Community Partner Guide to
Campus Collaborations:
Becoming a Co-Educator in
Civic Engagement
Everything You Wanted to Know About Faculty
But Were Afraid to Ask
Christine M. Cress, Ph.D.
Portland State University
cressc@pdx.edu
©2013
Portland State University
Graduate Certificate in
Service-Learning and CommunityBased Learning
Australia
Ireland
Japan
Saudi Arabia
India
Becoming A Co-Educator
1. Colluding with the Ivory Tower:
Pitfalls, Possibilities, and
Promising Connections
2. Forms of Engagement, Service,
and Learning
3. Initiating Collaborations and
Dealing with Faculty
4. Managing Students and
Facilitating Learning and Serving
5. Assessing Impact and Change
Community-Campus
Collaboration Experience
Colluding with the Ivory Tower:
Pitfalls and Possibilities



RUN
Run FAST
RUN VERY FAST!
Pitfalls





Student comment: “You mean we only have to
serve dinner to those homeless guys and we
can skip the final exam? Excellent!”
Student reflection: “If the parents just got
involved with their kids’ education we wouldn’t
have to be here.”
Community partner message: “Could you
please discuss with your class why the term
‘orientals’ is not appropriate.”
Department chair: “We’re an academic
department not a social service.”
Local Village: “Next time you come, please
bring us a laptop computer.”
Pitfalls








Students who refuse to work with Boy Scouts,
HIV/AIDS hospice, League of Women Voters
Ignorant, Prejudice, and Stereotypical Remarks
Students who don’t show up.
Students who show up in midriff t-shirts, short
shorts, and flip flops.
Inappropriate actions, behaviors, and judgments
Community funding that ends
Clients that don’t cooperate
Faculty who are concerned with tenure and
promotion
Civic Engagement Challenges

Instructors:



Students:



I don’t know how to do it
I won’t get promoted
It was fun
I hated my group
Community Partner:


The students were self-righteous
I felt used by the college
www.styluspub.com
Civic Engagement:
Possibilities and Promising Connections
Civic engagement increases
student access and success


H.S. Student: “Service-learning motivates me to
keep going. I now see how education can benefit
me and my community.”
College Student: “I applied my chemistry skills to
water quality problems. I can use this knowledge
anywhere in the world.”
Civic Engagement:
Possibilities and Promising Connections
Students civic engagement positively
impacts communities and engages faculty
“I increased my discipline knowledge,
community research interests, and teaching
strategies.”
Community Partner: “Students provided us with
renewed energy and a fresh look at our organization
to improve our structure, service delivery, and
evaluative process.”
Faculty:
Civic Engagement:
Definitions
Civic Engagement:
Reciprocal community-campus collaborations
enhance students’ understanding of and
participation in civic life.





Community-based learning
Civic education
Community service
Community-based research
Service-learning
SFCC Definition
Service-Learning
 Service-Learning is a method of
teaching and learning that engages
students in meaningful service to their
community through careful integration
of academic instruction. ServiceLearning gives students an opportunity
to use knowledge gained in the
classroom to address needs in the
neighborhood.
Forms of Engagement,
Service, and Learning



What kinds of Community-Campus
Collaborations Occur at Your Organization?
What does it mean to you to be a CoEducator?
What does it mean to you to have a
Reciprocal Relationship?
Successful
Service-Learning

Connects academic learning with
community needs


Builds college and community relationships for
long-term reciprocity and growth


English: literacy and grammar instruction for refugee
center and GED completion program
Develops student skills, knowledge, and
attitudes


Geography: Assets mapping project in low-income
neighborhood and microfinance revitalization project
Biology: Middle-school STEM center and organization of
family science nights
Creates future civically engaged citizens

75-99% report intentions for future community involvement and
deepened civic responsibility.
Civic Engagement:
A Promising Economic Connection

U.S. Census Current Population Supplement: States
and localities with more civic engagement had lower
levels of unemployment between 2006 and 2010.
(National Conference on Citizenship, CIRCLE, Civic Enterprises, the Saguaro Seminar, and the National
Constitution
Center. (2011). Civic health and unemployment: Can engagement strengthen the economy?
http://www.ncoc.net/unemployment)

National Conference on Citizenship: Positive
neighborhood interactions garner community
problem-solving, small business investment, and
consumer spending. (National Conference on Citizenship. (September 2012). Civic health
and unemployment II: The case builds. http://www.ncoc.net/unemployment2)

California Campus Compact: Campus-Community
partnerships foster economic, educational, and
social vitality through micro-finance and social
entrepreneurship. (Plaut, J., Cress, C.M., Ikeda, E., & McGinley, P. (2013). Partnering in
Tough Times: Service-Learning for Economic Vitality. California Campus Compact.
Civic Engagement:
A Promising Educational and Economic
Connection
Oregon (annually)
• 1% increase in high school
to postsecondary education =
$1.6 billion
(Talent Dividend Metrics: A Progress Report, Cortright, J. Impresa Consulting, April 2010)
Civic Engagement
What’s the research
evidence?
http://www.compact.org/
resources-for-presidents/
Civic Engagement:
Research Evidence—
K-12 Education

Increased Attendance Rates and
decreased Suspensions
(Laird & Black, 2002; Ohlson, 2009)

Improved Grade Point Averages and
Academic Engagement (Billig, 2007; Kraft, 2003)

Enhanced Sense of Self (McGuire, 2006)

Enhanced Social Consciousness
(Furco, 2002; Lakin, 2006)
Civic Engagement:
Research Evidence—
K-12 Education
California Campus Compact
Youth-to-College Initiative



90% of mentors earn college degree
90% of mentees better understand how a
college degree can help their future
75% of mentees better understand which
classes will best prepare them for college
79% African American & 2/3 of
American Indian and Hispanic youth
Strongly Agreed
Civic Engagement:
Research Evidence—
K-12 Education

Greater impact on lower-income,
ethnic minority, and at-risk
youth
(Cress, Stokamer, & Drummond Hays, 2010; Melchior & Bailis,1999; Scales,2005)

“Civic engagement is one way to
insure that no child is left
behind.”(Gent, 2007)
Civic Engagement:
Research Evidence—
Higher Education

Critical thinking (Bowden & Marten, 1998; Cress, 2003;
Pascarella & Terenzini ,2005)

Academic Engagement, Retention,
& Graduation (Astin, 1996; Astin & Sax, 1996; Bringle & Hatcher,
2010; Gallini & Moely, 2003; Kielsmeier, 2009; Prentice & Robinson, 2010; MC3-- The
Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholar, 2010; Vogelgesang, Ikeda, Gilmartin, and
Keup, 2002)

Identify as future agents of positive
community change (Battistoni, 1997; Cress, Yamashita,
Duarte, & Burns, 2010; Colby, Ehrlich, Beaumont, & Stephens, 2003, Eyler & Giles, 1994;
Moely, McFarland, Miron, Mercer, & Ilustre, 2002; Gallini & Moely, 2003)

Enhanced leadership skills (Cress, Astin,
Zimmerman-Oster, and Burkhardt, 2001; Moely et al., 2002).
Civic Engagement:
Research Evidence Summary










Academic Content
Critical Thinking
Writing
Verbal Communication
Mathematics
Problem-Solving
Leadership
Interpersonal Skills
Cultural Competence
Civic Dispositions
•Retention
•Degree Aspirations
•H.S. Graduation
•College Enrollment
•College Degree
•Future Engagement
•Faculty Research
•Community
Improvement
Creating Community-Campus
Collaborations




Campus Support Resources
Dealing with Faculty
Managing Students
Facilitating Learning
Campus Resources








Volunteer Center; Civic Engagement Center
Associated Students Activities; Clubs
Center for Teaching and Learning
Alumni Association/Center
Foundation/Development Center
Academic Department; Department Chair
Individual Faculty
Community Advisory Boards
Understanding Faculty Life




Research/Tenure: publish or perish
(assist, assoc, full vs. fixed term)
Teaching: heavy loads, technology
Service: campus committees,
student advising, pro bono lectures,
advisory boards
Culture of competition,
competitiveness, egos
Co-Constructing Service-Learning





Communicate Co-Education: role, expertise
Clarify Expectations, Timelines, Tasks
Create Learning Objectives and Goals
Craft Readings, Research, Assignments,
Activities, Assessment
Compare Experiences for Improvement
Writing Service-Learning Objectives
(Bloom’s Taxonomy)

Knowledge Level (verbs & behaviors)


Comprehension Level


Examine, compare/contrast, infer, formulate
Synthesis Level


Apply, demonstrate, model, practice, solve
Analysis Level


Summarize, describe, explain, show, restate
Application Level


List, identify, name, find, label, recall, record
Create, design, organize, build, produce
Evaluation Level

Argue, critique, defend, validate, recommend
Writing Service-Learning Objectives
(Bloom’s Taxonomy)





Identify and describe the needs of the community
population (Knowledge)
Explain the role of the community organization in
addressing needs (Comprehension)
Model professional learning behavior to
youth/clients (Application)
Analyze economic, political, and social factors
contributing to the challenges (Analysis/Synthesis)
Recommend leverage points for creating systemic
change on the organizational and community levels
(Evaluation)
More Collaboration Ideas
What Do You Do?
 What Strategies Work for
You?

Facilitating Learning
Transformational Learning is an
epistemological change, rather than
merely a change in behavior or
increase in the quantity of knowledge.
(Kegan, 2000)
Service-Learning as
Transformational
Transformational Learning:
The process of using a prior interpretation to construe
a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of
one’s experience in order to guide future action.
(Mezirow, 1996)


“Homelessness is due to the fact that people are lazy or
crazy or both.”
“While individual choices can be factors in
homelessness, I now better understand the interplay of
economic and social/cultural issues and how they can
impact people’s lives. We must work with our city
leaders to inform them about these issues too.”
Transformational Learning
Transformations in Habits of Mind:
Epochal—sudden, dramatic, reorienting
insight and reframing of perspective(s)
Incremental—progressive series of shifts
in view that culminates in a
transformation
Learning as Transformational
Discuss a student or client in whom you
witnessed transformational learning?
What happened? How? What was
your role?
Epochal—sudden, dramatic, reorienting insight and
reframing of perspective
Incremental—progressive series of shifts in view that
culminate in a transformation
Facilitating Learning:
Co-Educating





Provide Guidance, Instruction, Feedback
Role Model Interactions and Behavior
Ask Reflective and Provocative Questions
Inquire About Academic Connections
Solicit Recommendations and Ideas
Brain Research



Myth: Adults want to grow & develop
Reality: Individuals don’t want to change
Research: Brain structures are cognitively
efficient reinforcing self and world views
Cultural Incompetence


Ethnocentrism: the tendency to view people
unconsciously by using our own group and
our own customs as the standard for all
judgments.
Assumption of Similarity



Acknowledge superficial behavioral differences
(dress, language, food)
Denial of values and meaning difference
Unconscious sense of self and cultural norms
Implicit Associations

Conscious-unconscious
divergence



Implicit social cognition


People don’t always speak
their minds
People don’t always know
their minds
Preferences: racial, ethnic,
gender, age
www.implicit.harvard.edu

Multicultural v. Unicultural
Cultural Intelligence Test










Think of a number
Double it
Add 8
Divide by 2
Subtract your original number
Determine which letter of the alphabet your
number relates to: A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5…
Think of a Country that begins with your letter
Think of an Animal that begins with the Last
letter of your Country
Think of a Color that begins with the last letter
of your animal
What’s your Color?
Intercultural Competence

The critical element in the expansion of
intercultural [competence] is not the
fullness with which one knows each
culture, but the degree to which the
process of cross-cultural learning,
communication, and human relations
has been mastered (Hoopes, 1981)

Key: Empathy, Suspension of
Judgment, and Emotional Intelligence
Development of
Intercultural Sensitivity
Experience of Difference
Denial Defense Minimization Acceptance Adaptation Integration
ETHNOCENTRIC STAGES
ETHNORELATIVE STAGES
(Bennett & Bennett, 2004)
InterCultural Competence


Golden Rule: Do unto others
as you would have them do
unto you.
Versus
Platinum Rule: Do unto others
as they themselves would have
done unto them.
(Bennett & Bennett, 2004)
Co-Constructing Service-Learning





Communicate Co-Education: role, expertise
Clarify Expectations, Timelines, Tasks
Create Learning Objectives and Goals
Craft Readings, Research, Assignments,
Activities, Assessment
Compare Experiences for Improvement
Assessing Impact & Change
Assessing Impact & Change
B.
Did our efforts make a difference?
Why did our efforts make a difference?
C.
How can we make a bigger difference?
A.
Did our efforts make a
difference?
A.
–
–
Quantitative
• Hours, Clients, Funds/Grants, Homes,
Reading Levels, Water Wells, GPA,
Retention, Degrees…
Qualitative
•
Lives changed/transformed—students,
instructors, community partners, families,
neighborhoods…
–
–
–
Academic Knowledge; Writing; Communication
Degree Aspirations; Career Aspirations
Leadership Capacity; Future Civic Motivation
[OUTCOMES]
B. Why did our efforts make a
difference?
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Pedagogical strategies
Epistemological processing
Organizational analyses
External Stakeholders
Political, Social, Cultural, Economic,
Ethnic, Religious issues (students &
community)
Geographic contexts
Academic and theoretical frames
[UNIT OF ANALYSIS, METHODOLOGY]
C. How can we make a bigger
difference?
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Teaching/Learning Implications
Structural/Logistic Supports
Organizational Processes and Policies
Intercultural/Communication Competence
Implode Grand Narratives and Paradigmatic
Assumptions: Deconstruct to Reconstruct
Build Campus and Community Capacity
Reciprocal and Collective Transformation
[IMPLICATIONS, LEVERAGING CHANGE,BUILDING
CAPACITY]
Evidence of Effectiveness




LASSIE Report:
 7 courses; 186 students; 2,345 hours; $42,250
Legislative Letter:
 Three-fourths (76%) of high school students now
aspire to earn a college degree
Dean/Vice President:
 93% of College Students of Color understand how to
use academic knowledge and skills to improve the
community
Grant Funder:
 Community Partner: “Students’ math and science
knowledge were critical factors at the city council
presentation which resulted in securing the land for
the neighborhood garden site.”
Your Engaged Scholarship
1.
2.
3.
Do your efforts make a difference?
Why do your efforts make a difference?
How can you make a bigger difference?
•
What is your EVIDENCE?
Assessment for Learning
and Impact





Tell a Story: People (Qualitative)
Substantiate the Situation: Numbers (Quantitative)
Suggest a Remedy: Service-Learning for
Academic Solutions (Impact)
Solicit Support: Resources ($, @)
At the food bank, I met a mother with her 2 kids who works at
Walmart 32 hrs/wk. I had no idea that 36% of those who
received emergency food in Oregon last year were children.
One-third of the hungry are kids! In class, we read about the
economic factors that impact food distribution. But this
experience has made real the concept of supply and demand
and who is left with-out. It has confirmed my interest in doublemajoring in urban planning and sociology. Now if I can just
afford the tuition!
Data--Evidence


1.
2.
3.
What Data do you already have?
What Data do you want to gather?
Did your efforts make a difference?
Why did your efforts make a difference?
How can you make a bigger difference?
Methodological Framework
(Gelmon, Holland, Driscoll, Spring, & Kerrigan)

What do we want to know?


How will we know it?


Core Concepts
Measurable or observable indicators
How will we gather the evidence to
demonstrate what we know?

Methods, Sources, Timing
Assessment Matrix
Concept
Indicator
Method
I.
1.
2.
A.
B.
II.
1.
2.
A.
B.
Gelmon, S.B., Holland, B. A., Driscoll, A., Spring , A., & Kerrigan , S. (2001).
Assessing Service -Learning and Civic Engagement. Boston: Campus
Compact.
Student Example

Did students improve their civic
leadership skills?



Concept: leadership; civic leadership
Indicators: knowledge of leadership
concepts/skills; ability to identify
characteristics of individual and group
facilitation strategies; products as
evidence of leadership success
Methods: survey, interviews, focus
groups, observations in class/community
Community Example

What is the civic engagement impact on
community partners?



Concepts: capacity to fulfill mission,
economic impacts
Indicators: # of clients, impact on
resource/funding utilization, staff changes,
program insights
Methods: focus groups, interviews,
document reviews, survey
Methodological Framework
(Gelmon, Holland, Driscoll, Spring, & Kerrigan)

What do we want to know?


How will we know it?


Core Concepts
Measurable or observable indicators
How will we gather the evidence to
demonstrate what we know?

Methods, Sources, Timing
Assessment Matrix
Concept
Indicator
Method
I.
1.
2.
A.
B.
II.
1.
2.
A.
B.
Gelmon, S.B., Holland, B. A., Driscoll, A., Spring , A., & Kerrigan , S. (2001).
Assessing Service -Learning and Civic Engagement. Boston: Campus
Compact.
Assessment Plan
Goal
Concept
Indicator
Method
I.
II.
1.
2.
A.
B.
Analysis
Existing
Data
Report
Results: Leadership Development

Personal Goal
U.S.
Become a Community Leader 37

Intl
34
Self Ratings
Leadership Ability
57
71*
Develop Leadership in Others
45
66*
*statistically significant (p<.01)
Leadership Development Summary



Good News (Development): International
students report significantly increased
leadership abilities including the desire and
skills to help others develop leadership.
Bad News: However, only about 1/3 of
International and US students desire to
become a community leader.
Recommendations (Action): Investigate
student definitions of community leader and
make this a more intentional service-learning
goal. (Resources needed)
Question Examples
(poor ones)

I am generally satisfied with the diversity
on my campus.

The experience enhanced my civic
capacity skills.

I felt the service-learning was meaningful.
Disseminate—Publish, Post, or Perish
Journals
 Conferences
 Newsletters
 Newspapers
 Blogs and Websites
Legislative letters and testimony
 Reports
 Community Forums
 Electronic Media
 Policy Papers
Curricular & Syllabus Integration



Journals and Conferences








Journal of Community Engagement and Higher
Education
Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice
Advances in Service-Learning Research (International
Association for Research on Service-Learning and
Community Engagement)
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning
Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship
American Association of Colleges & Universities
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health's
Community-Engaged Scholarship Toolkit:
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/toolkitportexamples.html
Assessing Impact
Methodological Framework
•
•
•
•
What do You want to know? Core Concepts (define
with campus, students, clients, funders)
How will You know it? Indicators of Impact (consider
conditions, cultures, contexts, characteristics across
and within categories)
How will You gather and analyze evidence?
– Methodological Design (theoretically sound, link
data)
How will You disseminate insights for Improvement?
Leveraging Change and Capacity Building,
Transformation
Thank You