Forthcoming Publications
Two publications due out soon focus on service-learning assessment and administration:
"Composing Cognition: The Role of Written Reflection in Service-Learning." Co-authored with James M. Dubinsky and Marshall Welch. Paving the Way for Literacy (ies): Writing and Learning through Community Engagement. Ed. Isabel Baca. New York: Emerald. (Accepted).
While reflection in service-learning courses can take many forms, written reflection is commonly employed as a means to document learning over time. Students often compose written documents for, about, or with community partners (Deans, 2001). Written reflections can also provide instructors and program administrators with empirical evidence of the extent to which student learning outcomes are being met. Despite the important role reflection and writing play in service-learning courses, few resources are available to help instructors design and assess written reflections effectively.
This chapter examines the role of reflection in service-learning and offers three approaches to written reflection to enhance student learning outcomes and program assessment. The authors share their experiences as university service-learning directors and faculty in developing structured written reflection assignments and activities that can be used across the disciplines and in different educational contexts.
"Leadership Development in Service-Learning: An Exploratory Study." Co-authored with Cathy Hamilton. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. (Under Review).
The notion of leadership fostering engagement and engaged students emerging as leaders is intuitively powerful. Yet leadership development remains underutilized by faculty and service-learning scholars. Drawing on recent literature in both engagement and leadership fields, the present study focuses on the nature of student leadership development within service-learning. The purpose of this study was to document the perceptions of student leadership at a mid-sized, research-intensive university, with an eye toward improving student learning outcomes in leadership development and service-learning program administration. The results indicate leadership benefits to providing support, resources, and space for students to integrate their studies, values, and civic commitment in a systematic and logical fashion to prepare themselves for leadership roles in their professions and communities. Although students’ perception of their own leadership identity formation supported a continuum of change agency, ironically, no evidence emerged of perceived ability to influence the university through their leadership or engagement.