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From PSYC4P07 Winter 2013: Group 06

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-	Brock University is a strong supporter for the need of Service Learning experiences through Co-op and placement opportunities for their student population. Brock University follows a set of guidelines by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE) in which service learning/co-op programs must abide to:	+	[http://www.brocku.ca Brock University] is a strong supporter for the need of Service Learning experiences through Co-op and placement opportunities for their student population. Brock University follows a set of guidelines by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE) in which service learning/co-op programs must abide to:
	* Each work situation is developed and approved by the educational institution		* Each work situation is developed and approved by the educational institution
	* The student is engaged in productive work rather than merely observing		* The student is engaged in productive work rather than merely observing

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Revision as of 14:41, 13 February 2013

Contents 1 Effective Programs Available at Brock University 1.1 Service Learning at Brock 1.2 Declared Benefits of Brock's Service Learning Opportunities 2 Service Learning Opportunities in Psychology 3 Service Learning Opportunities at Brock 4 What Makes a Good Service Learning Experience? 4.1 Does Brock Have it? 5 Ineffective Programs at Brock University 5.1 Service Learning 5.1.1 Service Learning in the Psychology Department 5.2 Co-op 5.3 Notes and References

Effective Programs Available at Brock University

Brock University offers a large amount of serving learning experiences, specifically co-op programs, that are available for students. There are co-op programs that serve the Psychology students directly, and service learning experiences for the rest of Brock's population through other programs, courses, etc.

Service Learning at Brock

Brock University is a strong supporter for the need of Service Learning experiences through Co-op and placement opportunities for their student population. Brock University follows a set of guidelines by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE) in which service learning/co-op programs must abide to:

• Each work situation is developed and approved by the educational institution
• The student is engaged in productive work rather than merely observing
• The student received compensation for the work performed
• The student’s progress is monitored by the institution
• The student’s performance on the job is supervised and evaluated ^[1]

Brock University also implies their “Brock Co-op Advantage” which states that:

• There is nearly a 100% placement rate for students across all programs
• Brock screens all postings to ensure relevant and valuable work terms
• Brock is the third largest co-op school in the province ^[1]

Declared Benefits of Brock's Service Learning Opportunities

Brock University states that their service learning/co-op experiences provide students will clear advantages that will support them in their future. These advantages, take directly from the Brock website, are as follows:

• Students are available year round and can begin work in January, May or September. The typical work term length is four months in duration, but extended placements are easily enabled.
• Students are selected from a broad pool of candidates and accepted on the basis of academic performance
• Participation in weekly employment readiness workshops, delivered by corporate executives and partners, prepares students for transition to the business world. ^[2]

Service Learning Opportunities in Psychology

Brock University’s Psychology Co-op program focuses on “employable skills,” not just academic conduct ^[3] . The Psychology Department emphasizes statistics, data analysis, research and training ^[3] . Students generally complete two years of academic curriculum at Brock University, followed by 2 work terms in year three, and a final work term in fourth year, followed by two consecutive terms of academic curriculum ^[3].

The only example of a possible co-op opportunity available in the Psychology Department of Brock University that is presented on the Borock website is that of a Research Assistant ^[3]. Research Assistants are generally responsible for assisting a researcher in their research ^[4]. These assistants are not independent and not completely and directly responsible for the outcome of the research. The opportunity for a student to partake in this type of co-op program would definitely strengthen a student’s researching, data collecting, and communication skills.

In all, the Brock University website focuses a great deal of attention on the general aspects of the co-op service learning opportunities offered at Brock University, but shares little about the specifics of said programs, particularly Psychology Co-op Programs.

Service Learning Opportunities at Brock

As discussed above, Brock University provides little-to-no information on the specifics of the Psychology Co-op programs that they offer to their student population. Brock University has, however, implemented several service learning experiences open to the student population. Some of these include:

• Foundations for Community Engagement (SOCI 2F60): This combines community involvement with academic study of local issues and the citizens responses to these issues. Lectures, readings and seminars are still used through out the course, but themes are “brought to life” by out-of-classroom learning opportunities during the academic year. These learning opportunities may include volunteer work, art events, tours, public lectures, etc.
• Service Learning in the Faculty of Business

This is specifically a project-based learning strategy that connects classroom theory to actual real-world experienced challenges. These projects are incorporated into several business courses each year at Brock University with a dedicated Relationship Manager that works closely with the faculty of Brock University and the surrounding community partners. ^[5]

What Makes a Good Service Learning Experience?

According to Carol Ma and Florence Fong, Service Learning combines academic and volunteer/paid services ^[6]. The specific service performed by students reflects their academic study through critical thought processes and self-reflection, ^[6]. Service learning on college/university campuses used to just include extracurricular activities, but today it is frequently incorporated into curriculum designs ^[7] There is an increasing interest in how a service learning experience should be set up so that the individual receives the most benefits from it. For example, Mckinnon and Fealy suggest that service learning should focus on a range of activities and outcomes, such as community service, civic engagement, citizenship, social responsibility and cultural competence ^[8]. Bosma et al. (2010)determined that communication, shared decision making, shared resources, expertise and credibility, sufficient time, and flexibility are essential for successful partnerships in service learning experiences ^[9] Weigert’s Central Elements of Service Learning

According to Weigert, there are several important factors that need to be present for a successful Service Learning/Co-op experience:

• Community collaboration must be present from the very beginning
• The service in which the students engage in is based on course objectives and feeds out of them
• The service is incorporated into the course through necessary reflective assignments
• Assignments must be assessed and evaluated in order to improve academic work ^[7]

As presented in Smith et al. (2011) article on the Quality of Service Learning, six hallmarks of high quality service learning are discussed:

• Integrated Learning: service experience is purposely connected to academic goals
• Community Service: service should respond to a need identified by the community
• Collaborative Development and Management: participants have a shared value
• Civic Engagement and a Sense of Community Responsibility
• Contemplation: the importance of reflective exercises
• Evaluation and Disclosure: engage in critical evaluation of the experience to interpret results ^[10]

Does Brock Have it?

Based on the research mentioned above, it seems as though Brock is meeting some standards of the service-learning experience requirements. Psychology co-op opportunities are directly connected to Brock’s curriculum plans, and students engage in productive work which gives them a sense of community responsibility. Students also collaborate with researchers to find information for them and manage their study. Based on information available on the Brock website (which is limited), important elements that are missing from Psychology learning experiences specifically include: the necessity to community service (most co-op programs are a source of income), the importance of reflective exercises (no mention of this being a part of the process) and evaluation and disclosure.

Ineffective Programs at Brock University

Brock University offers many service learning and co-op programs to its students. However, access to these programs has become limited to students in the psychology department. Also, the programs that are available to psychology students are greatly lacking in their ability to enhance students’ ability to foster and promote creativity.

Service Learning

Service learning programs are designed to allow students to engage in both an academic and community setting ^[11].^[12] Service learning programs at Brock University also involve a critical thinking section in which students must reflect on their community involvement ^[12]. According to Levesque-Bristol et al. (2010)^[11] and McKinnon & Fealy ^[13] the best service learning programs align academic goals with the community goals. These service learning programs are also designed to allow students to develop some social responsibility, become educated citizens about their own world, enhance motivation to learn, and to become more actively involved in political and social domains. Currently Brock University offers the following service learning programs:

• Foundations for Community Engagement (SOCI 2F60)
• Experiential Education in Recreation and Leisure (RECL 4Q96)
• International Perspectives on Development through Sport, Health and Physical Education (PEKN 4F32)
• Project-Based Teaching-Learning in the Faculty of Business

Service Learning in the Psychology Department

There is no specific course for psychology students to be able to engage in service learning at Brock. However, any student enrolled at Brock can register for the foundations for community engagement course, so psychology students are able to take this course if they are informed about it ^[14]. Gaining access to the service learning course is not convenient for psychology majors, unless students are explicitly told about this course or go looking on their own for service learning courses they are not going to find the course since the course is located in the sociology section of the course calendar. Also, this course is officially a sociology course and in turn the community involvement becomes more sociologically based than psychological. This course limits psychology students by not allowing them to engage in community issues that are related to psychology that may be important to them, which is an important factor for service learning programs. If the student does not relate to the community activities or feel as if they have a choice then they are not going to be motivated to be involved in such a course and in turn their motivation to reflect on creative solutions to community issues may become limited ^[11].

Co-op

Co-op programs are designed to alternate academic terms with work terms ^{[15] [16]}. The alteration of work and academic terms is designed so that students can develop skills during the work terms that can then be applied to academic terms ^[15] and so students can see how academic material can be applied to real job settings ^[17] .. A good co-op program should individualize each students learning which allows the student to become motivated and actively involved in their own learning ^[18]. Good co-op programs should also provide lots of support for the student, such as resume building, interview practice ^[15], role models and feedback ^[18].There are many cons to the psychology co-op program at Brock University such as access, financial costs, and inadequate supports.

Notes and References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Brock University. Considering Co-op? Retrieved from http://www.brocku.ca/co-op/future-students-2/what-is-co-op
2. ↑ Brock University. Benefits of Brock Co-op Retrieved from http://www.brocku.ca/co-op/employers/benefits-of-brock-co-op
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Brock University. Brock University: Co-op, Going Places. Retrieved from https://experience.brocku.ca/UserFiles/File/Forms/BrockCo-Op-GoingPlaces.pdf
4. ↑ Wikipedia. Research Assitants Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_assistant
5. ↑ Brock University. A Sample of Service Learning Opportunities. Retrieved from http://www.brocku.ca/service-learning/service-learning-courses
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Permaul, J. (2009). Theoretical bases for service-learning: implications for program design and effectiveness. New Horizons in Education, 3, 1-8.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Robbins, C. Expanding service-learning in the humanities among First-Generation, Minority-Population, and Non-Traditional Students: A Mixed Participation, Mixed Assessment Model. Interdisciplinary Humanities, 24-40.
8. ↑ Mckinnon & Fealy. Core Principles for developing global service learning programs in Nursing. Global Service-Learning, 32(2), 92-101.
9. ↑ Stephenson, T., Stephenson, L., & Mayes, L. (2012). Engaging students in service learning through collaboration with extension: a recipe for success with Community partners. NACTA Journal, 78-84.
10. ↑ Smith, B., Gahagan, J., McQuillin, S., Haywood, B., Cole, C., Bolton, C., & Wampler, M. (2011). The development of a service-learning program for first year students based on the hallmarks of high quality service-learning and rigorous program evaluation. Innov High Educ, 36, 317-329.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} Levesque-Bristol, C.,Knapp, T.D., & Fisher, B.J. (2010). The effectiveness of service-learning: It's not always what you think. Journal of Experiential Education, 33(3) 208-224.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Raddon, M. Student community outreach: What is service learning? Retrieved from http://http://www.brocku.ca/service-learning
13. ↑ Mckinnon, T.H., & Fealy, G. (March/April). Core principles for developing global service-learning programs in nursing.Nursing Education Perspectives, 32(2), 95-101.
14. ↑ Raddon, M. Service learning at Brock: A sample of service learning courses. Retrieved from http://http://www.brocku.ca/service-learning/service-learning-courses
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2} Hoffart,N., Diani, J.A., Connors,M., & Moynihan, P.(2006). Outcomes of cooperative education in a baccalaureate program in nursing. Nursing Education Perspectives, 27(3), 136-143
16. ↑ Brock University. Brock Univeristy co-op: Going places.St Catharines, Ontario: Co-op Office
17. ↑ Brock University (2012)Undergraduate co-op manual 2012/2013. St Catahrines, Ontario: Co-op Office
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Cates,C., & Jones, P.(1999). Learning outcomes: The educational value of cooperative education. Columbia, MD: Cooperative Education Association.

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