Volunteer Presentation October 2013

Putting Education to Good Use: Undergraduate Volunteering at a Non-Profit Organization Alexandra Howell, M.S. Columbia College Chicago

Presentation  Pedagogical Development  Habitat for Humanity of Benton County, Oregon

 Summer 2012 Course and Project Outline  6/17/12: The Project Begins!  7/7/12: First Day at a Build Site  7/10/12: In-Class Reflection  Results  Future Projects

Developing Pedagogy  “Service-learning is a course-based service experience that produces the best outcomes when meaningful service activities are related to course material through reflection activities such as directed writings, small group discussions, and class presentations” (Bringle & Hatcher, 1996, p. 222).  “Developing service learning at the institutional level has been characterized as a cycle that includes awareness, planning, prototype, support, expansion, and evaluation” (Kupiec, 1993; as cited in Bringle & Hatcher, 1996, p. 223).  Bringle and Hatcher’s (1996) Comprehensive Action Plan for Service Learning (CAPSL)

Developing Pedagogy  Learning Outcomes 1.Employ existing educational competencies*

2.Engage with the local community 3.Development of teamwork and leadership abilities

Habitat for Humanity of Benton County  Originally formed in 2000  57 successful home builds in Benton County  175 Habitat family members living in affordable housing  3 homes currently under construction in Benton County

Course Schedule Summer 2012  June 25 – August 16  8-week summer course

 19 undergraduate students enrolled in a social psychology of appearance course  15 of 19 students had no prior knowledge or volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity  Primarily merchandising management and apparel design majors  Other majors enrolled were business, biology, and engineering

Project Outline  Students were required to complete 12 volunteer hours  Students voluntarily partnered up with “work buddies” based on major, desired volunteer interest, and availability  Students engaged in post-volunteer reflections as a group and wrote individual papers reflecting on their experiences

The Project Begins Wednesday June 27, 2012

Habitat for Humanity Seminar  Bettina Schempf, former Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Benton County, provided students with a seminar on the current needs at the local branch:  Skilled expertise in design and merchandising for relocation and summer builds  Volunteers to complete summer builds

First Day at a Build Site Saturday July 7, 2012

ReStore Build Site  6 hours of volunteering  Work side-by-side with longstanding community volunteers in  Construction  Design  Organization

 Provide exposure to volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity

A Group Reflection Tuesday July 10, 2013

Initial Reactions to Volunteering Best experience of my undergraduate career I’m curious‌will it get better?

Boring, under utilized,

6 Hours Left…  Students completed the remaining 6 hours with their “work buddies”  Students completed their remaining hours in their areas of interest  Designers (housing & interiors) worked at a local home build site in Philomath, Oregon  Merchandising worked at the current ReStore in Corvallis, OR  Non-major students picked their worked site based on interest

The Final Paper & Presentation  In an effort to keep with the desired learning outcomes students answered three questions in their final papers: 1.

2.

3.

Provide an inventory of your experiences (where did you work and what did you do) Provide a connection to one or more course concepts* (appearance & consumption) Reflection ( overall how was your experience)

The Results: Design  Design students had a more positive experience with the project  They were able to clearly articulate where and how their educational competencies were applied  The designers also expressed a greater connection to their “work buddy” and communicated an understanding of the importance of teamwork

The Results: Merchandising  The merchandisers had a more negative experience with the project  Difficulty applying merchandising skills at the ReStore  They were able to identify the need for future volunteers to create a comprehensive inventory database to better organize ReStore merchandise

Future Volunteering Experiences  In a second iteration of this project students would: 1.Engage in a more comprehensive Habitat for Humanity Seminar prior to the first day of volunteering

2.Outline their own volunteer initiatives and goals 3.Dedicate more time outside of class to the volunteer experience

Service-Learning Partnerships Available Across the Nation

Questions?

References Available ahowell@colum.edu