beyond service : pushing through to true civic learning alberto olivas, director maricopa community...
TRANSCRIPT
Beyond Service: Pushing Through
to True Civic Learning
Alberto Olivas, Director Maricopa Community Colleges Center for Civic Participation
ObjectivesWhaddaya mean “true civic learning”?!!
Who cares? Why bother?
Strategic learning objectives
Documenting outcomes
The Civic Spectrum
Dr. Bernie Ronan
and
The Kettering Foundation
www.kettering.org
Civic Ed Doldrums?
“…proponents of civic engagement
in higher education are now reporting
a certain sense of “drift” or
“stalled momentum,” or of
having reached a “plateau…
a conceptual impasse…”
Civic Ed Doldrums?
“…In other words, something is
missing from the concepts of
civic engagement that currently
dominate the field.”
-Derek Barker
Perceived Perils of Political EducationFear of compromised institutional
neutralityStudent activism interests – scale
versus aspiration:
“Policy and politics is this thing that’s hard to move; it’s very easy to get fed up and just turn to something like volunteer work.”
“…students may, ironically, see civic engagement as an alternative to politics, and they may come away from their experiences with even less confidence in their capacities as citizens.”
Perceived Perils of Political Education
“To prepare students for citizenship in a large-scale and multicultural society, civic education must be political… in the broader sense of dealing with difference and making difficult decisions…”
The Charge:
“Such experiences are not typically part of efforts that are framed in nonpolitical ways, such as volunteerism or charity…”
The Charge:
“[and do not tend to result in any real or significant] impact on the civic life of communities… [or] on students’ sense of agency.”
-Derek Barker
The Charge:
Assessing ImpactWe document inputs:
# students, projects # of community partners # hours served
…but what about outcomes? Impact on the community? Student agency & long-term effects?
So What? Who Cares?This is what students care about!Dropouts / retentionEffective instructional techniqueStudents and faculty success and
fulfillment
Head, Heart & Hands: The Civic Spectrum Approach
HEAD: the faculties of judgment and deliberation
HEART: the ability to identify with others
HANDS: the capacity for action
So What is the Problem?
Ex 1: Orphanage project
Assess needs of childrenOrganize a drive to collect toys, clothes, books, etc.Reflect on the exchange process
So What is the Problem?
Ex 2: Soup Kitchen project
Assess demand for support compared to available resourcesEducate other students about homelessness issuesEvaluate effectiveness of organization
Group Activity1-2 Learning Outcomes that get at:
What are the policy or political implications of this problem or issue?
The range of stakeholders involved and their interests, values and priorities
Students not just learning about the issue, but how to affect real change on the issue; i.e. “what are the ‘leverage points’”?
How to document “Impact Outcomes”
ObjectivesWhaddaya mean “true civic learning”?!!
Who cares? Why bother?
Strategic learning objectives
Documenting outcomes
www.maricopa.edu/civic
(480) 731-8156
Beyond Service: Pushing Through
to True Civic Learning