and don't feel guilty about that…I'll just do it. It's different
Jane
Identity Connections to Service-Learning Course
Meaning Drawn from Life ExperiencesService Resurrected Positive Worker IdentityEnabled Application of Experience & Learning
Connected Knowing…
As an addict, [this course
and I] are connected…
you’re the only one that I’ve told that
to…Steven
I can share my own experience…being an older student…who has been around a little bit and then coming back into a classroom setting
Raine
Construction…waitressed…managed a restaurant…retail…I could not keep the job …The woman at the pantry…said that I should be in a managerial
position…I was very good at what I did…delegated very well…at seeing the whole picture…I didn’t realize I was doing that…I guess it just comes out
Jacqui
Identity Connections to Service-Learning Course
Place – a sense of “Home”
Connected Knowing…
I grew up in the area…there were a lot of Portuguese people there, I’m Portuguese so…basic customs that we talked aboutJennifer
I go to the library…I knew that …people hanging out there were homeless and after the experience (course)…these people have a face and a name and it made it really different .. If I went to do an errand, I would see... my peopleJane
I made my opinion known that we should try this project because this particular group that
we were researching is in my community. So the closeness, the proximity, the timing, it all
just seemed to work out Robert
Identity Connections to Service-Learning Course Coming Home
Civic/Community Identity: Current, Lost!Plans to Continue
Connected Knowing…
I think if you want to live in a good community you have to make it a
good community. It doesn’t happen by itself. It takes people to be active, to be passionate and supportive and
understandingRobert
When I went to nursing school…had my youngest child..I kind of lost my sense of community... that's why I'm continuing my community service because it almost felt like I was home again; when I walked in, I was like: I miss this. This is me, like I felt comfortable; I want to be involved againJane
Connected Knowing…Understanding Societal Context & Consciousness Raising-Social Mobility-Personal Growth & Awareness
Understand the field and my ‘fit’ in itUnderstand my community betterAffirmed my path Made me more
determinedSonia
It was nice as I was learning things either I have already done or been in some of those situations and be able to you know
directly where I can apply thatNicholas
Especially [important] since I am at the end [of
school]Georgette
New Learning – Surprises!I didn’t know everythingLiked it, Felt Good, Could Manage itBroken Stereotypes related to Self
Liked what it was doing for me as a
person Raine
It was a blessing in disguise for
meJacqui
Vehicle for Student Identity DevelopmentMotivator/Incentive for Retention
Lack of College Connections – Faculty RelationshipsJuggling – Stop/Start EducationsRisks & Losses, Can PassChoose Placements with a MenuConnected Readings, Reflection
Connected Knowing…Social Creativity – Outgroup Experiences Analyzed
I sacrificed a lot to be here and I have to make it work
Stephen
Something inside of me clicked…that’s why I’m still here… plugging alongJaqui
[I] question why I do this – others discourage me
Raine
Service reassured me, given me an incentive to finish
Georgette
Service-Learning with Nontraditional Learners…
How is it different? How do we do it? How do we identify and understand this group?
Significance & Further Inquiry
My other classes that I had to take seemed better because of it Sonia
[s-l course] makes me more well rounded Raine
The project excited me to push forward - it was the right direction, right thing Robert
Connected Knowing: Service-Learning Practitioners and Adult Learners
Amanda Wittman, PhDDirector of Academic and Strategic
Initiatives, Campus Compactawittman@compact.org
The only national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic
engagement
Campus Compact envisions colleges and universities as vital agents and architects of a diverse democracy, committed to educating students for responsible citizenship in ways that
both deepen their education and improve the quality of community life. We challenge all of higher education to make
civic and community engagement an institutional priority.
Commitment to providing resources and best practices
Dedication to research-based practice
Increasing population of adult/non-trad learners
We believe that faculty are one of the key connecters to higher education for adult students
Important for retention Important for student development Important for institutional growth
The Campus Compact Connection
Research Questions
What are the emerging ‘Promising Practices’ in Service-Learning or Community-Based Learning with Adults?
In what ways do they align with the existing literature?
In what ways to they align thematically?
Differences of adults from traditional students
Benefits that come with using Service-Learning with adult students
Specific strategies that work well with adult learners.
Practitioners discuss their experiences using Service-Learning with adult and
non-traditional learners in three primary ways:
Motivation is different, and often higher than found with traditional students
Adult learners come to class with more life experience, which leads to specific differences They are more comfortable with diversity, and bring
diversity to the classroom The become leaders and mentors in the class with other
students and in relation to community partners They have unique skills in management, community
engagement, conflict resolution and problem solving that separate them from traditional students
Adult learners already have connections and experience with community partners
Differences of adult learners from traditional learners
Career development
Reflection Designing for the margins
(Ceasar McDowell, 2011)
Benefits of using service-learning with adult learners
Strategies that work well with adult learners in a s-l context
Curriculum redesign
Rethink partnerships
Connect to Career Services
Use storytelling techniques
Enable family service
Adults have less time to spend on service
Adults have competing priorities to their education
Drawbacks of using service-learning with adult learners
One has not only an ability to perceive the world but an ability to alter one’s perception of it; more simply, one can change things by the manner in which one looks at them.
Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Service-Learning and the Nontraditional Student:
Developing a Research Agenda
JEFFREY HOWARDDIRECTOR, FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
STEANS CENTER, DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
ADJUNCT FACULTYSCHOOL FOR NEW LEARNING,
DEPAUL UNIVERSITYEDITOR
MICHIGAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING
Goals
1. Stimulate thinking about potential research questions / topics / areas of interest
2. Generate those questions / topics / interest3. Determine next step(s), if any
Process / Plan
1. Stimulate Thinking about Potential Research Questions/Topics/Areas of Interest
a. General Research Areas in Service-Learningb. Nontraditional Student Characteristicsc. Potential Intermediary Variablesd. Potential Dependent Variablese. Sample Article Titles
2. Generate Research Questions/Topics/Interests(Journals Devoted to Service-Learning / Community-Engagement)3. Next Steps?
Environmental Scan
How many of you are interested in pursuing research related to service-learning and the nontraditional student?
Ask a few volunteers to identify their particular research interests related to nontraditional students?
We’ll come back later to generate research topics/questions/interests
General Research Possibilities Related to Service-Learning
RESEARCH ON SERVICE-LEARNING
FACULTYMotivation
Impediments
STUDENTSAcademic
CivicMulticultural
Others
COMMUNITIESImpacts
Partnerships
INSTITUTIONS
SERVICE-LEARNING
DISCIPLINESComparing expressions
of community involvement
Nontraditional Student Characteristicsas Potential Research Study Factors
MORE LIKELY TO BE: Older (delayed college) Employed First Generation To Go to College in their Family Low-Income Single Parent Part-Time Student Racial Minority Financially Independent Commuter Student Immigrant Non-Standard High School Education More MatureMORE LIKELY TO HAVE: A History of Challenges More Life Experiences A More Permanent Geographic Community Prior (Full-Time)Work ExperienceMORE LIKELY TO TAKE: Online Courses Longer to Graduate
Independent Variable
Service-Learning(Ensure High Quality)
Potential Intermediary Variables(Variations on Service-Learning)
Direct v. Project-Based v. Capacity-Building Community Service
Service in One’s Own Community v. Outside One’s Own Community
Traditional v. Critical Service-LearningStudent- v. Faculty-Selected Community
PlacementsTraditional v. Nontraditional Students
Potential Student Dependent Variables
Academic LearningCivic LearningMulticultural LearningPersonal DevelopmentIdentity DevelopmentCareer DevelopmentPersonal ValuesSocial Justice ValuesSocial DevelopmentPersistence / Retention
Recent Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning Articles
Related to Nontraditional Students
Service-Learning and Persistence of Low-Income, First Generation (LIFG) Students: An Exploratory Study
Justice Learning: Exploring the Efficacy with Low-Income First Generation (LIFG) Students
Research Categories Related to Service-Learning and Nontraditional Students
Students (Nontraditional; nontraditional v. traditional)Faculty Community College/University
Generating ResearchQuestions/Topics/Areas of Interest
Journals Publishing Community-Engaged Scholarship
Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (University of Michigan) Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (University of Georgia) Metropolitan Universities (Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities) Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship (University of Alabama) Journal of Public Scholarship in Higher Education (Missouri Campus Compact) International Journal of Service-Learning in Engineering Reflections (writing and rhetoric) (Syracuse University) Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (University of
North Carolina - Greensboro) Partnership Perspectives (Community Campus Partnerships for Health) Journal for Civic Commitment (Mesa Community College) Florida Journal of Service-Learning in Teacher Education Academic Exchange Quarterly and others have done special issues on service-
learning See Campus Compact website for others: www.compact.org/resources/service-learning_resources/
Next Steps?
For More Information
Suzanne Buglione, Bristol Community College Suzanne.Buglione@bristolcc.edu
Jeffrey Howard, DePaul Universityjhowar15@depaul.edu
Susan Reed, DePaul Universitysreed@depaul.edu
Amanda Wittman, Campus Compactawittman@compact.org
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