Request for Proposals: Transformational Learning Grants

RFPs are now being accepted for faculty interested in applying for funding to support teaching Transformational Service Learning courses.

The RFP can be found at: http://www.roosevelt.edu/~/media/Files/pdfs/MISJT/RFPforTL.ashx

Applications are due by May 14th to Heather Dalmage, hdalmage@roosevelt.edu

Questions can be directed to:
Nikita Stange, nstange@roosevelt.edu

Profiles of service learning at the Roosevelt University Mini-Conference on Teaching

Over the past decade, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Provost's Office at Roosevelt University has sponsored the Roosevelt University Mini-Conference on Teaching (or "RUMCOT").  Through this venue, faculty members at the university have been sharing best practices or personal implementations.

I compiled all of the presentations that focused on transformational service learning from the conference Proceedings, and you can download them here. 

Integrating service learning into your class: Merging educational and social justice goals (2012)
by Amy L. D. Roberts, Kimberly Dienes, and Steven Meyers

Lessons learned from an ambitious service learning class (2010)
by Cami K. McBride, Carrie Miller, and Valerie Vorderstrasse

Getting to transformation with service-learning (2009)
by Erik Gellman, Elizabeth Meadows, Steven A. Meyers, Pamela M. Robert, and Robert Seiser

Integrating service-learning into the business curriculum (2008)
by Carolyn Wiley

Including service-learning in your class: How we did it (2007)
by Steven A. Meyers, Patrick M. Green, Linda Pincham, and Robert Seiser

Can transformative pedagogy change the way you teach? (2006)
by Steven A. Meyers

Service-learning: A guide to course implementation (2005)
by Patrick M. Green

Transformational learning on talk radio!

Listen to Mike Boehler and Marie Lazzara as they interview Melissa Stutz, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies at Roosevelt University and Hiba Dababneh, a Roosevelt University student who is enrolled in the university’s Walter E. Heller College of Business.  They discuss the concept of social justice at Roosevelt University, and how transformational learning during their education changed their experiences.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/linkedlocalnetwork/2013/01/24/lln-reports

Internships and Transformational Learning

Internships can provide powerful transformational learning experiences during college.  They allow students to gain hands-on experience in actual work settings, improve and explore career prospects, enhance students' resumes, and help develop professional references for graduate schools and jobs.  Because they are much lengthier than other forms of service-learning (they typically range between 100 and 250 hours in duration), internships permit greater immersion into these settings and allow students to make more sustained contributions to the community.

At Roosevelt, students can complete internship classes within particular disciplines.  Some of these opportunities are required because they are viewed as integral to professional development.  For instance, all students within teacher training programs offered by the College of Education will gain extensive field experiences through student teaching placements and seminars.  However, in most fields, it is an option that undergraduates may choose to pursue for varying amounts of credit in courses such as these:

ACCT 398: Accounting Internship
ART 390: Fine Art Internship
BADM 398: Professional Business Administration Internship
BIOL 391: Medical Internship
CJL 395: Criminal Justice Internship
ECON 360: Internship in Economics
FIN 398: Finance Internship
HIST 384: Internship in History
HOSM 385: Internship in Hospitality Management
HRM 398: Human Resource Management Internship
IMC 399: Internship in Integrated Marketing Communications
INFS 398: Information Systems Internship
JOUR 399: Internship in Journalism
LAWA L30: Paralegal Internship
MGMT 398: Professional Internship in Management
MKTG 398: Internship in Marketing
PADM 398: Field Internship in Public Administration
POS 338: Field Internship in Politics and Law
PSYC 393: Internship in Psychology
SENT 398: Social Entrepreneurship  Internship
SOCJ 360: Social Justice Internship
WGS 399: Internship in the Community

Students often aren't aware that they may pursue an internship and need encouragement and appropriate advising.  The educational benefits for well-designed placements are clearly established, as internships have been designated as a high impact practice by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Moreover, internships can be tailored to address social justice themes consistent with each discipline to connect with Roosevelt's mission.

In addition to assistance provided by departments, students can find possible internship placements by contacting the staff in the Career Development Office.  They can help them identify ideal opportunities, utilize their online resources, write a resume, and support students through the internship process.  Start with their site online at http://www.roosevelt.edu/Career/Student/Internship.aspx.  You can find instructions about how to search their internship databases by clicking here.

For departments that want to create or expand internship programs at Roosevelt, it can be helpful to refer to those that provide online materials, such as the Heller College of Business, Economics/Social Justice, and Psychology.  The Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation can provide assistance as well.

Service Learning in Introductory Economics

Students at Roosevelt University in social work, psychology, and education majors may expect that some of their classes might include a service-learning component. However, when Professor Jenifer Clark’s 46 students showed up for their first day of Principles of Economics II (Economics 102) class, they found that the course required them to go out in to the field. Service learning at Roosevelt University isn't confined to certain majors. Rather,  all students at Roosevelt can benefit from trying to apply their newfound knowledge to real life.

Professor Clark devised a service-learning plan that she hoped would expose students to how people in different life circumstances think about economic policy. With the help of the Mansfield Institute for Social Justice and Transformation, Professor Clark connected with an array of individuals in with different perspectives on what types of economic policies are likely to promote a healthy economy. Professor Clark split the students up into groups and assigned them to either meet with an architect, a marketing CEO, two traders from the Chicago Board of Trade, a human relations professional, two individuals involved in the Occupy movement, or individuals experiencing homelessness at Dignity Diner. Professor Clark ensured that students with a variety of political views joined each group. The students used class time to meet with their groups, do research on economic policy, and prepare questions for their interview. 

Many of the students disclosed to Professor Clark that their interviews considerably impacted their lives. Those who met with homeless people at Dignity Diner described that their preconceived notions about homelessness had been shattered after getting to know real people in that situation. Students who initially felt extremely critical of the Occupy movement shifted their positions after meeting with those involved. Some group members who met with business professionals suddenly felt a surge of motivation to figure out what they wanted to do after college. The students who visited the Chicago Board of Trade described the sense of awe they felt while observing the action on the floor. Professor Clark required students to write a research paper and create a presentation about economic policy from the perspective of those they had interviewed. Many of Dr. Clark’s students had to take political positions opposite of their own in order to complete the assignment. 

Overall, Professor Clark deemed the service-learning component of her class incredibly successful. She explained that everyone involved in the process found the experience rewarding. Many of the interviewees contacted Professor Clark to gush about how impressed they had been by the students’ interview preparation and professionalism. Professor Clark described the students as deeply passionate during the execution of their presentations, and she rated the students’ research papers as exceptional. She surveyed the students at the end of the course to examine their impressions of the project. Many of them admitted their initial hesitation when they realized they would have to complete a transformational service-learning project. However, 46 of 46 students recommended that Professor Clark incorporate a service-learning component to the class in the future. Professor Clark noted that the students gained much more than just an ability to apply economic theory to real life. Throughout this project, the students also fostered their ability to see multiple sides of an issue, take the perspective of others, and challenge their own beliefs. Furthermore, the students gained exposure to different professions, practiced presenting themselves professionally, and gained networking experience.