Running head: FINAL REFLECTION

Final Reflection: Experiential Education and High-Impact Practices Loyola University Chicago Kirstine Odegard

FINAL REFLECTION

A semester is nominal in relation to the scope of a lifetime, but it can still yield a fruitful and transformative foundation of learning upon which to continue building. Scholars in the area of experiential learning such as Dewey (1987) and Kolb (1984) would argue that indeed significant learning can (and should) have happened within a term of rich experiences and intentional, guided reflection. After a variety of assignments and projects, experiences and discussions, I come away from this course a more prepared student of experiential learning and a more curious and engaged scholar. Dewey (1997) reminded us that experience for the sake of experience is not educational: the learning comes with the intentional inclusion of reflection components to guide and facilitate meaning making. As I make meaning of this past semesters experiences and content, it will be important that I take examples from this course to be able to articulate how I have come to understand this topic, and how I will take this information and apply it. To explore this, I will reflect on and revisit a number of the specific projects and activities. Our most recent project has been evolving since the beginning of the semester, when we boarded a bus and ventured north to Marquette University. Our visit included time with faculty and administrators learning about the functions and evolution of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and more specifically how their service-learning office is structured in the context of that specific school. After that encounter, our class delved into weekly learning about the various aspects of experiential learning in

FINAL REFLECTION

preparation for the task ahead of us, which would eventually involve compiling resources that could hopefully inform and propel experiential learning at Marquette. As our group assignment was disseminated and we began meeting and discussing our specific topics of internships and international education, it started to feel like we were about to embark on a transoceanic voyage in a small canoe. There was a wealth of information and resources, a number of ways to categorize it, and no one right way of formatting it. So where were we to begin? Fairly quickly, our group decided to break into subgroups or working teams to better navigate the scope of the search and to avoid duplicating efforts. This team-based project was challenging (as they often can be) as we navigated how to move forward, incorporate insights and suggestions from each of our perspectives, and create a tangible product that was both useful and thorough for an audience we were somewhat unfamiliar with (faculty and their unique lens). This task allowed us to complement and challenge each others ideas about both the content and the process. Had we done this individually, the group could have progressed without having to consider differing viewpoints and ideas. We each brought different work and life experiences that uniquely informed our approaches; at times, this may have slowed the process, but the result was a strengthened end product, as well as enriched personal development as we reflect on the procedure and personalities throughout the experience. This concept will translate to future professional work at institutions where projects and efforts will be richer, and hopefully more inclusive by bringing people from different areas of the

FINAL REFLECTION

university. Campus collaborations can mean that projects may take longer and the conversations may be more difficult, but they will account for student needs and diverse populations. Programs will hopefully have a stronger core of social justice and bring in stronger factors around access and inclusion with more peoples voices at the table giving input on the design and implementation. In my opinion, team-based projects often garner groans from students since they can take more time and demand more energy or consideration, but there is a reason that Kuh (2008) and his associates have deemed this a highimpact practice, as students have a rich opportunity for both academic and personal development. I worked with classmates who differ greatly from my personal working style and ways of thinking; this will be something that continues with me through graduate school and as I return to professional employment. Being able to work with varied colleagues will prepare me better for working in the field of higher education; as I reflect on this experience, I am more aware of those areas that I need to flex on, and those areas that I can contribute. I can better see where I benefitted the team from my suggestions and conversely where my ideas advanced from others contributions. In our specific project, it was important to me that we specifically have a section in our resource compilation that addresses some of the critiques and limitations of the research areas we were tasked with exploring; particularly since both of our areas (internships and international education) tend to be practices that often are more easily accessible to students with more privilege or from

FINAL REFLECTION

dominant identity groups, it is crucial to acknowledge and feature resources that address how to tailor these experiences for students from underrepresented backgrounds or analyze the factors that contribute to barriers to student participation. Considering the centrality of Kuhs (2008) argument that these practices are particularly impactful for students from underrepresented backgrounds, it would have been irresponsible to not prioritize featuring articles centered on the topics of access and inclusion. I know, too that I can be a little rigid at times when I think I have the best plan to approach a problem and do not fully hear a classmate who is explaining an alternative approach. I was reminded of this in our group when we were trying to create categories and discussing how to develop the themes; I had to catch myself several times to sit back and listen fully to allow peers to walk through their thought processes, and eventually we ended up taking more of their perspective to tease out the themes. Other aspects of learning from this project included the process of seeing the whole class tackle the respective topics. The first is the breadth of exposure through my classmates presentations about how they approached their topics. Seeing how each of us thought about what was important to include, how we organized our projects, and how we analyzed what themes we saw as relevant was helpful to expand how I approach problems or tasks. I was already somewhat familiar with much of the literature around servicelearning best practices (Honnet & Poulsen, 1998; Jacoby and Associates, 1998), from reciprocity to reflection, student voice, evaluation and celebration.

FINAL REFLECTION

However, most of the other fields and their standards I had only heard of very briefly, so it was beneficial to learn some of the major journals and to get a sense for the major themes and trends that my colleagues identified in the literature. Certainly, as I advance in my career, it will be helpful to have a basic sense of those practices (learning communities, undergraduate research) to refer to or to use as a springboard to continue into deeper exploration. More immediately, since I work in residence life right now and have learning communities in my building both this and next year, it would behoove me to explore more of the literature to be a better collaborator. Beyond that aspect of the content base, I think there is a deeper piece of learning that I feel strongly connected and committed to. One aspect of experiential learning that we have explored that I see really guiding my work and philosophy as an educator is George Kuhs (2008) research that articulates that that the students who really benefit from these high-impact practices the most are the historically underserved populations on our campuses. From where I stand now, I hope and imagine that it will shape how I connect the work I hope to do on campuses (civic engagement, servicelearning, study abroad, or first-generation support services) to those offices serving these underserved students. Hopefully I can work to leverage these opportunities for the students who might reap the most benefits (and who most likely have had the least access to these kinds of experiences in their previous education). As administrators and educators, we have an obligation to make this a priority on our campuses and to align those efforts to benefit

FINAL REFLECTION

the students who enter our institutions from more marginalized or disadvantaged positions. I can raise a voice in meetings to advocate for

programs intentionally connect students. But also, whatever functional area I am working in, I can seek to develop relationships with other offices to publicize these kinds of programs and events to underserved students. I can make it a point to attend the events of other functional areas to connect with students of these backgrounds, and to start or continue conversations around these kinds of opportunities to make sure that they have a better chance of learning about and connecting to these practices. This is something I am passionate and committed to and look forward to raising as important concerns on campuses I will have the chance to work on. A few resources that we did not come across in class are ones that are crucial to start and continue the discussion around social justice and service-learning are those by Einfeld, Einfeld & Collins (2008) and Mitchell & Donohue (2009) that look at race, multicultural competence and the need for attention to these in the context of this experiential learning practice. I would have hoped we would have had conversation around these documents in the classroom, but I know that several of us in the class created space for the discussion on our own. In terms of areas that I need to continue to grow in, there are a number that stand out, including capstones, undergraduate research and internships. Capstone courses and undergraduate research seem like fairly straightforward notions: any time a student can be more deeply involved in a field-specific course that culminates their academic experience or is able to participate in

FINAL REFLECTION

generating new knowledge, they benefit from that. I appreciated learning more about the research that informs and guides the varied ways those experiences can manifest on campuses, and what factors have driven the increase in these experiences on campuses (Boyer, 1998; CAS b, 2010; Gonzales, 2001; Hunter et al., 2006; Kinkead, 2003; McKillip, 2009). Undergraduate research is a practice I have personally seen expand and institutionalize on campuses, so it was valuable to start to learn more about this. Another are that I have been mulling over is internships. I believe in the value of an internship, but what I still struggle with is the ways in which faculty can help students process and reflect on the experience. Most students that I hear from in both undergraduate and graduate work have suggested that this is poorly done. Students are often processing the experience in a group, and often feel the experiences are so disparate that they just dont get much out of conversation. It seems that faculty mentors dont have access toor perhaps awareness of-- the (albeit) limited research that does exist for internships, such as those works outlining standards and assessment practices (Implementing and Assessing Internships, 2002). Nor are they utilizing tools such as Sweitzer and King (2009) to help students make meaning and discern. While the project for Marquette certainly yielded opportunity to learn about myself and to expand my knowledge base of certain high-impact practices, there are also more generalized theories and definitions that I take with me that will inform my role as practitioner. Entering this class with several years of experience working peripherally with service-learning on a

FINAL REFLECTION

college campus, that language and frame was something I felt comfortable with overall. As mentioned above, reciprocity and reflection, celebration and assessment (to name a few) were concepts very familiar to me (CAS a, 2010; Honnet & Poulsen, 1996; Jacoby & Associates, 1998). What pleased and enriched my learning were the theoretical underpinnings and the founding scholars that we referenced. Deweys (1997) seminal work on experiential education was one resource that has deepened my understanding of the field. I appreciated naming some basic concepts such as the importance of reflection to create experiential education instead of just experience standing on its own as educational. Likewise, I value the emphasis that reflection itself does not an educational experience make: there must be quality, ongoing reflection to foster transformative education. Being able to speak to the tenets of experiential education as outlined by Dewey and to reference other scholars like Freire and Kolb will only propel me deeper into understanding how to advocate for effective experiential education. I purchased Pedagogy of the Oppressed to read this summer and to pull apart more of Freires philosophies and to continue to learn about related concepts. As I hope is evident, I seek to take the learning from this course and to continue to explore facets of experiential education. I began the semester feeling fairly well-versed in service-learning (understanding the challenges and strengths, and having a sense of the best practices and standards), and thinking I had a basic understanding of what experiential education encompassed. A few years ago, a majority of my impressions were centered

FINAL REFLECTION

10

around outdoor experiential learning or co-curricular opportunities. As I was able to serve on a university committee alongside faculty in my former professional role, I broadened my perspective about experiential learning and started to delve into curricular opportunities such as undergraduate research, study abroad, capstone courses and more. Getting to delve into more of the curricular aspects was absolutely valuable as part of this coursework, as I more intentionally explored why these practices are expanding, how we are generating best practices, and what these actually look like on college campuses across the nation. Theory is an important aspect, but being able to understand how these programs translate into practice and are structured on campuses, integrated into curricula and institutions, and implemented in classrooms is both exciting and frustrating. It is difficult to realize that while we know empirically that these are valuable pedagogies (Brownell & Swaner, 2010), it is often difficult for institutions to properly support these with the resources they need to thrive and be executed really well. And when you add on the layer of knowing that underrepresented students really benefit (Kuh, 2008) and the lack of resources directing these practices towards underrepresented students, it is downright exasperating. Understanding even more of the complexities around this area is beneficial to be able to take the long-term goal into consideration, but can also be daunting. One way that I can counter the potentially overwhelming aspect of the big picture is to take the smaller opportunities I am connected with and to apply some of the principles that I have been learning about through this class and other opportunities. As I prepare to co-lead an immersion

FINAL REFLECTION

11

trip (short-term co-curricular study trip), the learning from this class about how to design and create reflection activities has come more to the forefront. Most of my understanding was based on Kolbs (1987) experiential learning cycle, asking students to think about What? So What and Now What? I was always intentional to ask students to reflect before, during and after experiences to see their development, manage expectations, to try and name how they are thinking and feeling as they undergo the experience and make meaning of it. But the DEAL model as outlined by Patti Clayton in Jacoby (1996) reminded me to think more deeply about how to ask students to reflect, namely to: discuss the content (the what) of their learning, describe the process of how the y learned it, relate it to why they see this as relevant (to self, to discipline, to greater global context) and connect it to how they will translate this into their future knowledge and experience. Breaking it down to Describe, Evaluate and Articulate Learning is a useful mnemonic and can make it easy to do a quick quality check of exercises designed help students progress in complexity in Blooms taxonomy of learning-- from understanding a concept to integrating it and applying it and eventually creating new knowledge from that knowledge. By using a pattern that students can recognize, whether it is Claytons DEAL or Kolbs what, so what and now what students can come to expect what to look for and learn to think about how they think and learn (metacognition; Evans et al., 2010) to be able to more readily learn from experiences. Design of reflection activities and facilitation of discussions is one of the areas that most intrigues me about these aspects of experiential education. How do you help teach faculty to design effective reflections across disciplines and practices? How do we facilitate meaningful conversations across difference to build cultural competence, address social justice and foster more complex learning? And perhaps more importantly, how do we train, reward and instill within faculty the value of infusing these conversations around difference and justice across disciplines? What tools exist that

FINAL REFLECTION

12

can inspire and inform this work around reflection, and what gaps in research exist that could help faculty to see beyond the fluffy reputation that reflection has? Experiential education practices are still fairly new when you consider the long history of education. While many aspects have been addressed through research, clearly much remains to be explored. I take with me from this class a thirst to continue learning, to ask questions, and potentially to seek to do research that might help inform more about these practices. To accompany this thirst, I have some tools I have acquired that can help me continue my journey. Knowing more resources and professional organizations to look to will be beneficial; these organizations can offer conferences and journals to continue building knowledge and networks. Connections with universities that have strong experiential programs is another benefit as I will be able to look to institutional examples and am more prepared to contact a colleague in the field to learn more or to network. The experience of working with another group was, in the end, also valuable to refresh those skills. While I will seek to remain involved as a consumer and potentially co-creator of knowledge, I hope to also take some larger steps that can help potentially change the systems we work in. From advocating for changes in the tenure process to acknowledge and reward high-impact practices, to bringing up issues of access and social justice, these important changes could potentially significantly shift how we educate students. I have one semester of readings, discussions, field trips, interviews, research, compilations, and thinking under my belt for starting to examine high-impact practices and experiential learning. I have grown significantly personally, but much remains to be done. I look forward to developing even more complex understandings, asking more probing questions, and challenging how we serve those students who can benefit most from engaging in experiential learning.

FINAL REFLECTION

13

References Ash, Clayton, & Moses (2009). Learning Through Critical Reflection: A Tutorial for ServiceLearning Students (Instructors Version). Raleigh, NC. Brownell, J.E. & Swaner, L.E. (2010). Five high-impact practices: Research on learning outcomes, completion and quality. Association of American Colleges and Universities. Boyer E. L. The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities. Stony Brook, NY: 1998. Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS a). (2010). ServiceLearning Programs: CAS Standards and Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.cas.edu/getpdf.cfm?PDF=E86EC8E7-9B94-5F5C9AD22B4FEF375B64 Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS b). (2010). Undergraduate Research Programs: CAS Standards and Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.cas.edu/getpdf.cfm?PDF=E86FBE05-C2EA-4861-

FINAL REFLECTION 3852F5F9FA1C7508

14

Dewey, J. (1938/1997). Experience and education. New York: Simon &Schuster. Einfeld, Einfeld, A. & Collins, D. (2008). The Relationships Between ServiceLearning, Social Justice, Multicultural Competence, and Civic Engagement. Journal of College Student Development, 49.2, 95-109.
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

Gonzalez, C. (2001). Undergraduate Research, Graduate Mentoring, and the University's Mission. Science, 293(5535), 1624. Honnet, E.P. & Poulsen, S.J. (1998) Principles of Good Practice for Combining Service and Learning, The Johnson Foundation Hunter, A. B., Laursen, S.L., Seymour, E. (2006). Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research on students cognitive, personal, and professional development. Sci Ed., 2007; 91:36-74. Implementing and Assessing Internships. (2002). ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 29(3), 65. Jacoby, B. & Associates. (1996). Service-learning in higher education: Concepts and Practices. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

FINAL REFLECTION

15

Kinkead, J. (2003). Learning Through Inquiry: An Overview of Undergraduate Research. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 93, Spring 2003. Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Kuh, G.D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities. Mitchell, T.D. & Donahue, D.M. (2009) "I do more service in this class than I ever do at my site": Paying attention to the reflections of students of color in service-learning. In J. Strait & M. Lima (Eds.). The future of service-learning: New solutions for sustaining and improving practice (pp. 172-190). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. Sweitzer, H.F. & King, M.A. (2009). The successful internship: Personal, professional, and civic development. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.