Cooperative Education:Service Learning

Experiences in NursingSheila Heinert, BSN, RN

University of Mary

Teaching and Learning Strategy◦Integrates community service, instruction,

reflection Enriches learning experience Teaches civic responsibility Strengthens Communities

Service Learning

Explain the definition, theoretical basis and key components of service learning

Describe the importance of the partnership in service learning

Describe the impact of service learning on students, educators, the community and the educational institution

Objectives:

Service LearningDefinitionsPurposesUses

A form of experiential education:◦ Is developed, implemented, and evaluated in alliance with

community◦ Responds to community-identified concerns◦ Attempts to balance service and learning◦ Enhances curriculum by extending learning

Allows application to real-world situations◦ Provides opportunities for critical reflection (Connors, Kirk

Henry, & Seifer, 2000).

Definition of Service Learning

Handout: What is service-learning? A structured learning experience

combining community service with explicit learning objectives, preparation, and reflection. Students involved in service-learning are expected to provide direct community service along with learning about the context in which the service is provided. Emphasis is placed on the connection between the service, the academic coursework, and students’ roles as citizens.

Adapted from Community-Campus Partnerships for Health.

Service-learning:◦ Offers a balance between service and

learning objectives◦ Places an emphasis on reciprocal

learning◦ Increases an understanding of the

content in which clinical and/or service work occurs

◦ Focuses on the development of civic skills

◦ Addresses community identified concerns

◦ Involves community in the service-learning design and implementation

Operationalizes liberal education Involves students in community to provide service

◦Determined by community◦Connected to learning objectives

Students gain understanding of people in community◦As experts in knowledge Problems and assets belong to them (Bradshaw,

M.J. & Lowenstein, A.J., 2011)

Purpose of Service Learning

Use of Service Learning

Community Partners

Develop relationships Assess assets and needs Choosing partners Developing principle-

centered, ethical partnerships

Incorporating partnerships (Rieke, E., Seifer, S., & Connors, K. 2000).

The following case study focuses on key themes that support positive and effective community-campus partnerships that involve service-learning. The theme presented focuses on finding common ground, negotiating roles, responsibilities and authority, and establishing effective planning processes within a partnership planning group.

Case Study:

A community-campus partnership had been established between an immigrant advocacy group in a neighborhood with a high prevalence of non-English speaking residents and a political science department at a nearby university. The nature of the partnership had been developed through several collaborative projects. Several political science faculty have been doing community outreach work in this neighborhood in alliance with the community partner. As part of one partnership activity, the faculty members and the community partners recognized that immigrants were being excluded from county health services because of the lack of Spanish speaking health care providers and interpreters. The immigrant advocacy group drafted a survey to assess the extent of the problem among its clients with the aim of engaging political science students in a service-learning course to help administer and analyze it.

Case Study: Negotiating Roles, Responsibility and Authority

After reviewing the survey, the political science students presented it to a faculty advisor and noted some concerns about bias in the survey. Suggestions for modification of the survey were outlined and presented to the community group. The suggestions for modification were rejected by the immigrant advocacy group. The community group then announced that they only wanted information they could use to sue the local hospital. They wanted the students to collect this information for them exclusively for the purposes of filing the lawsuit.

The students and faculty felt that they were put in a compromised position and withdrew from this particular project. The community group then complained that the “campus” was not living up to its end of the bargain.

From: Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education

Case Study (cont.)

In this scenario, what could have been done that would have avoided or reduced the impact of conflict between the two partners?

How would you address this conflict? Would you find ways to resolve the conflict and preserve the relationship, or would you work with a new community partner?

What key lessons in this scenario can be applied to your own partnership?

How might you improve the effectiveness of your partnership based on this scenario?

From: Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education

Case Study Questions:

Theoretical Rationale

Kolb’s Cycle ofExperiential Learning

Advantages of Using Service Learning as a Teaching Strategy

Transformational learning experiences◦Clarification of values, sense of self

Taken more seriously when it’s required Greater gains when non-clinical:

◦Awareness of determinants of health◦Sensitivity to diversity (Hunt, R., 2007).◦Knowledge of health policy issues◦Leadership development

Students

Develops critical thinking skills (Sedlak, C.A., Doheny, M.O., Panthofer, N. & Anaya, E., 2003).

Students (cont.)

Primary motivators◦Personal values◦Belief in improvement of overall learning

Enhanced relationships◦Students◦Community

Increased understanding of community issues New directions and confidence in teaching

Faculty

Service, economic and social benefits Increased awareness of institutional assets/limitations High value placed on relationship with faculty Eager to be seen as teachers and experts

(Community-Campus Partnerships for Health).

Community Partners

Enables college to serve the community as partners Provides experiential learning setting in the

community Applies educational process to solve human problems

and concerns Provides a transition from school to work for students Improves college and community relations

Educational Institution

Challenges

Challenges of SL Accept the Challenge!

Clear vision, definitions, goals, resources, outcomes

Resistance to change Rigid and over-loaded

curriculum Lack of roles and rewards

for innovation Accepting implications of

true partnerships Culture of needs-based and

expert approaches

Teacher Attributes for Facilitating Service Learning

“Teacher as facilitator of learning” Teachers should have an interest in the subject and be

able to explain it to others Concern and respect for students and student learning Provide appropriate assessment and feedback Clear goals and intellectual challenge Learners should have independence, control an active

engagement Teachers should be prepared to learn from students

Teaching Method

Student Populations Appropriate for use of Service Learning as a

Teaching Strategy

Types of Learners Suitable for:

◦Any student level◦Any program

Key elements◦Diversity◦Cultural

understanding

Tips for use as a Teaching Strategy

Academic credit is for learning, not for service. Do not compromise academic rigor. Set learning goals for students. Establish criteria for the selection of community

service placements. Provide educationally sound mechanisms to harvest

the community learning. Provide support for students to learn how to harvest

the community learning.

Guiding Principals to Ensure Quality

Minimize the distinction between the student‘s community learning role and the classroom learning role.

Rethink the faculty institutional role. Be prepared for uncertainty and variation

in student learning outcomes. Maximize the community responsibility

orientation of the course. (Rieke, E., Seifer, S., & Connors, K. 2000).

Guiding Principals (cont.)

Service Learning or Traditional Teaching Methods

Compare and Contrast

Comparison

Traditional Service Learning

Primary stimuli◦ Readings◦ Lectures◦ Assignments

Primary stimuli◦ Varies

SiteStudent

Summary

Powerful pedagogy Contributes to competencies needed Benefits students, faculty, community, institution Community can be effective educators

Service Learning

1. What are some ways in which Service Learning can be or is used in a Nursing Program?

2. What are the advantages of using Service Learning as a teaching strategy?

3. How does Service Learning affect critical thinking?

4. Why is the partnership between the community and the institution a critical factor in maintaining Service Learning?

5. How is Service Learning different from traditional teaching methods?

Questions for Content Assessment:

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. (2012, August 3). Retrieved from ccph: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/index.html.

Bradshaw, M.J., & Lowenstein, A.J. (2011). Innovative teaching strategies in nursing and related health professions (5th ed.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Connors, K., Kirk Henry, J., & Seifer, S. (2000). Improving the preparation of nursing professionals through community-campus partnerships. In M. Gott, Nursing Practice, Policy and Change. Radcliffe Medical Press.

Gelmon, S., Holland, B., & Shinnamon, A. (1998). Health Professions Schools in Service to the Nation: Final Evaluation Report. Retrieved from Community-Campus Partnerships for Health: http://www.ccph.info.

Davis, B.G. (2009). Tools for Teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hunt, J.M., Bonham, C.M., & Jones, L.M. (2011). Understanding the goals of service learning and community-based medical education: A systematic review. Academic Medicine, 86 (2), 246-251.

Hunt, R.P. (2007). Service-learning: An eye opening experience that provokes emotion and challenges stereotypes. Journal of Nursing Education, 46(6), 277-281.

References

Jacoby, B., & Associates, a. (1996). Service Learning in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rieke, E., Seifer, S., & Connors, K. (2000). Service-Learning in Health Professions Education: A Syllabi Guide. Volume 1. Retrieved from Community-Campus Partnerships for Health: http://ccph.info.

Sedlak, C., Doheny, J., Panthofer, N., & Anaya, E. (2003). Critical thinking in students’ service-learning experiences. College Teaching, 51(3), 99-103.

Seifer, S., (1998). Service-learning: Community-campus partnerships for health professions education. Academic Medicine, 73, 273-277.

References (cont.)