The Excitement Factor

kfred85 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:47:02 +0100

In my last post, I mentioned the disconnect between faculty, staff, and students when it comes to service-learning. I discussed the lack of excitement in our students. Search for service-learning on twitter using your twitter search engine of choice. If those don't suit your fancy, I suggest summize . So much of what we see is students complaining about service-learning and how much they hate it. How can we bring this excitement back to service-learning?

I have been looking at the Kano Model lately at work. The model is based on customer service and satisfaction. While it doesn't all quite fit education, there is still something to be learned. We are missing the excitement factor in our approach to service-learning. We need that extra something to entice our "customers" into wanting to come back for more service-learning. But how?

If you are reading this blog, you already know the answer. Social media! Social media is omnipresent in our world now, especially for the generation we are trying to reach. We need to tap into that excitement and new energy and use it to reach our students and enhance their service-learning experiences.

How are we supposed to do this? This is an especially key question for those who aren't comfortable with social media themselves. A fantastic example of social media in higher education is Michael Wesch. I have mentioned him in earlier posts. His take on education and technology is fascinating!

His approach is overarching and would likely be too much for many administrations and faculty to accept all at once. However, in pieces, social media can be integrated beautifully. I highly suggest his YouTube channel. He has more excellent videos explaining his viewpoint .

Ok so once you've decided to use social media, what do you use it for? One key component of service-learning is reflection. What is the point of reflection? To think about what we have done, how it applies to our lives, how it makes us feel, and what we have learned. This is where social media can step in. Instead of one way conversations in the form of a diary or journal to a professor, students can now use platforms to not only post text but pictures, video, and audio! This can enhance their creativity and allow them to post things that help express how they feel in a more complete manner.

We have all heard that two heads are better than one. Well let's take that one step further. By putting reflections out there in social media land, our students can get feedback from multiple sources: classmates, faculty, and (if shared in a public manner) the general public. This provides the opportunity for connections and deeper learning experiences for our students. It also gives more options besides the old (boring) standbys of papers and poster presentations.

Social media allows us all to share our experiences more fully and deeply with others. The feedback we get enriches our experiences and our understanding of our projects and ourselves. Let's open up new learning possibilities for our students and ourselves!

Now you know how I feel. What do you think?

Defining Service-Learning

kfred85 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:33:07 +0100

There is much debate in the educational field about how to define service-learning. Should it be hyphenated or not? Should the emphasis be on service or learning? How much time is required before it can be called service-learning?

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse defines service-learning as follows:

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. Full Text

The Clearinghouse has a fine definition that is widely used. Personally, I feel that doesn't mean anything to some people.

I am here to give my take on things, admittedly biased by my employment. I don't think it matters if it is hyphenated or not but for consistency's sake, pick one. So here is my one definition:

Service-learning should represent an opportunity for students to apply what they are learning in class to the real world in a way that benefits themselves and the community equally.

The equality and balance of who is gaining is crucial to maintaining true service-learning. If one party (community or students) is benefiting more than the other, it cannot be called service-learning. Another crucial piece is reflection. The students must reflect upon their experiences and how they are relevant! Without this piece, it is just glorified community service.

I am not writing to discourage community service or say that it is bad in anyway. However, there is evidence to suggest that true service-learning benefits our students more than community service does . It is through the nature of reflection that this deeper learning can happen.

Our students are growing frustrated with us, especially in higher education. We are often presented with a group of civically minded individuals. They want to help their communities, yet when required to do service-learning for a course, they are not happy. Where is the disconnect?

We need to make service-learning meaningful again. Faculty and staff are losing the meaning of service-learning. It is becoming one more thing to ask of our students because it looks good for the institution.

Service opportunities need to directly relate to the course and the student's future. If the student feels there is no relation to his/her life, there will be little excitement. We need to help nurture those connections and find the meaning again or we risk losing a valuable tool to the catcombs of boredom.

Thank you to @AllMuscle1 for the inspiration.

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The Excitement Factor

Defining Service-Learning