Service-Learning Fellows: Driving Purdue Global's Service and Engagement

Abstract: The Center for Community Engagement and Service at Purdue Global (PG) has selected twelve faculty and staff fellows for its inaugural 2023-2024 initiative to implement a service-learning program in its 100% online university. Service learning allows students to apply their skills within the complexity of the real world, an experience they cannot gain in the classroom. Through this experience, the student's degree becomes a professional and academic product. This roundtable aims to exchange ideas on how PG’s service-learning fellows can most effectively achieve their goals. The fellows will support students and faculty as they participate in service learning. They will use technology to engage with community stakeholders for collaboration and civic inquiry, developing virtual soft skills and problem-solving skills. At PG, the virtual classroom allows students to advance their education regardless of their location, thus creating a global student population and service-learning opportunities. As part of Purdue's land-grant mission, there is a commitment to teaching and supporting students as they address today's challenges. PG’s service-learning initiative is grounded in experiential and social constructivism learning theories. Virtual students will engage in their community, increasing their understanding of the value of education in developing skills to address and problem-solve real-world diverse community issues.

Narrative: Purpose

This roundtable will discuss how twelve Service-Learning Fellows at Purdue Global can most effectively implement service learning in an online, higher education environment. Service learning allows students to apply their skills within the complexity of the real world, an experience they cannot gain in the classroom. Through this experience, the student's degree becomes a professional and academic product. Additionally, online service learning contributes to digital soft-skills development (Culcasi et al., 2022).

Research Questions

• How is service learning perceived at Purdue Global?
• How can Purdue Global most effectively implement service learning in an online environment?
• How do the 12 fellows most effectively facilitate the creation of a service-learning culture at Purdue Global?

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Dewey's experiential learning perspective as ongoing pragmatic community experiences where learners can engage, collaborate, and reflect with others to solve problems frames Purdue Global's service-learning initiative. According to Vygotsky, the instructor provides a social circumstance where the students can create knowledge to solve problems (Picciano, 2017).

Scholarly Significance

In successfully implementing service learning, clear expectations for students, instructors, and community members are a high priority for success (Velez et al., 2021). Across stakeholders, Velez et al. (2021) found that flexibility was the key to success. Adapting to change is an applied skill that students can carry after school. Organizations also expect mature, skilled individuals who can adapt as needed (Velez et al., 2021). Because of the importance of a good match between student and organization, student selection for service-learning projects is a core element to success. Students need time to learn the context and culture of a community or organization they will work with (Velez et al., 2021). Similarly, Appe et al. (2016) found that student reflection on community partners is critical to success.

However, it is more than just the student that is important. Faculty members are key to the success of service-learning programs. This is why some institutions have adopted faculty fellow programs, including universities such as the University of Georgia and Johns Hopkins. In these programs, faculty members are the foundation of the program and responsible for the development, implementation, and outcomes of the programs. Bowen and Kiser (2009) studied the faculty fellow programs used to implement service learning at Elon and Western Carolina, and they found that faculty fellows have a "pivotal role as an engine for faculty development in service-learning" (p 41).

While research has evaluated service learning at on-campus institutions, less research has examined service learning at online institutions. Implementing service-learning in a virtual higher education setting offers the same opportunities and applied skills development as in a traditional university environment; however, virtual service-learning provides some important technological opportunities and challenges (Culcasi et al., 2022). The goal of a virtual service-learning experience should be to use technology to engage students and community stakeholders in collaboration and civic inquiry and to guide students in developing virtual soft skills, including digital problem-solving (Culcasi et al., 2022). Culcasi et al. (2022) found that students attributed more relevance to digital collaboration and communication for their professional future after participating in virtual service learning.

Therefore, in many ways, what Purdue Global (PG) has recently instituted this past year is groundbreaking: Service-Learning Fellows in a 100% online environment.

Purdue Global’s Service-Learning Initiative

In Purdue Global's service-learning initiative, fellows will work with the Center for Community Engagement and Service-learning team to explore the nature of service-learning within our institution and community. Fellows will collaboratively develop the skills and tools needed to help build a culture of service learning, including:

• Understanding the role of service learning in a virtual college environment
• Creating a sense of commitment to advancing a culture of service
• Understanding the scholarship of service learning and contributing to that scholarship through presentations and publications.

By adding service-learning opportunities, students can enhance their education by contributing to an organization or community outside of the classroom setting. At PG, the virtual classroom allows students to advance their education regardless of their location, thus creating a global student population and service-learning opportunities. As part of Purdue's land-grant mission, there is a commitment to teaching and supporting students as they address today's challenges.

Service-learning opportunities allow our virtual students to engage in their community, providing them with an increased understanding of the value of education in developing the necessary skills to address and problem-solve real-world diverse community issues. Students, including those within our vulnerable populations, have greater success in completing their education when they can see the value their knowledge and education bring to their community and the difference they can make.

The Center for Community Engagement and Service at PG has selected twelve faculty and staff for its inaugural 2023-2024 Service-Learning Fellows initiative. The twelve fellows will champion Service Learning to all students and faculty at PG, emphasizing our diverse and vulnerable student populations in their communities. This program fosters developing and institutionalizing service-learning courses, curricula, projects, and scholarly pursuits at PG and strengthens community collaborative efforts and outcomes.

Time Allocation
50% Presenting Above 50% Engaging attendees in Discussion

Keywords:
Fellows, Service Learning, Online Higher Education, Community Engagement

References

Appe, S., Rubaii, N., & Stamp, K. (2016). International service learning in public and nonprofit management education. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 6(1), 3–24.

Bowen, G. & Kiser, P. (2009). Promoting innovative pedagogy and engagement through service-learning faculty fellows programs. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 13(1), 27.

Culcasi, I., Russo, C., & Cinque, M. (2022). E-service-learning in higher education: Modelization of technological interactions and measurement of soft skills development. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 26(3), 39.

Furco, A. (2003). Service-learning: A balanced approach to experiential education. In Introduction to service-learning toolkit (pp. 11–14). Campus Compact.

Picciano, A. G. (2017). Theories and frameworks for online education: Seeking an integrated model. Online Learning, 21(3), 166-190.

Velez, A., Ngarulya, K., & Ozkan, D. (2021). At the annex of service and higher education: A multidisciplinary assessment of the role of service learning. Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership, 11(4), 80-98,