Service Learning Course Designation Form
Use this form to request a Service Learning Course Designation for a new or existing course.
Proposed course title should end with the following designation: /Service Learning
I. Service Learning Course
Forestry
Dept/Program
Course Number
(e.g. SW UG 423)
Subject
Course Title (e.g.
Timber Management I/Service Learning
Addiction
Studies/SvcLrn)
Short Title (max. 26
Timber Management I
characters incl. spaces)
3
Number of credits
Elizabeth Dodson
Instructor name
FOR 440
5542
Instructor phone
Elizabeth.dodson@umotnana.edu
and e-mail
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete this form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.
Requestor
Requestor phone
and e-mail
Program
Chair/Director
Other affected
programs
Dean
Please Type/Print Name
Elizabeth Dodson
Signature
Date
5542
Elizabeth.dodson@umontana.edu
Elizabeth Dodson
James Burchfield
III. UM Service Learning Definition: Service Learning is a method of teaching and learning
in which students, faculty and community partners work together to enhance student
learning by applying academic knowledge in a community-based setting. Student work
addresses the needs of the community, as identified through collaboration with community
or tribal partners, while meeting instructional objectives through faculty-structured service
work and critical reflection meant to prepare students to be civically responsible members
of the community. At its best, service learning enhances and deepens students’
understanding of an academic discipline by facilitating the integration of theory and
practice, while providing them with experience that develops life skills and engages them
in critical reflection about individual, institutional, and social ethics.
IV.Service Learning Course Criteria The University of Montana-Missoula has established the
following criteria for Service Learning courses. In order to receive the Service Learning course
designation, a course must clearly exemplify all of the following criteria:
 Students in the course will provide a needed service to individuals, organizations, schools, or other
not-for-profit or tax-exempt entities in the community.
 The service experience is directly related to the subject matter of the course.
 Knowledge from the discipline informs the service experiences with which the students are to be
involved.
 Activities in the classroom will provide opportunities for students to reflect upon what they have
learned through the service experience and how these experiences relate to the subject matter of the
course.
 The course offers a method to assess the learning derived from the service. Credit will be given for
the learning and its relation to the course, not for the service alone.
 Service interactions in the community will recognize the needs of service recipients, and offer an
opportunity for community partner(s) to provide advice and feedback on the nature and value of the
service performed by the students.
 Training (by the service agency) and preparation (by the course instructor) ensure that students
perform service activities in a professional manner and that vulnerable populations are not harmed.
 Service options ensure that no student is required to participate in a service placement that creates a
religious, political, or moral conflict for the student.
 In a 3-credit service learning course, students should be required to perform a minimum of 15 hours
of community service per semester (i.e. 5 hours of service per academic credit.) Service hours may
include hours spent in training, preparation, and direct contact with clients.
V. Confirmation of Service Learning Course Criteria: Explain how this course meets each of
the following criteria.
Need for service: Describe the communityEach fall semester one community partner is
identified need and the nature of the service
chosen to provide a forested area where
experience students will be involved in.
students will act in the role of consulting
foresters to complete a semester-long group
project whereby they develop a timber
management plan. These plans are “shovel
ready” plans the partner intends to
implement in the near future. Each
community partner will identify the specific
need (management goal(s) and project area)
they wish students to focus on. Community
partnerships are developed informally
between the instructor and other forest land
managers. For example, many of these
relationships have been developed through
participation with the Missoula Chapter of the
Society of American Foresters. Community
partners may include the following: Montana
Department of Natural Resources and
Conservation, Montana Fish Wildlife and
Parks, Blackfoot Challenge, The Nature
Conservancy, private landowners, or the
Montana Forest and Conservation
Experiment Station.
Relation to course content: Describe how the
service experience is related to the subject matter of
the course. How do students apply their classroom
learning in the service experience?
Reflection: What opportunities are provided in the
classroom for students to reflect upon what they
have learned through their service experience?
Assessment: What method(s) are used to assess
the learning derived from the service experience?
Reciprocity: How do community partner(s)
provide advice and feedback on the nature and
value of the service performed?
The goal of this course is for students to put
together the skill sets developed in other
forestry courses such as mensuration,
silviculture, and harvesting systems, to
develop a specific plan to manage a forest
stand for multiple goals. By having a real
project that students know will be
implemented, as opposed to a hypothetical
class exercise, students take the experience
seriously and work hard to produce a quality
plan. The experience is intended to model
the types of projects students would expect
to be tasked with as a professional forester in
the first 5-10 years of employment after
college graduation.
In addition to the group project (the service
learning component of the class), there are
several individual writing assignments that
students must complete. (Note: FOR 440 is
included in the upper division distributed
writing requirement for students in BS
Forestry, Forest Resources Management
option) While each of these assignments is
different, each includes an opportunity for
students to reflect in some way upon their
future role as a professional forester via the
term project. The final “exam” for the class is
an exercise that asks students to evaluate
and reflect upon their learning through the
service experience. This exercise is not
graded but must be completed by students to
earn a grade in the course.
Students are assessed through both written
and in-field presentations of their work. Of
the course total, 65% is based on the written
plans students produce for their project areas
(grades are given both for individual sections
and the compiled final plan) and 10% based
on oral presentations of student work to the
sponsoring agency or individual.
Because the course works with only one
community partner each year there is no
formal process for gathering feedback and
advice from partners. Instead this is done
through individual conversations before,
during, and after the student experience.
Partners are asked specifically if the
experience fulfilled their needs and for any
suggestions for improving both student
learning and the final product. This feedback
is used to continually improve the class.
Training: What training and preparation will be
Written student work will be assessed and
returned to students with specific, actionable
feedback. This work may be resubmitted by
the students as many times as necessary to
reach the level of professionalism desired by
students and the instructor. Final
management plans will therefore have been
revised several times prior to presenting
plans to community partners. Additionally,
prior to presenting plans to community
partners, students will be required to practice
their oral in-field presentations in front of their
classmates, instructor, and teaching
assistant. During this practice session,
students will be given feedback to improve
the delivery and content of their presentation.
Service options: What service options exist to
Only one service option is available to
ensure that no student is required to participate in a students each year. The goal of the
service placement that creates a religious, political, community partners is to practice good
or moral conflict?
forestry, students in the class are Forestry
students, therefore no religious, political, or
moral conflicts are foreseen. If a conflict
does arise, the instructor will work the
student in a case-by-case basis to develop
an action plan that will allow the student to
fulfill the course expectations.
Number of service hours required: How many
This course consists of one 1-hour lecture
hours of service per semester are students required
and one 6-hour lab each week. Lab time will
to perform? Provide detailed description of the
be spent on the development of timber
service activities to be performed.
management plans, primarily in the field.
Therefore, students will spend at least 60
hours of scheduled class time in addition to
unspecified, unscheduled individual and
group time completing and presenting their
management plans.
VI. Community Partner Information: Provide information on the organization(s) that will
provide service placements for students in this course.
Name of Agency/Organization(s)
Fall 2009 partner: Shanley Creek Properties,
LLC
Contact person name(s)
Wym and Jan Portman
provided to assure that that students perform their
service activities in a professional manner and that
vulnerable populations are not harmed?
Contact person(s) phone and e-mail
513-543-5510, wym@ponnorthameria.com
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. The syllabus should
clearly indicate that this is a service learning course and it should include the UM Service Learning
Definition as text within the syllabus. The syllabus should also demonstrate how the above criteria are
satisfied. For assistance in preparing a service learning course syllabus, see
http://www.compact.org/syllabi/ or contact Andrea Vernon, Director of the Office for Civic
Engagement: andrea.vernon@umontana.edu.
FOR440 Timber Stand Management / Service Learning
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Beth Dodson
FOR 201A
(406) 243-5542
beth.dodson@cfc.umt.edu
Office Hours:
TR 11:00-12:00 and by appointment
Teaching Assistant:
TBD
Class Times:
One 1-hour lecture (FOR 301): W 11:10 - 12:00
Lab (FOR 206 or Field): W 12:10 – 6:00
Suggested Text:
Arno, S.F., and C.E. Fiedler. 2005. Mimicking Nature’s Fire: Restoring FireProne Forests in the West. Island Press. 242 p.
Water Quality BMPs for Montana Forests. Available from any DNRC or MSU
Extension office.
Prerequisites:
FOR 302 Forestry Mensuration
FOR 341 Timber Harvesting and Roads
FOR 347 Silviculture
1. Course Description:
“The management and manipulation of the timber resource on private lands to reach multiple
objectives, with a focus on the planning of forest operations.”
These goals will be met through a hands-on, semester-long, group-based service learning
project. Service Learning is a method of teaching and learning in which students, faculty and community
partners work together to enhance student learning by applying academic knowledge in a communitybased setting. Student work addresses the needs of the community, as identified through collaboration
with community or tribal partners, while meeting instructional objectives through faculty-structured service
work and critical reflection meant to prepare students to be civically responsible members of the
community. At its best, service learning enhances and deepens students’ understanding of an academic
discipline by facilitating the integration of theory and practice, while providing them with experience that
develops life skills and engages them in critical reflection about individual, institutional, and social ethics.
2. Course Learning Objectives:
 Design and conduct a forest inventory.
 Set specific management goals for a forest stand based on the overarching management goals of
the community partner.
 Design silvilcultural and harvesting systems to meet various management goals.
 Present a timber management plan and a timber sale bid package in writing and verbally to
clients (community partners) and potential bidders.
 Hone written and verbal communication skills.
 Solidify your own professional and land ethic.
3. Course Policies:
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All assignments are due at the BEGINNING of class unless otherwise specified. Late
assignments will not be accepted.
All work must be neat, legible and complete.
While you are allowed to work with fellow students on individual assignments, all submitted
assignments must represent your own individual work.
Group assignments may be resubmitted as many times as necessary to obtain the grade and
quality of work desired.
Individual assignments may be resubmitted once within one week of when they are returned to
students to receive up to ½ the missing points.
All course communication (announcements, assignments, schedule with due dates) will be
posted on the course wiki, available through the CFC home page. The course wiki can be
accessed from any computer with internet access.
All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic
penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University.
All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review
online at http://www.umt.edu/SA/vpsa/index.cfm/page/2585.
4. Grading:
Grades will be based on both individual and group work assigned during the term. All work may
be edited and resubmitted (see above). The standard grading scale will be used. All efforts will be made
to return graded work within one week of when it is turned in. Each student will choose a four-digit pin
number. This pin number will be used to post grades. Posted grades will be updated continuously.
Individual writing assignments (4):
Group writing assignments:
Final oral field presentations (2):
Total:
25%
65%
10%
100%
5. Schedule
To be determined by the class on 9/9/09.
Example Schedule (fall 2009):
9/16
Individual: Omnipotent Forester essay (reflection on role of foresters in society (and two
Journal of Forestry articles) within the context of the service learning project)
9/23
Group: Cruise report
9/30
Group: Silviculture prescription, specific management goals, marking guide
10/7
Individual: State forest practices memo (research on the laws governing the practice of
forestry in a state of the student’s choosing)
10/14 Group: Road and harvest plan, cost analysis
11/4
Group: Draft management plan
Group: Practice field presentations with peers
11/11 Veterans Day Holiday
11/18 Group: Presentation of plans to landowner (Wym and Jan Portman)
11/25 Thanksgiving Holiday
12/2
Individual: Reflective essay (specific question(s) TBD – based on service learning
component)
Group: Conduct pre-bid field tour
12/9
Individual: Smallwood News essay (reflection on current events in forestry)
12/16 Individual (final exam): Reflection on student learning, specifically service learning portion
of course (P/NP – students are required to complete exercise to receive course grade but
their responses will not be graded)
VIII. Copies and Electronic Submission: Submit approved original, and electronic file to the
Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.