CEL Impact Report 2010-11

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impact CENTER FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011 EXPERIENCE WITH DIRECTION

Transcript of CEL Impact Report 2010-11

Page 1: CEL Impact Report 2010-11

impactcenter for experiential learning

annual report 2010-2011

experience with direction

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Loyola’s center for experiential learning (cel) continues to develop high-impact learning opportunities for students. During the 2010 – 2011 academic year, the programs within the cel, including service-learning, academic internships, student employment, undergraduate research, and electronic portfolios,

expanded and developed new opportunities around the chicagoland community.

what makes these experiences high-impact is that they are defining experiences for students. Some serve as accelerants, thrusting students forward in their future career and education plans. Some experiences serve as adjustments, allowing students to re-frame their desired goals. others serve as validation for students to work with a particular population, in a specific environment, or in a chosen industry.

through the faculty instructors and professional mentors of these experiences, many students engaged in experiential learning:

• 2,675 students engaged in community work through 100 service-learning courses.

• 2,345 students engaged in academic internships and/or clinical field experiences.

• 141 students participated in lUrop-funded research fellowships.

• 591 students engaged in community work study at over 70 organizations.

• 1,796 students developed professional skills through the student employment opportunities.

our focus this past year has been on assessment and evaluation to demonstrate student learning, which translated into impact – on the community, on teaching and learning, on research, and on individuals. Students consistently reveal that these experiential learning opportunities are defining experiences in their education -- leading to the transformative education of loyola university chicago.

in the pages that follow, you will find not only a snapshot of each cel program, with student stories and pictures, but also demonstrated evidence of student learning. the cel continues to work closely with faculty and staff across the university, as well as with community partners and employers around chicago and beyond, to foster these engaged learning opportunities for students – and the community!

in service,

patrick M. green, eddDirector, Center for Experiential Learning and Clinical Instructor of Experiential Learning

connecting classroom and career with internships p. 4

enhancing student learning through service to chicago and beyond p. 7

Developing skills and leadership through student work p. 10

Building a broader community as student employees p. 12

gaining hands-on experience through undergraduate research p. 14

Developing capacity through community partnerships p. 18

helping students find their direction p. 20

integrating student reflection with eportfolios p. 21

receiving presidential recognition for community engagement p. 22

experience with direc tion

annual report 2010-2011

impact

let te r froM the dir ec tor

Students, faculty, staff, and community partners network at the Community Engagement Forum (see page 8).

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I n t e r n s h I p e x p e r I e n c e s that earn academic credit not only provide students with valuable experience in a professional field connected to academic learning objectives but also distinguish students with “real world” experience in the community.

at loyola University chicago, the center for experiential learning (cel) continues to collaborate with faculty, to identify relevant internships, to foster relationships with partner organizations, and to provide internship course support for students.

Most undergraduate academic internship experiences require approximately 10 hours/week of student commitment, for a total of 100-150 hours/semester. Such internships may be paid or unpaid, but their focus is on student learning, with the on-site internship supervisor functioning as a co-educator, along with the student’s supervising faculty member, to enhance the student’s applied knowledge of a discipline.

• in 2010-2011, more than 200 employers provided internship opportunities in the non-profit, for profit, and government sectors of the local economy.

• Since 2008, 35 employers have employed 68 interns through the loyola paid internship program funded by an illinois Board of higher education grant and administered by the cel.

• in collaboration with the office of first Year experience, the cel expanded the focus of its UniV 390 Internship Seminar with two new sections devoted to Discover loyola orientation team leaders and program assistants.

internships

ac adeMic inte r nShipS

co n n e c t i n g c l a S S r o o M a n d c a r e e r w i t h

Grishma Pandya, Federal Work-Study Intern at the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce during spring 2011.

*Since some experiences occur over a two-semester academic period, some enrollment #s may be duplicated.

“I learned how to deal with real life experience in the outside world that I do not think a text book can teach.“ - grishma pandya, student intern

total # of students enrolled in academic internships and clinical experiences*

2,500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

2008-2009 2009-2010 2010 -2011

1,474

1,898

2,345

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Loyo L a’ s awa r d - w I n n I n g service-learning program continued to show strong growth in 2010-2011, with more than 2,600 undergraduate students contributing approximately 91,000 hours of service in connection with nearly 100 classes. from anthropology students supporting newly arrived refugee families to women’s & gender studies capstone students implementing sexual violence prevention programming, more than a quarter of the undergraduate population deepened their understanding of academic content by putting that knowledge in service to humanity and letting those experiences form them as men and women for others.

Se rvice - le ar ning

percent of students surveyed agreed that their internship created new opportunities for them (e.g. another internship, a job, a professional mentor in their field, etc.).

“This internship definitely put all of my work in class into perspective. It allowed me to utilize my knowledge in a hands-on way and apply it to real life cases.” - Santyna pineiros, student in pSYc 390, Internship in Psychology

7080 percent of students agreed

that they were more interested in their internship field after participating in an internship.

service

Discover Loyola Orientation Leaders now receive academic credit for their work through UNIV 390 (see page 4).

to Chicagoland and beyond

e n h a n c i n g S t U d e n t l e a r n i n g t h r o U g h

Student nurses from CMAN 380 “Community Nursing” provide basic medical support to local residents (see page 8).

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Fac u Lt y m e m b e r s’ creativity and passion for their work shone through an increasingly wide range of course offerings, many of which built upon the efforts of other engaged faculty and staff across the university.

• students in dr. Jennifer fiebig’s Psychology of Maturity and Aging class compiled the memoirs of retired Sisters of notre Dame, following a national model for intergenerational co-learning between students and women religious developed by Dan and Kathy vaillancourt in their service-learning “Philosophy of Aesthetics” courses.

• dr. Mary dominiak’s Community Research, Advocacy, and Service in Healthcare course adapted loyola’s “Solutions to Environmental Problems” interdisciplinary research colloquium model to draw students and faculty from 20 programs and all three chicago-area campuses. their work supported partners for rogers park’s ongoing efforts to improve health and wellness for area youth.

• student nurses in dr. Janet Mccarron’s Community Nursing service internship expanded the school of nursing’s outreach to loyola’s local communities, providing basic medical services to underserved residents of the rogers park and edgewater neighborhoods.

these and other projects were recognized at loyola’s first-ever community engagement forum, sponsored by the cel as part of Weekend of excellence 2011. the forum offered students and community partners an opportunity to showcase the impacts of their serving and learning and to plan for future collaborations.

Undergraduate service-learning courses offered

total # of students enrolled in service-learning courses

100

80

60

40

20

02007-2008 2008-2009 2009 -2010 2010 -2011

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

02007-2008 2008-2009 2009 -2010 2010 -2011

“Getting to know someone else’s life is more than just hearing their stories; it becomes a journey into the wisdom gained with age.” – agnes Smith, student in Psychology of Maturity and Aging

percent of service-learning students indicate that they were more engaged in their service-learning class(es) as compared to their other, non-community-based courses.

7684 percent say that they will likely

continue to engage in community-based work related to their service-learning course topic.

Sisters of Notre Dame pose with Dr. Fiebig and their student memoirists at the Community Engagement Forum.

25 743

2,0712,218

2,675

6775

100

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total # of students participating in student employment program

1800

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009 -2010

2010 -2011

1,212

1,4601,595

1,796

Loyo L a’ s s t u d e n t e m p Loy m e n t p r o g r a m achieved some major milestones during 2010-2011 while achieving its goal of increasing the number and quality of positions available to students seeking employment opportunities.

• the program kicked off its formal partnership with loyola’s Student leadership program by collaborating on the creation and delivery of two professional and vocational development seminars that were included in its new leadership certification series. this series was offered to all student employees to provide opportunities for reflection on the learning and skill building happening in their positions.

• loyola also celebrated the annual Student employment appreciation Week highlighting the many contributions of student employees across all campuses.

• student employment appreciation week culminated in the student employee awards where 130 student nominees were honored for their outstanding work as university employees.

“While working, I made more connections with different professors and university staff members, who, in turn, were able to improve the effectiveness of my studies.”

- Kathleen leahy, Desktop Services technician, information technology Services

“[Student employment] gives you the opportunity to see how an organization works while still a student. This is a great resource when applying for outside jobs and makes you sound very experienced to potential employers!”

– Jami Kopersmith, Student Supervisor, lUc phonathon

through student work

leadership

StUde nt eMploYMe nt

d e v e l o p i n g S k i l l S a n d

Student Employment Coordinator Kathryn Jackson (frnt lft), Dr. Green, and the 2010-2011 Student Employees of the Year.

percent of student employees report being satisfied with their student employment experience.86

83 percent feel that their student employment experience enhanced their learning outside the classroom.

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total # of students working in community-based federal work-study

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010 -2011

270

343

431

591

as student employees

community

coMMUnit Y wor k-StUdY

Loyo L a’ s co m m u n I t y- b a s e d Federal work-study (cBFws) program is the student employment initiative that creates opportunities for students to earn their federal Work-Study award by working in a pre-approved off campus non-profit organization that is serving the chicago community. in the 2010-2011 year this program expanded significantly in order to increase employment opportunities for loyola students. this employment initiative has resulted in multiple layers of benefits: students have gained work experience, community agencies have built capacity, and the university has facilitated more student employment while supporting the chicago community.

Because students’ salaries are significantly supported by their Federal work-Study awards, employer agencies are able to expand service and outreach at considerably lower cost than would otherwise be possible.

• femi Memorial outreach, a city-wide elementary tutoring program, was able to provide daily tutoring to 500 at-risk children throughout the chicago public schools.

• circesteem, an agency in the Uptown neighborhood, was able to provide tutoring, healthy snacks and safe after-school programming while rewarding the children’s good grades and homework completion with professional circus-arts training.

• the Better Boys foundation, a new partner on the West side of the city, was able to expand their tutoring and after-school program in the historically underserved north lawndale neighborhood.

B U i l d i n g a B r oa d e r

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010 -2011

25

53

68

93

Loyola CBFWS tutors provide academic support to at-risk CPS students through Femi Memorial Outreach.

“We’ve had many Loyola work-study students for several years. Here they get skills far beyond their major, and they leave prepared to move into other professional areas.”

- Miriam Schabo, office of catholic Schools, archdiocese of chicago

total # of community partner sites employing federal work-study students

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t h e Loyo L a u n d e r g r a d uat e research opportunities program (lurop) aims to facilitate quality undergraduate research experiences between students and mentors and to bring students into a community of scholars within their field. lUrop engaged more than 140 undergraduate students in funded research in 2010-2011. these numbers do not include the many students conducting undergraduate research in other capacities, such as volunteering in labs, conducting research under externally funded fellowships, or working in research institutions outside of loyola.

lUrop continued to grow in 2010-2011, adding a 12th fellowship program, the Joan and Bill Hank center for the catholic intellectual Heritage Undergraduate research fellowship; launching a new centralized online application; and piloting the student-nominated lurop Distinguished Mentor award.

Unde rg r adUate r eSe arch

research g a i n i n g h a n d S - o n e x p e r i e n c e t h r o U g h U n d e r g r a d Uat e

lUrop fellowships 2010-2011 provost fellowship for Undergraduate research (50)

Mulcahy Scholars (35)

research Mentoring program (12)

ricci Scholars (8)

rudis fellowship (1)

Women in Science enabling research (4)

Biology research fellows (3)

Biology Summer research fellows (10)

carbon Scholars (8)

center for urban environmental research and policy fellows (3)

center for urban research and learning fellows (6)

Joan and Bill Hank center for the catholic intellectual heritage undergraduate research fellowship (1)

510

200

Provost Fellow Elias Majid works on his research project to re-introduce food production on campus.

“I have never felt more confident and solid about my career pathway. Working on my project really took me out of textbooks and into the real world.”

- elias Majid, provost fellow

percent of students in lurop reported a greater understanding of theories and concepts in their field as a result of their research experiences.9197 percent of students in lurop

reported feeling more equipped with the skills needed to be successful in a career as a result of their research experience.

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2011 Undergraduate research Symposium: award winners

2010-2011 lUrop distinguished Mentor awards

phYSical & life ScienceS (top 3, unranked)

Unleen kiverkis & lacy SimonsMicroscopic Investigation into the Dynamics of Falling ChainsMentored by Dr. asim gangopadhyaya, physics

Bhavik patel, provost fellowship and Mulcahy Scholars programStudy on the Ligand-binding Pathways of the Heme-containing PAS Protein, EcDOS, of Escherichia ColiMentored by Dr. Ken olsen, chemistry

Brian Sweis, carbon Scholars programThe Behavioral Effects of Chronic Stress on Mental HealthMentored by Dr. louis lucas, Biology and Dr. robert Morrison, psychology

Social ScienceS and hUManitieS (top 3, unranked) kelsey oseid, provost fellowshipDeveloping Well-Designed, Well-Researched Informational Materials To Aid Refugees and the Volunteers Who Serve ThemMentored by Joyce epolito, Mfa, Fine and performing arts

kelly Silay, provost fellowshipPerceived Discrimination, Stigma Consciousness, and Romantic Relationship FunctioningMentored by Dr. tracy DeHart, psychology

nausheen Syed, provost fellowshipAttention and Distractibility in Infants: A Study on Infants and How They Control Their AttentionMentored by Dr. Kathleen Kannass, psychology

Two of Dr. Li-Grining’s students, Provost Fellow Sophie Mir (lft) and Jessie Duncan, present at the symposium.

“Through the lab activities and the reflection and discussion that I encourage, I have strived to create a community of scholars, providing students with knowledge, tools, and guidance, as they make the transition into the professional world.” - Dr. christine li-grining, 2010-2011 lUrop Distinguished Mentor

the lUrop Distinguished Mentor award recognizes the exceptional work of loyola’s research mentors, who contribute significant time and effort to the intellectual, ethical, and academic development of undergraduate researchers.

winnerS

catherine putonti, Biology and Computer Science christine li-grining, Psychology

honoraBle MentionS

the Undergraduate research Symposium was a feature event of the weekend of excellence, celebrating transformative education. the symposium showcased the work of more than 135 students, from freshmen to seniors, who represented most of the university’s colleges and more than 30 different majors.

daniel Becker, ChemistryJacob ciszek, ChemistryBonnie essner, PhD student in Psychologytracy dehart, PsychologyJeffrey doering, Biologykathleen kannass, Psychology

louis lucas, Biologyrobert Morrison, Psychologyf. Bryan pickett, BiologyJulia pryce, School of Social Workrhonda Quinn, Anthropology

“This program, quite literally, changed the course of my future. Aside from the friendships I gained, the biggest benefit was gaining creative skills not available to students following strict syllabi in the classroom.” - Brianna Biggers, provost fellow97%

Brianna Biggers and fellow students meet with human rights activists Dr. Luther Castillo and Dr. Juan Alemendares.

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partnershipsd e v e l o p i n g c a pac i t Y t h r o U g h co M M U n i t Y

d u r I n g 2010 -2011, loyola’s center for experiential learning engaged more than 250 community organizations in partnership. in addition to the direct benefits provided to organizations by student interns, employees, and volunteers, partners also had the opportunity to attend workshops and capacity-building events, to network with other divisions of loyola, and to recruit students directly at on-campus fairs.

Many partners continue to deepen their involvement with the center for experiential learning by participating in two or more programs, while still other partners indicate investing more deeply in their student participants. in the cel’s most recent partner survey, more than 20% of employer partners indicated having hired loyola graduates for full or part-time post-graduate employment. partners have not only been able to provide valuable learning experiences to students, but also have built their own organizations’ capacity in many ways, including:

• increased number of beneficiaries served;

• reduced employee burnout and/or turnover;

• Diminished cost of services available to community;

• improved services utilized by beneficiaries;

• Developed new programs and services or expanded existing programs.

“In these very difficult financial times, our Loyola students helped us to maintain a high level of productivity in our development office and a high level of care in our shelter. There is so much more to do and so many more people seeking services. We would not have been as effective without the added support of Loyola students.”

- lisa todd, Volunteer and events Manager, connections for the Homeless

“The staff here find Loyola students indispensable and our refugee clients see them as mentors, advocates, and, most importantly, friends. The quality of the services we provide is seen in our refugee client satisfaction and in their adjustment to life here in the US; we couldn’t do it without the talented and empathetic assistance we receive from Loyola students.”

- Sarah Masri, loyola alumna and Volunteer coordinator, ethiopian community association of chicago

Student refugee advocates present their work to Fr. Justin Daffron, SJ, at the Community Engagement Forum.

coMMUnit Y par tne rS

community partnerships

education 22%

environment 4%

family 9%

Health/Medicine/Disability 17%

Housing/Homelessness/Hunger 14%

immigration/refugees 9%

technology 4%

arts 4%

crime/Safety 7%

Disability 4%

economic Development 6%

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direction ePortfolios

r eSe arch re flec tion

h e l p i n g S t U d e n t S f i n d t h e i r i n t e g r at i n g S t U d e n t r e f l e c t i o n w i t h

t h e c e L r o L L e d o u t a new marketing campaign this year, based on extensive research on the impacts of experiential learning. Dr. patrick green conducted a study, funded by a grant from the national association of colleges and employers research foundation, on the impact of experiential learning programs on students’ skill development and career readiness. students identified that experiential learning opportunities helped them explore career options and clarify their career goals.

• informed by this study, the cel worked with University Marketing and communications to develop the “find Your Direction” marketing campaign that captures the value of cel programs for students.

• in addition, the cel staff worked closely with enrollment Marketing to develop a video series on cel programs targeting new and prospective students, as well as current students, found at www.youtube.com/user/loyolacel.

• the cel also launched a facebook page with more than 500 active users, available via facebook at www.facebook.com/luccel.

t h e c e L e x pa n d e d t h e p I Lo t p r o g r a m of electronic portfolios (eportfolios) as a university-wide initiative to deepen student learning. eportfolios allow students to collect the products of a broad range of their academic and co-curricular work over time, including course papers/projects, independent research work, reflections on skill development, and media in a variety of formats.

in the past year, all first year students began building their eportfolios in the UniV 101: First Year Seminar course. Many students in experiential learning courses used eportfolios as a way to reflect on their experiences, and academic courses implemented eportfolios in their curriculum. continued growth and expansion of the eportfolio initiative includes an eportfolio coordinator in the cel, who serves as a resource for students, faculty, and staff, to implement the eportfolio technology as an educational program across the university.

loyola students reported the value of an eportfolio as it:

• allowed them to collect their work while in college;

• encouraged reflection upon their experiences;

• demonstrated progress over four years;

• promoted skills to potential employers;

• assisted in the development of future goals.

“The ePortfolio allowed me to not only document and reflect on my coursework and experiences, but also assisted me in translating these experiences into transferable and applicable skills for my profession.”

-Michelle Kusel, graduate student, School of education

percent of employers and community partners report that they would use eportfolios as part of their interview and selection process.80

New marketing materials encourage Loyola students to “Find Your Direction” through experiential learning.

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recognition

honorS & awar dS

r e c e i v i n g p r e S i d e n t i a l

Loyo L a u n I v e r s I t y c h I c ag o was one of six institutions chosen as a presidential awardee of the u.s. president’s higher education community Service Honor roll 2010. loyola received the award, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to community service, based on its strong service-learning and community work-study programs. cel staff collected data from across the university, documented loyola’s community service programs, and assessed the community impact of those programs.

the corporation for national and community Service admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities to the 2010 Honor roll for their responses to issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth. of that total, 511 were named to the Honor roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists, and six received the presidential award, including loyola university chicago.

Loyo L a wa s c h o s e n as the promise neighborhood award recipient, high-lighting three of loyola’s premier service programs working with youth in education, in addition to our service-learning and community work-study programs:

• the Madonna Scholars High School intervention program, facilitated by Janet sisler and the gannon center for Women and leadership, produced a 100 percent college acceptance rate for 80 female at-risk participants; 68 percent received scholarships upon graduating from high school.

• the target new transitions program, facilitated by mary charles in the school of education, provided 4,608 hours of mentoring to middle school students transitioning to high school.

• loyola’s Math tutoring program, facilitated by dr. diane schiller in the school of education, engaged 253 fourth- to eighth-grade students and documented improvements in their confidence and academic performance.

a full list of recipients and their service is at www.nationalService.gov/honorroll.

for community engagement

Robert Velasco II (lft), Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and Mark Gearan, Chairman of the Board, join Dr. Green at the awards ceremony.

loyola was recently designated one of usa today’s “top 20 colleges for community Service.”20Top

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