The High Impact Practice of Service-Learning

This month's Planning & Assessment article was contributed by Brian Halderman, Associate Director for Service-Learning.

At the conclusion of the spring semester, the Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion’s Service-Learning initiative piloted a survey using Campus Labs-Baseline. The survey was emailed to about 450 students enrolled in service-learning courses with 97 responding.

The goal was to measure the impact of service-learning course offerings on students. Service-Learning is noted as a high impact practice that not only facilitates deep learning but also personal growth and development. Research suggests that students who participate in service-learning courses in the first year of studies are more likely to be retained and have higher GPAs.

Highlights of the Results

• Students completed an average of 15 hours of service for the service-learning component of the class
• 75% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that their community engagement helped them to better understand the lectures and readings in the course
• 85 % of the respondents believed that work in the community should be required of more courses at UTSA
• The community participation aspect of the course assisted 93% of students in understanding how to become more involved with their community
• 91% of students indicated they would continue to volunteer or participate in the community after the course
• Over three quarters of the students indicated they are more likely to stay informed of community socio-political issues as a result of this experience
• Over 65% felt that this experience helped them clarify their choice of major and future profession
• 70% felt that they developed a good relationship with the instructor of the course as a result of the service-learning component

Student Comments from the Survey

• “I learned much more from the community service project than I could have learned in the classroom alone.”
• “I really enjoyed working with my agency this semester. In fact, I am planning to continue to volunteer there for many more years to come.”
• “Service-learning courses are by far my favorite courses at UTSA. All classes should incorporate service-learning.”

Points of Growth/Challenges Identified

Other survey results indicated areas of potential improvement. Some guiding questions to address these opportunities include:

• How do we help students embrace this form of engaged learning more fully, and better prepare them for these experiences?
• How can service-learning experiences be transformative for a student’s level of civic participation? How do we translate a service experience into a broader call for action on social issues encountered?
• How can we train community partners as co-educators and prepare them for accepting UTSA service-learning students? What guidance can be offered to faculty on preparing students for these experiences and for being realistic with content to achieve their learning outcomes?

Overall the pilot survey set the foundation for a process to measure student impact, and we hope to expand the use of Campus Labs-Baseline to also measure the impact upon faculty and community partners engaged with the service-learning initiative. As you can see from the results, students favor this experience and find it beneficial in their educational journey. We also learned of areas that need improvement to ensure a quality experience for our students and the community partners serving as co-educators.

Thanks again, Brian, for providing this update!

See you next month!
Kasey

Kasey Neece-Fielder
Director of Strategic Planning and Assessment
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
kasey.neece-fielder@utsa.edu
http://utsa.edu/students/assessment/