Service-Learning Project Report

Report on the Service-Learning Study

MTH 242, Spring 1997

In the spring of 1997, 18 students in the Statistics II course (MTH 242-01A) at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College created this definition of service-learning:

Service-learning is the blending of academic study and community service. Academic study is learning through texts, discussion groups, instructors and other classroom activities. Community service is volunteer work that anyone can do to improve the quality of life in the community. Service-learning provides an opportunity for the student to integrate classroom education with hands-on experience and promotes reflection upon its value.

Some examples of service-learning are:

Parks and recreation students planning a city playground
Interior design students renovating a homeless shelter and an Alzheimer's care unit in a hospital
English as a second language students reading to kindergarten students
Political science students working with city governments

Some of the goals of service-learning are:

To enhance learning through hands-on experience and reflection
To give students a life-long view of community service
To assist students in learning about civic responsibility
To build students' characters
To assist students in learning problem-solving skills
To be of assistance to public and non-profit organizations who want to serve their communities better

The blending of academic study and community service leaves students and faculty questioning the balance between the service and learning components. Some faculty may wish to emphasize the service component: service to the community as the main outcome of the project. Others may emphasize the learning component: learning course objectives as the main outcome of the project. Finally, others may choose to stress the importance of each component equally: both service and learning as the outcomes of the project. The above definition leaves the interpretation to those involved.

Using this definition as the basis for study, the statistics students were given their own service-learning project that would benefit NVCC. They were divided into groups to survey attitudes toward service-learning from four important populations of the Alexandria campus: students, faculty, administration, and community organizations. The four statistics student groups wrote, distributed, and collected surveys from samples of each population. They analyzed the data and created written and oral reports as the culmination of their project.

The Student Group surveyed approximately 250 students (day and evening) and, due to time restrictions, randomly chose 100 surveys to analyze. Of those students, 14% had heard of service-learning, 52% had done some volunteer work, but 72% indicated that service-learning options would increase the likelihood of taking a course. Moreover, several tests of hypotheses indicated no statistically significant relationship between the likelihood of taking a course with a service-learning option and each of the factors: gender, age, and previous volunteer experience. In other words, students of a certain age or gender or students who have volunteer experience do not appear more likely to take a course that includes service-learning. Another test of hypothesis showed a weak dependence (p < 0.10) between the likelihood of taking a course with a service-learning option and previous knowledge of service-learning. This indicates a need for widespread education of students in the goals and outcomes of service-learning.

The Faculty Group received 58 completed surveys from the over 500 distributed to all full-time and adjunct faculty. About 60% of those responding thought that giving students an opportunity for a service-learning project was a good idea. In their analysis, the Faculty Group responded to many of the concerns felt by faculty. For example, professors were hesitant to take on a new project without the information and resources necessary. The group recommended faculty education and support. More of these responses will be included in the "Faculty FAQ's" section below. Although the sample size was small, the group felt that the faculty would be responsive to service-learning, but needed more information and support in their endeavors.

The Administration Group received 11 surveys from the administration (about 16 people) at the Alexandria campus. There was unanimous support for the concept of service-learning, and 9 of the 11 felt that service-learning fits into the NVCC curriculum. The administration did not endorse some ideas: 4 of the 11 responded that service-learning should be given office space on campus and 4 of the 11 favored staff support for service-learning. The most often recurring comment for both of these issues was that a need should be demonstrated first, then space and personnel would follow. However, there was support of the concept of considering service-learning in the faculty workload formula, professional development plan, and productivity computations (9 of the 11 responded favorably). The Administration Group felt that the overall tone was supportive of service-learning, but that there are many concerns and issues that need to be considered when granting space, personnel, and faculty credit.

The Community Organization Group sent 200 surveys to randomly selected community organizations in the NVCC-Alexandria service area (as identified by the Community Education Office). Of these, 46 surveys were returned. Of those returned, 74% were very supportive of the idea of service-learning. Many of the subjective comments commended NVCC for taking on a project that would get students into the community, promoting civic literacy. Some of the comments indicated a need for more information on service-learning. Of the surveys that were returned, about 74% voluntarily offered to host students in their organizations as service-learners (see resources, below). Many of the service opportunities indicated by the organizations seemed to fit well with courses taught at the campus.

The Statistics II students did a great job in their assignments for the service-learning project. The goals of the project were far-reaching and often very complex. The objectives of the course were clearly met by the project. The students found out how difficult it was to write a good survey and how hard it was to distribute and collect the surveys. They noted that the real data was not so neat and tidy as the data given in the text! Furthermore, the students expressed their satisfaction at making a difference for other students at NVCC. The 18 students in the class unanimously felt that the project was the most beneficial part of the course. They believed that they were setting a framework for other students and faculty to use service-learning in their courses.

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