Achievement of Community Engagement and Service (ACES) Online Recognition Program

Abstract: Service learning programs offered in traditional academic settings are curriculum-based, linking coursework to community engagement in the vicinity of the physical campus. The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning at Purdue Global University developed a recognition program to support participation and recognize the service fully online students across the country are performing in their communities. The Achievement of Community Engagement and Service (ACES) recognition is reflected in the students’ transcript, applauds the good work students are doing, allows students to publicly share their work, and provides formal recognition of their efforts. This paper presents the outcome of the ACES initiative to date, including student participation and response to the opportunity. The program supports adult learners in Purdue Global’s online programs who have different needs than those of traditional college students. In keeping with this objective, ACES document and recognize students for their community engagement experiences, offering incentive to participate in and document these activities. Recognition for public service and community advocacy creates a strong sense of community involvement and supports students’ long-term career and personal objectives.

Narrative: Purpose of the Study

Purdue University Global is committed to meeting its institutional mission as a land grant university. Implementing a service learning initiative at a fully online university presented challenges in working with a remote population of students, faculty, and administration. The purpose of the Achievement of Community Engagement and Service was to establish a means for recognizing the service current students were completing in their communities, and to design a means of recognizing that service. The ACES program serves as the first phase in the Community Engagement and Service Learning program at Purdue Global.

Primary Research Questions

What community engagement activities are current students completing?
How do students’ community engagement activities link to their coursework?

Theoretical or Conceptual Frameworks/Perspectives

Studies have shown that service learning initiatives can have numerous benefits for both students and the communities they serve. In terms of student outcomes, research has found that participation in service learning can lead to improved academic performance (Astin & Sax, 1998; Currie-Mueller & Littlefield, 2018), increased critical thinking and problem-solving skills (Latta et al., 2018), and enhanced civic engagement and leadership development (Ash & Clayton, 2009; Kieeran & Haack, 2018). In addition, service learning can foster personal and professional growth, with students reporting increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and sense of purpose (Astin & Sax, 1998).

Service learning initiatives can also have positive impacts on the communities in which they are implemented. By engaging students in addressing social issues, these initiatives can contribute to the resolution of pressing problems and promote long-term positive change (Astin & Sax, 1998; Simonds et al., 2008). Additionally, service learning initiatives can foster collaboration and partnership between colleges and universities and local organizations, creating opportunities for mutual learning and capacity building (Ash & Clayton, 2009).

Modes of Inquiry

Purdue Global’s Achievement of Community Engagement & Service (ACES) provides students an opportunity to be recognized for contributions they make in their communities and within Purdue Global as the university’s first phase in its service-learning program. Recipients of this distinction are acknowledged for their volunteer contributions through transcript designation as Purdue Global ACES, with a Credly badge, on the ACES website, and at graduation. This designation showcases to external stakeholders, including future employers, that students have participated in community engagement during their time at PG. Further, ACES connect students to the wider local, national, and global communities they are part of to foster relationships in and commitment to community engagement and service learning.

Students seeking ACES recognition are enrolled in a no-credit online classroom that guides them through the application process. Students provide a log of hours documenting their volunteer work, and a list of individuals who can confirm their contributions. The most important element in the application is the reflection. Students have many options for demonstrating reflection, including written documents, audio recordings, PowerPoints with audio, or other media options. Faculty and staff evaluate student submissions and award points based on hours served and depth of reflection.

Data Sources

ACES applications from the initial twenty student participants provides empirical evidence for analysis. Applications include a combination of written essays and video submissions demonstrating connections between the students’ work in their communities and their academic pursuits.

Results and Conclusions

Students participating in the process of applying to earn ACES recognition provide clear evidence of powerful connections that exist between their community endeavors and their academic pursuits. Student submissions demonstrate a culture of community engagement and service learning, providing students with multiple pathways for reaching civic learning goals. ACES recipients are recognized as active contributors to their communities.

Significance of the Study Findings

Purdue Global’s Achievement of Community Engagement and Service is the first phase in the University’s service learning initiative. ACES encourage students to reflect on their community and university service, and to receive recognition for their civic endeavors. Reflection is the cornerstone of ACES and student submissions demonstrate the following:
• Ability to define service learning in the context of their profession.
• Understanding of the impact of their service on the community.
• Analysis of their knowledge and skills growth from service-learning.

All ACES applications explain how the student’s activities helped to advance their skills in their profession and how the skills gained are important to the student’s personal and professional growth. Students explain how these activities impacted them as a citizen of their community, enriched their perceptions and understandings of their environment, and impacted their community.

Keywords: community engagement; service recognition; remote service learning

Students submitting ACES applications agree in writing that their applications may be used to promote the ACES program and the service learning initiative at Purdue Global as a whole.

References

Ash, S. L., & Clayton, P. H. (2009). Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, 1(1), 25–48.
Astin, A. W., & Sax, L. J. (1998). How undergraduates are affected by service participation. Journal of College Student Development, 39(3), 251–263
Currie-Mueller, J. L., & Littlefield, R. S. (2018). Embracing service-learning opportunities: Student perceptions of service-learning as an aid to effectively learn course material. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 18(1), 25-42.
Kieran, L., & Haack, S. (2018). A rubric to evaluate course syllabi for quality indicators of community engagement and service-learning components. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 10(2), 39-47.
Latta, M., Kruger, T. M., Payne, L., Weaver, L., & VanSickle, J. L. (2018). Approaching critical service-learning: A model for reflection on positionality and possibility. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 22(2), 31-56.
Simonds, B. K., Lippert, L. R., Hunt, S. K., Angell, M. E., & Moore, M. K. (2008). Communication and diversity: Innovations in teacher education. Communication Teacher, 22(2), 56-65.