Scott Rafalski commented on Monthly Summary for groups #2 and #5 

February Monthly Summary Group 3

This has been a very trying month for Group 3.  We lost a group member who moved to a different group. One group member had a life situation that didn’t allow her to communicate with the group as frequently as she would have liked but she still was able to overcome and complete her requirements.  As we established communication within our group we found it best to communicate by email as our group seems really to be overcommitted to our jobs and lives which makes it tough to find time to meet.  This isn’t an excuse but more the reality of life.  We have talked about how we need to find that balance in our lives but every class is different and it takes really a few weeks to find your footing.  I don’t think everyone was real happy with the grade we received on our first paper but we have to look at it more as we should really grow as a group and as we do we should and will do better on each assignment.  This is the idea that you need to learn from your mistakes philosophy. 

After our first attempt our group has outlined due dates for the next assignment and assigned roles for the various aspects and parts of the next project and paper.  So everything is set to be successful going forward but we just need to make time and honor the commitment we have made to this class.  It might also be possible that we are a group of procrastinators.  We have also discussed and spent time trying to figure out everyone’s schedules.  Some of us can really only focus on things over the weekends while others have some time during the week.  It would be really, really nice if things could be due on Sunday nights at Midnight for that reason because I know in our group most of us have time to work on Sunday but things aren’t due on that day because it is the beginning of a new week.  For example, Sunday is the only day that I do not work and have nothing that restricts me from doing work for this class.  These are the time constraints in which some of us are working in so some flexibility would be nice. 

We have some “newbies” in our group also so they are trying to get used to blogging and the intricacies behind that.  The nice thing about the blog is it really is a living, breathing animal.  It constantly needs to be fed with new information and we need it to continue to evolve.  It allows for our group to easily access the information though and make changes and it has been nice to see the other groups’ blogs and how creative they are.  I really like the idea that when the class is finished the blog will be like a journey that we have taken as a group to show where we have started and how much we accomplished and did to finish with an amazing project.  It works almost like a timeline. 

This month Group 3 completed our Community Based Learning Paper. Amanda did the main ideas, format prep, final organization and submission of the project.  John, Scott and Katrina all reviewed and did a write up on a different case study.  Jillian did our review and created the table along with adding a discussion piece.  I honestly feel like we were pretty proud just to get this turned in as we were late in submitting and our communication wasn’t clear in terms of making sure that we had done our best work and completed everything the way the rubric had asked.  We really learned to stick to the rubric here and that also we need to try to get things done early to allow everyone a chance to review, make changes and add their insightful suggestions and comments.  If we can complete things early we could then send them to Dr. Chang to review and get her feedback and questions also as she really is the only one that truly knows what the final submission should be and look like.  Again, we can only do this if we get things done early. 

Here is an outline for our next paper and the roles that we will play…………………….

Community Education Programs

Due March 8 (SATURDAY) 11:59pm

Deadline for group review March 5^th (WEDNESDAY) 10:00pm

Please attach your name clearly under your chosen task so we all know who is responsible for which aspect.

What do we want our topic to be??

Community Topic: _________________________________

Introduction: 1. ____________________________

1 person 2 references

· what was learned from the researched programs

· main ideas from text and course readings

· introduce the context and structure of the chosen community

o population

o organizations

o characteristics of the community

o why we chose this community

Cases: 1. __Jillian__ 2. Scott______________ 3. ____Adam____

THREE Community Education Programs, Projects, Initiatives

3 people at least 3 references

· Who are the major providers of the services?

· variety or community education programs, projects, and initiatives

o FORMAT FOR THIS SECTION INCLUDED IN SYLLABUS

· others….

Discussion/Table/SUBMIT FINAL PAPER (includes final review and re-formats if needed to submit complete paper): 1. ___Katrina ____

1 person Group edit March 6^th and 7^th; assigned person will submit paper by due date

· summarize main ideas about the programs

· what can we learn from the community programs

· use text information to support

Scott Rafalski- In the first 8 weeks I have learned the endless possibilities of service learning and how it can be transformational and life changing.  The case studies have really taught us the importance of service learning and that it can be implemented anywhere as we have looked at cases in different parts of the world including New Zealand, Australia, Canada and even Indiana.  I keep thinking about as an Ivy Tech (Indianapolis Region) student affairs staff member and instructor how I could institute more service learning in my own class and the opportunities we have to connect with the community here in Indy.  There are so many needs here in the city that as a community college we could be helping with.  This would truly be a win-win for all parties involved including the college, students, staff (instructors), community, etc. 

I have learned that many of us can sit down and list the issues and problems within our community but we have all these excuses why we don’t actively engage and do something about it.  Some play the blame game and think it is someone else’s responsibility and job or they don’t know where to start or they say they don’t know what’s out there.  The idea of that if you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem really applies here.  I saw an excellent motivational video recently about a blind mountain climber that said if you aren’t helping others and giving back then you aren’t truly living and he took it a step further and said that you shouldn’t even be living.  That statement and then thinking about this class has really made me rethink my job, my role and even my life in terms of being more involved in the community in which I live and work.  I have learned that if more volunteered and gave back that we can make a difference and change the community in which we are a part of.  

Katrina Owens- In the last month I have been extremely busy with life circumstances or surprises more or less.  Where I was living (apartment), there was some sort of hot water line leak that created so much heat and moisture that made it unbearable to live in.  This same heat and moisture caused mold to appear in all the bedrooms.  Long story short, I had to find a new place to live quickly and move as soon as possible.  In a matter of ten days I have done all of this and still was able to at least contribute of some sort to the group project. 

Although I was distracted to say the least I was engaged in the case study that I had found.  I was really intrigued on how far in-depth Princeton University’s community based program entailed.   The focus of interest within community programs varied from children & youth, literacy & literature to urban development.  There were several different courses offered at Princeton that supported this initiative to become involved within community learning. There was even an interactive map provided on the website that consisted of 28 student stories and reflections on each person’s academic, research and civic engagement experiences globally.  I was intrigued by this program very much so and will continue to follow its progress to possibly develop a sister program on the community college level.

Jillian Scholten – This month and semester have proven to be another difficult one. Throughout my time in online courses (4 semesters), I have learned I am my best when in an actual classroom setting. They don’t tell you how difficult working 45+ hours a week and having many additional hours of homework drains you. This course in particular. As mentioned, it is very difficult to get homework done when it has due dates of Friday or Saturday. This entire semester I have been working almost seven days a week and am struggling to find time other than on Sundays to complete the assignments. This past assignment taught me I need to be better. I think our group member leaving was for the best. It woke us up. At the same time, I will never be that person that gets homework done 2-3 weeks before the due date. I don’t have time and that is not who I am. I do, however, always get it done by the assigned deadline. Group projects are difficult in the classroom setting, let alone in an online format. We have a clear plan and deadlines of when we plan to finish the next project. I have high hopes we will continue to do much better and improve throughout this semester. I plan on writing many good things for the March blog!

Adam Murray - February has indeed been a busy month for us all, myself included.  I relocated this past week to Chicago to take a new job, and have been trying to find an apartment, work, finalize finances, and stay on top of my grad school responsibilities.  In many ways, this course has aided me in how I am approaching my new position of Community Outreach Director for The First Tee of Greater Chicago.  I've come to appreciate to a greater extent the service learner program at my previous job in California, and I'm currently seeking out similar opportunities for partnership here in Chicago.  Valuing these partnerships and recognizing the issues that each school or organization hopes to attend to is vital to there continuance.  Reading the case studies from my fellow group members has given me new ideas about how to breech literacy issues and tactics for success.  Defining community can still be a difficult task, especially in Chicago with the interweaving of cultures, neighborhoods, and socioeconomics, but I feel as though I am better suited at discovering that middle-ground, and helping others to appreciate it as well.  I look forward to March as being a much more organized, fluid group partnership, though I do think that we communicate well already.  Much like Scott said, our issues primarily stem from conflicting schedules and unforeseen life changes.  This, however, is part of the learning process.  Understanding that you need to be always prepared for whatever comes your way.  Bring on March!

Amanda Monthly Summary

Amanda Cruser commented on:  Group 1 and Group 2 Feb. Summaries. Thanks, Bo!

Amanda Cruser
February 28, 2014-End of Month Summary
EDAC 648
Bo Chang

            This month was the first full group project. I was able to use this time to reflect on the process of the project and group dynamics as it applies to the project and professional interactions.  I am unsure if there have been issues with my communications, but there has been a great breakdown in communications making planning and completing tasks fully and on time successful.  The first project was split responsibility in order to give everyone specific tasks and to make the workflow process move ahead smoothly. There were hiccups in this plan with keeping to a schedule and working together with everyone’s personal schedules, but this may have been due to a lack of communication within our group overall. Everyone is very busy and getting times set and being available to discuss was difficult. The format of the class and using a blog opposed to the group discussion space on BB also made the process more difficult to follow for me.  I’m not sure how anyone else feels about it though. I have changed groups and have been discussing the planning for the nest project, I will be completing a case study on a community and involved in the finalization of formatting and keeping in touch with the other members to complete the project together.  

Paper 3 early planning-copy from email sent last week

Although I was a week ahead of myself all last week and thought it was already the last week of Feb and sent this out as an email to everyone last Monday, I hadn't seen any responses so maybe the message didn't send from my phone, who knows?
Regardless, here's what I think might work best to keep things moving. Yes, we're all busy and may all have 4+ projects due in the next two weeks like I do, so I wanted to get things going on this so it's not last minute and submitted late. maybe I'm overstepping, but I need a plan to function. --amanda

Community Education Programs

Due March 8 (SATURDAY) 11:59pm

Deadline for group review March 5^th (WEDNESDAY) 10:00pm

We seem to need a more structured format for our group work as we don’t have a simple access to Blackboard in this class. I hope this outline helps to keep everything on track and everyone aware of their roles in project completion. I know this is coming really early also, but we aren’t the most connected of people so better safe than sorry! :)

Please attach you name clearly under your chosen task so we all know who is responsible for which aspect.

What do we want our topic to be??

Community Topic: _________________________________

Introduction: 1. ____________________________

1 person 2 references

· what was learned from the researched programs

· main ideas from text and course readings

· introduce the context and structure of the chosen community

o population

o organizations

o characteristics of the community

o why we chose this community

Cases: 1. Amanda Cruser 2. ________________ 3. _________________

THREE Community Education Programs, Projects, Initiatives

3 people at least 3 references

· Who are the major providers of the services?

· variety or community education programs, projects, and initiatives

o FORMAT FOR THIS SECTION INCLUDED IN SYLLABUS

· others….

Discussion/Table/SUBMIT FINAL PAPER (includes final review and re-formats if needed to submit complete paper): 1. ________________

1 person Group edit March 6^th and 7^th; assigned person will submit paper by due date

· summarize main ideas about the programs

· what can we learn from the community programs

· use text information to support

Final Submission (late? 2/17)

Scott commented on Blogs from groups #1 and #2


Amanda-main ideas, format prep, final organization and submit
John-Mesa case study
Scott-CSUMB case study
Katrina-Princeton case study
Jullian-discussion and table

Community Based Learning

Amanda Cruser, John Murray, Katrina Owens, Scott Rafalski, Jillian Scholten

Ball State University

Main Ideas and Concepts of Community and Service Based Learning

Community based activities, according to Reed and Marienau (2008), follow similar paths of development and include the following four dimensions:

1.      Duration

2.      Scope

3.      Intensity

4.      Reflection

Duration is used in reference to the length of time the program course is expected to last; the longer the time spent in the service or community learning task, the more improved the students’ skillset (Reed & Marienau, 2008). The scope of community based learning programs is the specific task or activity of which the students will be engaged; such as working with the homeless, reintroducing felons to community, or working in more general terms of organizational planning (Reed & Marienau, 2008).  The third dimension of community based learning programs applies to the intensity of the program, not to be confused with intensity as a measure of duration, but of the degree to which the students are affected by the program and course content (Reed & Marienau, 2008).  This is to say the intensity signifies the emotional and reflective degree of students’ interest in the population they are serving and the task being attended to (Reed & Marienau, 2008). 

Finally the reflection period of the community based learning program concerns itself as the “essential dimension of service [community based] learning” (Reed & Marienau, 2008).  The reflection component of a community based program can be satisfied through the use of daily logs, open discussion, or a more in-depth method of journaling to allow the student to “identify, frame, and resolve ill-structured social problems” (Reed & Marienau, 2008).  These dimensions work together in such a manner as to stimulate and develop cognitive and moral growth of the student as well as to improve the learners overall well-being as community based learning also offers practice in social and professional situations.

            This  specific type and purpose of the learning occurring in community or service learning can be encapsulated as learning that “emphasizes the social or communal as opposed to the individual” (Stein & Imel, 2002).  Therefore, in connection to the previously discussed dimensions of community based learning, the program must also contain the scope of working directly with or in some manner as to better the lives of the population being served through the learning.  Stein and Imel (2002) further expanded on the dimensions by identifying some common themes of community learning. 

The authors suggest four basic themes of “learning communities” related to the place, the content, civic engagement, and power and politics (Stein & Imel, 2002).  In this regard the place of the learning can be just as important as the duration of the program and afford more variance in the scope as, according to Stein and Imel (2002), the place of the learning can be neutral and offers more flexibility in that the place is regarded as a realm that allows members of different communities to “engage with each other on specific concerns” for their communities.  Through this process of learning within a place in a community, the societal structure and individuals within that community can produce “community wisdom” as the “knowledge is applied to improve the daily life activities” of the community as a whole (Stein & Imel, 2002). 

The third theme Stein and Imel (2002) point out is that learning in community “encourages citizens to produce local knowledge.”  This benefits the overall community as members actively engaged in the learning are better equipped with the knowledge needed to enable all other members to improve the community dynamic.  Finally, the “power structure” of the community can be strengthened by active members and put the community in capable position to reflect upon and suggest political and social changes (Stein & Imel, 2002).  Overall the importance of both the dimensions and themes of community learning cannot be overlooked, nor can they be separated as the two work in tandem to benefit the local community.

            We chose three community learning activities to study. Each of these programs deals with a university or college connecting its students to the community. Community learning projects can take place at a small community college or an Ivy League university. We decided to take a look at programs in both formats. Two of the programs focus primarily on the youth, while the last involves specific areas students are studying.          

Case Studies

“America Reads” Mesa Community College

Mesa Community College serves the metropolitan area of Phoenix, Mesa and Glendale Arizona.  Through the Center for Community and Civic Engagement at the college the school actively practices service learning and offers community based learning opportunities.  The mission of the center is to collaborate with the community, encourage leadership, and personally grow and to learn responsibility.  The college has a very unique, diverse ethnic makeup and background. 

According to Dawn Rhodes, the program specialist for service learning, the college serves about 23,000-25,000 students.  Dawn stated that the population is just over 4 million in the Phoenix area with a strong Spanish speaking population that ranges somewhere from 25-30%. English literacy is a key part of the community based/service learning that the college offers. 

“America Reads” is a specific program that the center offers that allows students of the college to tutor and mentor youth at one of four elementary schools (Adams Elementary, Mesa Arts Academy, Keller Elementary and Gilbert Elementary) according to Rhodes.  The focus of the program is to help children to read well and to do it independently.  The tutors sign up through the center by filling out an application, so it is truly a volunteer program, and then go through an orientation.  Rhodes stated that at the orientation students are trained reading techniques and strategies that they can use with children in the classroom.  The goal is to increase literacy skills and achievement levels.  By providing the additional help with the extending learning times students will learn through practice and repetition while building a relationship with a college student.  A commitment is made to the program and is typically a school year and a contract is signed by both. 

The activities used for this program follow a curriculum that is given to the tutors and breaks down the skills they work on for that week.  Since the school knows that the student will be working with a community college tutor the students grammar and writing teacher also gives the student additional worksheets and practices to work on with the tutor that have been identified as areas that a student might need some practice in.  The tutoring takes places as an after school program and it is expected that the college student will go to the elementary school to complete the weekly curriculum within that schools library so that the student may browse and look for books to read also.  The tutors are also able to sit down and ask the students what their interests are and then books can and will be chosen based on those interests. 

According to Rhodes the collaboration and cohesiveness that takes place between the students, tutor, teacher and parents is vital and critical to the success of this program.  Rhodes referred to the tutors as almost big brothers and sisters to the students.  In meeting with Jose who is one of the tutors in the program he mentioned how not only is it “cool” to give back but he also has made a lifelong friend.  Jose referred to the program as a “win-win”.  Students get the help, support and mentoring that they need, Jose gets real world experience and a resume builder, the school builds a better relationship with the community and the community is the real winner as they get educated, productive citizens that in many ways will also look to pay it forward like Jose has. 

Community-Based Learning Initiative- Princeton University

            Princeton University is the 4^th oldest college in the United States located in Princeton, New Jersey. Currently Princeton serves 5, 200 undergraduate students and 2, 600 graduate students.  The Community-Based Learning Initiative is a program that was developed to connect the academic interest of a student with the concerns of the community around the University. Students work with local nonprofits to collect and analyze data, develop research projects and shares the results and conclusions with the organizations and agencies that can make us of it.  By working with CBLI the student base is able to complete community-based research in courses, summer research internship opportunities, and as part of one’s junior paper or senior thesis.

            The staff of CBLI works closing with those of the community to develop relationships alongside of local nonprofits.  The nonprofits sought out are those that have expressed interest in working with students to gather, analyze and share information about their programs.  The focus of these programs consists of a wide range of issues such as:

Children & Youth	Community Arts
Environment	Fatherhood & Employment
Food Systems & Gardening	Health
Housing & Homelessness	Literacy & Language
Nonprofits & Social Change	Poverty & Hunger
Urban Development

Some of the projects that are related to the community partners’ current interest include but not limited to:

·        Interviewing clients of social service providers to help evaluate program effectiveness

·        Administering surveys to predispose community needs, attitudes and or opinions

·        Conducting literature reviews and other data analysis to identify the best practices for adult and family literacy programs

Recently students have also investigated topics such as: how religious organizations might collaborate to provide related services and what types of retail and business services are needed downtown of Trenton, NJ.  There are many other topics that students are currently or in the past investigated.

            Every semester there are courses from different departments that offer community-based research opportunities.  The research that takes place within these courses is guided by the community affected by the issue being studied.  Each course provides an opportunity for students to learn about and apply philosophical knowledge to real world problems, and projects that find research valuable to a local community organization. 

            The CBLI research team developed a survey instrument that would assess the students’ outcomes of community-based research.  This survey gathers five dimensions of outcomes, which includes academic skills, educational experience, civic engagement, professional skills along with personal growth. The survey is also available online as part of a national study.  The overall goal of this study is to gather information to understand the influence of various practices and academic factors on what is learned from community-based research experiences.

Service Learner Program for CSUMB Students

            In partnership with the The First Tee of Monterey County (TFTMC), California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), affords its students an opportunity to fulfill a service learner graduation requisite via service learning at the provider's sight in Salinas, CA. The First Tee, a non-profit youth development organization, was founded in 1997, and opened its Monterey County chapter in 2004. 

            Each semester approximately 45 students choose The First Tee of Monterey County as their umbrella organization to complete their service learning requirement.  In completing their requirement they have to meet the following criteria:

• Complete daily reflection journal
• Complete an oral review with professional staff member upon exiting the facility
• Complete 30 hours of service learning
• Complete a reflection paper upon completion of the semester

            In order to better unify the collegiate service learners with their respective communities, The First Tee of Monterey County seeks to uphold consistent reviews of their connection to their organization.  The reflection journals are a site requirement, not an overarching school requirement.  The objective of these journals is to understand what they specifically did, who they specifically engaged with (staff or participant), and direction given to them by professional staff.

            Learners are able to witness firsthand non-profit strategy, daily progressions, and participant relationships.  The focus is primarily on the latter.  Service learners are most frequently utilized in a mentorship/tutoring role.  Staff assures that service learners have daily objectives, in order to prevent apathy or aversion.  Daily assessments in a format known as “Good, Better, How”, include service learners with professional staff in reviewing the day from a positive vs. improvement perspective.  The ultimate goal is for service learners to foster a linkage between themselves and their community, while recognizing empathy for those youth
participants within the school district.

(Service learner with participants)

(Service learner assisting with participant tournament.)

                                                                                     

(Service learners in light green leading exercise for participants.)

Program Data

America Reads Program http://www.mesacc.edu/community-civic-engagement/america-reads 

Community-Based Learning Initiative: https://www.princeton.edu/cbli/student-cbr-survey/

CSUMB service learning link: http://service.csumb.edu/sli-overview

Discussion

         Community based activities include four dimensions: duration, scope, intensity, reflection. A program also needs to encompass the scope of working directly with or bettering the lives of those being served. Place, content, civic engagement, and power and politics are the four basic themes of learning communities.

         Our first case study shows the importance of building relationships with our communities. The 45 students participating in The First Tee of Monterey County examine non-profit strategy, daily progressions, and relationships amongst participants, with a goal of making a connection between themselves and their community. This activity teaches us working with the community can help to better the lives of its youth. This program has intensity from the professional staff reviewing each day from different perspectives and an oral review upon completion. The reflection of this learning activity involves a daily reflection journal, followed by a reflection paper at the end of the semester.

         This is a great option for a community based learning activity if a university is able to locate a non-profit organization in their community. The number of hours the student must complete each semester should be adequate for learning, but not enough to interfere with other learning experiences. A journal or video journal should be completed to document the journey and growth experienced, as well as a project or paper for reflection at the end of the semester.

“America Reads” provides support to elementary school students in the Mesa, Arizona region. It reaches out to almost 25,000 college students as a volunteer program designed to increase literacy and build relationships. It is another opportunity for our college-aged students to connect with a younger demographic and be a mentor. Because of the college’s diverse population, mentees are able to learn from a wide range of backgrounds.

The Community-Based Learning Initiative that takes place in the Princeton, New Jersey community creates positive relationships with community members. Many subject-areas are looked at throughout the program and range from children and youth to health-related. An assessment was created to evaluate the outcomes of community-based learning. This program taught us that the scope of the learning activities can be great and does not have to be limited to one idea.

          Each of the case studies showed us the importance of community involvement. Our particular cases focused on the colleges reaching out to their designated community. The programs we have mentioned build relationships and provide learning experience all in one.

References

Reed, S.C. & Marienau, C. (Eds.). (2008). Linking adults with community: Promoting civic engagement through community based learning. New Directions for Adult and Community Education, 118.
Stein, D.S. & Imel, S. (2002). Adult learning in community: Themes and threads. New Directions for Adults and Community Education, 95.

Table 1. Summary of the Community Based Learning Activities

	Providers	Learners, purposes, learning objectives	How the activities were designed	Main ideas/features you have learned (Check Discussions)	Suggestions for practitioners (check Discussions)
Learning activity 1	The First Tee of Monterey County & California State University, Monterey Bay	Learners: 45 students from California State University, Monterey Bay Purpose/learning objectives: to unify the students with the community and recognize empathy for the youth participants	Students complete a daily reflection journal, oral review with the professional staff before exiting the facility, 30 hours of service learning must be complete, reflection paper at the end of the semester.	Non-profit strategy, daily progressions, and participant relationships.	Keep number of credit hours at amount where students can learn from experience, but not be a burden on other schoolwork. Journal or video journal assignments and final project at end of semester
Learning activity 2	Mesa Community College – Center for Community and Civic Engagement (Adams Elementary, Mesa Arts Academy, Keller Elementary, and Gilbert Elementary)	Tutoring and mentoring youth at area elementary schools. Purpose is to increase literacy skills and achievement levels.	Curriculum is designed for tutors on a weekly basis. Activities take place in the schools library, so students are encouraged to walk around and look at books. It is designed as a mentorship, similar to Big Brothers, Big Sisters.	Orientation plays a big role in preparing volunteers for their activities. Relationships must be built between college and elementary students to assure success.	Be sure to cover as much information as possible at orientation. College students need to be reliable, so that elementary school students are able to find success and build a relationship.
Learning activity 3	Princeton University	Connecting areas of study with the community. The goals vary depending on the issue studied. Gathering information to see how practices and academics influence what is learned from these experiences.	Working with non-profits in the community to collect data, share research and share the results.	Many subject areas can be covered in a community based learning activity as a whole. Community members must be as motivated to study as students.	Keep programs very specific to subject-area. This opportunity will increase relationship with university and community.