This preconference session will take participants through the “must haves” and “Don’t Do’s” of community partners and collaborations. This session will provide participants with the key characteristics of high performance community collaborations. Topics include: Key characteristics in high-performance partnerships; Coordinating community needs to the academic curricula; Identifying and meeting real community needs; Providing properly structured refl ection time; Genuine community reciprocity; Diversity: breaking stereotypes for partners and students; Proper prior planning; Meaningful service; Issue orientation for students; Community partner voice; Collaboration options; Nurturing partnerships and collaborations; The importance of communication; and Assessing and evaluating collaborations. There will be several activities to help participants identify their partnership needs, identify best practices and form a plan for their partnerships. Nicholas Holton Associate Dean Kirtland Community College

2. Definition of Service Learning
Community Service Learning is a pedagogical model that
connects meaningful community service experiences with
academic course learning
Assumptions For This Session
1. We want to develop meaningful partnerships
2. We will be initiating the partnerships
3. We are looking for ways to strengthen current partnerships
4. What are your assumptions? What are you looking for today?
Goal: Make Our Partnerships The Best They Can Be!

3. What Students Want
From Their Courses:
 Clear Expectations
 Structure
 Involvement
 Variety
 Relevance
 Acceptance and Respect
 Flexibility
 Humor
 Credibility
 Concern for their Goals

4. What Students Get From Quality
Service Learning Partnerships:
 Connections
 References
 Skills
 Communication
 Leadership
 Teamwork
 Fundraising
 Problem solving
 Public Speaking

5. Context For This Session
If Service-learning is a transforming movement that is also:
• An effective and engaged pedagogy
• A way to increase retention
• How Do We Convince Community Partners To Join Us?
• What Should We Do More and What Should We Do Less?
Then:
Procedure:
Defining Refining Designing

6. #1 Do: Include These Three Key
Characteristics In Your Partnerships
1. Do projects correspond directly to the academic curriculum?
2. Do projects meet a real community need?
3. Do projects provide for structured reflection time?
 Group
 Individual

7. #2 Do: Include True Reciprocity
 Symbiotic not Parasitic
 Inclusive rather than exclusive
 Student Development:
 enabling to empowering;
 from observation, to experience;
 from following to leadership.
 Diversity: breaking stereotypes for Partners and Students

8. #3 Do: Include The Six P’s
 Proper
 Prior
 Planning
 Prevents
 Poor
 Performance
This seems very obvious but let’s practice and see!

9. #4 Do: Mandate Meaningful Service
 Discussions with partners
 Issue orientation for students
 Defining
 Refining
 Designing
 Community Partners need to have a say
 Formally – meetings, constant communication
 Informally – networking, connections, web resources.
 Unheard Voices, Randy Stoecker and Elizabeth Tyron
 The Promise of Partnerships, (Scheibel, Bowley, and Jones)

10. Social Issues: Define, Refine, Design
http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=22069

11. #5 Do: Consider A Variety Of Options
 Independent 4th
credit option
 Required within a course
 Option within a course
 Class Service Projects
 Capstone Projects
 Service Research Projects

12. #6 Don’t: Underestimate The
Importance of Communication
 Faculty and Service Learning Office
 Service Learning Office and Community Partners
 Initial discussions (Direct mail, phone solicitation, invites)
 Planning (surveys, meal meetings, workshops)
 Maintenance (yearly checkups, semester events, monthly’s)
 Evaluation (focus groups)
 Between Service Learning Office and College
 Assessment
 Self evaluation
 Regular Discussions
 Media coverage

13. #7 Don’t: Let Up On Rigor
 Academic credit is for learning, not for service
 Do not compromise academic rigor
 Set Learning goals for students
 Establish criteria for student assessment
 Partners can be co-evaluators
 Establish clear rubrics for partners

14. #8 Don’t: Skimp On Reflection

15. #9 Don’t: Worry About Getting
Started?
Working with Service Learning Office and/or Partner:
 Determine how service could enrich learning.
 Consider your motives in using the service learning
 Based on your goals, choose a course service option
 Keep goals and objectives realistic
 Evaluation and assessment
 Choosing Partners:
 How do you know?
 Based on passions and social network
 Asset-Based Community Engagement
 Hammerlink and Plaut

16. #10 Don’t: Forget to Nurture Partners
 First day of class: Promote service learning and
your partnership
 Help students develop individual service learning
objectives.
 Teach students how to harvest knowledge from the
service experience

17. Student Comments
 ... I fell that this was a good learning experience. I felt I walked
away with more knowledge… I would definitely volunteer more.
 ... You grow up taking math classes and you question why you
need to know this, ” I’m never going to use it”. The… activity
helps you realize that you do use math some of it consciously
and sometimes unconsciously.
 ... My experience was wonderful. I like volunteering because I
meet people and if you mess up something you can’t get fired…
 ... I think it’s weird that it’s required in a math class. I would
expect it in a speech, English or Health class but not math. I
always think of math as a class you have to take to get out of
the way, not to have to apply to your everyday life.
 ... I would not trade this experience in for any other that I have
experienced at school and I am also considering helping out as
much as I can.