SERVICE, ENGAGEMENT, AND ACCREDITATION

Measuring Outcomes

Indiana Campus Compact

Indianapolis, IN

November 10, 2005

DEVELOPMENT OF GOALS/OUTCOMES

Mission statement(s): vision, values, goals Goals and objective for general education NSSE/benchmarking Defined in course requirement(s) Strategic planning goals Freshman year experience Goals/outcomes to fit specific types of students Institutional definition/promotion/distinctiveness

PROCESS

Mission revision General education review Lilly funding stimulus Clearer definition of purposes of existing

partnerships Just start, then shape and define SL or CE office leadership Triggered by self-study/AQIP processes

PROCESS

Incubators (faculty/departments) Created through partnership projects

EVIDENCE

Transcript/course numbering Student work/journals/course products Student identification of learning

outcomes/growth/change Basic bean counting (how many did . . .) Integrate into capstone experiences Community survey Creative data mining

EVIDENCE

Testimonials (agency, students, faculty) Sampling? Portfolios (structure, discipline) National tools (NSSE) Kellogg Study framework (7 part test) Include student organizations and clubs

CHALLENGES

Soft money Lack of valid instruments for measuring Measuring competencies Fit of service learning for working adults Conundrum of “definitions”/tracking Cost of accessing some useful information Incentivization that gets results Role of faculty rewards/recognition Highly decentralized nature of varieties of

engagement on campus

CHALLENGES

Politicization of many social justice issues/voting Faculty buy-in/sharing responsibility--adjuncts, too. Distinguishing actions of individuals from university

position Appropriateness of “triad” to what institutions want

for student Maintaining relationships over the long haul. Moving beyond listing to critical reflection Fit to minority students/communities Who defines outcomes in a partnership?

CHALLENGES

Differential value of projects to the college/community

Urban/rural differences Relationship of service learning to needs that are

driving the economy

SUGGESTIONS

Conferences: Florida State Institute on College Student Values; Educators for Community Engagement: . . . .

See this as shifting cultures, not just tinkering with what exists

Use the scholarship of engagement/service: e.g. Michigan Journal of Community and Service Learning

Social justice vs social responsibility Be satisfied with temporary answers as you search for

longer term solutions

COMMENTS

Unique position of Indiana Shifting campus culture is hard although not

impossible. Unique window of opportunity: who shapes the

academy and for what ends? Central role of faculty, but new openness to issues

of learning and pedagogy. Asking questions is a good thing and not a bad

place to be.

INDIANA CAMPUS COMPACT

Jackie McCracken

Executive Director

jacmccra@iupui.edu

www.indianacampuscompact.org