Running head: CASE STUDY #31

Running head: CASE STUDY #3

Case Study #2: Service-Learning Programs in Higher EducationTempris DanielsLoyola University Chicago

Experiential learning is the process in which students develop knowledge, skills, and values from direct experiences outside a traditional academic setting including internships, service learning, undergraduate research and study abroad. The purpose of this case study is to analyze and reflect upon five experiential learning centers at different institutions. Using the web-based knowledge gained, the goal is to generate themes around the experiential learning centers as well as contrasting views while integrating readings from the class. Part I. DescribeColumbia College ChicagoThe first aspirational institution is Columbia College Chicago where they offer experiential learning courses through their Center for Community Arts Partnerships (CCAP) urban mission program and CITE. In addition, CCAP works with Columbia Colleges academic departments to place courses in community settings while allowing students to receive credit (Columbia College Chicago). This institution offers five Fall 2014, one JTERM 2015, and fourteen Spring 2015 with various types of interactions with the community. Some of these interactions include: oral expressions, radio workshops, teaching practicums, documenting social justice, writing for managers, and information management (Columbia College Chicago).Additionally, Chicago community experiences include internships and the CCAP BIG Art JTERM. Solidifying an internship requires students to engage with the department to earn credits for the practicum experience at a place of the students interest. The CCAP BIGArt JTERM provides courses specifically for first year students. This allows first year students to gain a better understanding of what experiential learning courses are while gaining experiences related to their major and minor (Columbia College Chicago).

Chicago Booth The next aspirational institution is Booth Chicago where they find an important part of student, and preparation for their future careers, is to work on real-world business problems and apply what they learn in the classroom (Chicago Booth). Companies associated with the experiential learning process have the opportunity to design projects in lab courses and receive cost-effective, top-tier consulting from a team of MBA students. Booth offers multiple experiential learning projects involving the companies associated with the institution along with different levels of project scopes, faculty involvement and student hours (Chicago Booth). Chicago Booth is broken into two different sections: marketing lab course projects and management lab. First, marketing lab course projects allows the opportunity for multiple student projects to surround around the Booth Marketing curriculum including new product development and research. Allowing students to work on company projects provides real life examples, complementing their coursework. The second opportunity involves the management lab, which is dedicated to cross-disciplinary students led by faculty and advisers working together with high-level executives on a companys business issue as the content of the quarters coursework. A range of student led projects relate to private equity, venture capital and new venture formations offered through the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship Experiential Courses and Labs (Chicago Booth).Roosevelt UniversityThe third aspirational institution is Roosevelt University where a transformational service learning technique is used in the following ways for students to:1. serve in their communities in ways that closely relate to course material and learn how it applies to work in these settings,2. volunteer work in meaningful ways and meet the needs of the community partner and the student,3. reflect on and apply what they have learned in the community through course assignments to further their personal and professional development, and4. have the opportunity to interact with people who have been underprivileged and learn how to make a difference individually or on a broader level through social or civic action (Roosevelt University).

These service models have helped develop Roosevelt University students in becoming engaged citizens who work towards change in their communities. Additionally, Roosevelt University implemented the Mansfield Institute, where there is a strong commitment to helping faculty incorporate transformational learning into their teaching styles. Assistance included the design or re-designs of curriculum, and provided resources through the grant program.Furthermore, the Mansfield Institute identifies sites within the community that are an appropriate fit to partner with the different courses at the University. With this knowledge, Roosevelt continues to build their programs on social justice, allowing students to interact with different settings (Roosevelt University).Concordia University ChicagoThe next aspirational institution, Concordia University Chicago, introduces service learning and leadership as an integral part of a students college experience (Concordia University Chicago). For example, classroom discussions often transition to hands-on opportunities, providing service to national and local populations. The following our ways students serve their communities:1. Volunteering at a local women's shelter2. Leading youth retreats3. Teaching Sunday school4. Rebuilding homes in storm-stricken areas5. Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity6. Working with youth through an after school program with the River Forest and River Grove Public Libraries7. Serving meals at St. Malachy Churchs soup kitchen8. Assisting with the Boys and Girls Club of West Cook County9. Participating in the Read to Me literacy enhancement program at St. Eulalia Parish (Concordia University Chicago).Furthermore, campus growth and spiritual activities tie into the service learning on campus through a students participation in Christian theatre, lock-ins, retreats, and concerts for high school students, and lastly national and international services. Unique to Concordias description, they desire to have experiential learning opportunities on and off campus.DePaul UniversityThe last institution, The Irwin W. Steans Center, is the community-based service learning and community service studies center. DePaul University worked to develop a beneficial relationship with the community organizations to engage students in educational opportunities grounded in Vincentian values and social justice (DePaul University). This stand-alone website offers the mission statement, the development of the program, support, and implementation of the program along with resources for students, faculty, community partners, community service students and publications. It is important to note that students have the opportunity to receive employment opportunities through the Steans Center as well as scholarships, attend multiple events and workshops, and go on service learning student abroad trips. Lastly, the Steans Center recognizes that the backbone (DePaul University) of the development is faculty members and resources are provided for instructors as well as scholarship of engagement opportunities. Part II. CompareEach of the experiential learning centers I chose to research, are all institutions that highly impact their population of students in a different manner. Specifically, DePaul University, Concordia University Chicago, and Roosevelt University all speak to the idea of social justice and equity provided within their communities. Jacoby (1996) addresses this topic by explaining, learning includes a deeper understanding of the historical, sociological, cultural, economic, and political contexts of the needs or issues being address (p.7) within a community.Through reflection, all involved in service learning can identify the way social justice affects our community and fosters our learning and development. As social justice relates to experiential learning, I wonder how significant the topic is to the institutions through their mission statements. This information can better help one understand a professionals and students focus on creating a better community. The second comparison between institutions is DEAL, describe, examine, and articulate learning (Clayton, 2009, p. 1) where it is shown that institutions are looking to support their students in both familiar and unfamiliar activity. Additionally, goals are set for the institutions as they work with students to develop personally, academically, and through civic learning. Unlike these institutions described above, there are Universities that do not have a dedicated experiential learning office. The fact that these institutions show the capacity to critical reflect and critique their programs to different extents shows the importance the office has on the entire community.The last similarity found among the institutions is the idea of purposeful civic learning. Chicago Booth, Columbia College Chicago, and DePaul University all provide the designing of classrooms norms and learning strategies that not only enhance academic learning but also encourage civic learning as essential to purposeful civic learning (Howard, 1993, p. 4). These institutions offer courses on their website to help students pick the best class for them as it relates to their interest and/or majors. In addition through classroom design, the curriculum is set up to best complement the learning styles and provide group assignments and discussions. Part III. ContrastContrary to the comparisons listed above; there are three major differences between the experiential learning offices. The first difference is the idea of reflection. While it is implied that all offices provide a reflection opportunity, only two institutions take the viewpoint to note that reflection happens among students. These institutions are DePaul University and Roosevelt. Even further, the Booth Chicago experiential learning center speaks more to the lab courses and ways for students to learn about what is takes to be a high-level executive, where there is a smaller focus on social justice. Honnet and Poulsen (1998) states that service towards common good combined with reflective learning in order to provide high quality learning will sustain over a long period of time and help individuals appreciate the significance of service. Booth Chicago does not seem to value this perspective yet focuses on only business development and marketing for students. Although I recognize Booth is a business school, reflection is present in any career and should be shown in this case where students work with companies around the world.The second difference is among DePaul University and their extensive stand-alone website on experiential learning. This website provides all the resources for every party associated with the center. Through viewing the website it is evident that funds are dedicated to the center each fiscal year. Furthermore both the providers and recipients of service benefit from the activities (Furco, 1996) yet it is unknown through the website whether organized service experiences meet actual community needs (Furco, 1996). Even with such an extensive site, I imagine DePaul would benefit from having testimonials from students, faculty, and the community members.The last major difference I found was the use of both academic curriculum and co-curriculum involvement as it relates to experiential learning. Academic curriculum was included throughout all five websites while co-curriculum involvement was only mentioned through the lens of study abroad and the spirituality department. Jacoby (1996) speaks briefly to the development of both programs benefiting students, communities, and institutions. The campus culture does alter based on the learning that happens outside of the classroom. Although experiential learning contains an significant academic component, I question how much richer a students experience could be if co-curriculum involvement such as leadership opportunities coincided with in-class opportunities. This type of experience is what makes it challenging to compare and contrast experiential learning offices at different institutions. When benchmarking multiple institutions, it is important to recognize the values, missions, and needs at one university may differ from another school. The assessment of programs is essential but evaluation of experiential learning from a general sense is difficult because the different programs provide a range of needs for each student.

References

Chicago Booth, (n.d.). Experiential learning. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.chicagobooth.edu/corp/access-booth/experiental-learningColumbia College Chicago, (n.d.). Center for community arts partnerships. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.colum.edu/ccap/for-columbia-students/earn-course-credit.htmlConcordia University Chicago, (n.d.). Service learning and leadership. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from https://www.cuchicago.edu/experience/service-learning/DePaul University, (n.d.). Steans center for community-based service learning. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://steans.depaul.eduFurco, Andrew. "Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education." Expanding Boundaries: Service and Learning. Washington DC: Corporation for National Service, 1996. 2-6.Howard, J. (1993).Community service learning in the curriculum. In J. Howard (Ed.), Praxis I: A faculty casebook on community service learning. (pp. 3-12). Ann Arbor: OCSL Press.Honnet, E.P. & Poulsen, S.J. (1998) Principles of Good Practice for Combining Service and Learning, The Johnson Foundation Jacoby, B. & Associates. (1996). Service-learning in higher education: Concepts and Practices. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Roosevelt University, (n.d.). Transformational learning. Retrieved February 22, 2015, from http://www.roosevelt.edu/MISJT/TransformationalLearning.aspx