Passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009 led to wide support for service-learning programs in high schools. The effectiveness of these programs on future volunteerism in college, however, has not been established. In the absence of research clarifying the variables that might influence programming effectiveness, it is difficult to design and adapt such programs to increase their impact. This study explored how high school service-learning programs could be improved to encourage greater student participation and to motivate continued volunteerism in college. A multiple case study methodology was used that included face-to-face interviews with 7 teachers and service-learning coordinators from private, public, and faith-based high schools in the Los Angeles area. Also, phone interviews were conducted with 6 experts in the field of service learning who were identified in a review of the literature. Interview data were coded based on findings from the service-learning literature. Data analysis included a comparison of the 3 types of schools as well as identification of strategies for effective service learning in high schools, areas of improvement, and obstacles that may be encountered while implementing improvements. Each of the schools integrated only some of the identified practices, which included increasing student reflection, giving students a stronger voice in the program, and tying service learning with standardized test outcomes. Recommendations from this study provide high school administrators and service-learning teachers with ideas and tools to enhance their programming. Thus, the results of this study can be used to improve the likelihood that high school students will have high-quality service-learning experiences and will continue volunteering in college.

The academic benefits and enhanced social responsibility that students derive from service-learning (SL), defined as experiential learning that ties community service to academic courses, have been well documented. However, for a college to fully institutionalize SL, a high proportion of faculty needs to include SL in their courses. Based in Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of this study was to enhance planners' understanding of how college faculty's past experiences assigning SL influence their inclination to assign SL in future courses. In this basic qualitative interpretive study, data were collected from 13 individual interviews with faculty who assigned SL at a Southern metropolitan university. Findings were interpreted using Chickering's 7 vectors of student development from the conceptual framework and other relevant perspectives from the literature. One of the major themes from emergent coding of data was that faculty viewed some difficulties as challenges to be overcome rather than as deterrents to using SL. To reduce deterrents, institutions could compensate for extra time required for SL by providing stipends, released time, and support databases; recognizing SL in tenure and promotion; and helping faculty brainstorm how to incorporate SL into courses. To increase incentives to use SL, institutions could provide a full range of training and support for faculty. More courses with SL, besides increasing benefits of SL for all stakeholders, may mean that students form the habit of serving in the community and continue serving and contributing to positive social change, perhaps for a lifetime.

Passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009 led to wide support for service-learning programs in high schools. The effectiveness of these programs on future volunteerism in college, however, has not been established. In the absence of research clarifying the variables that might influence programming effectiveness, it is difficult to design and adapt such programs to increase their impact. This study explored how high school service-learning programs could be improved to encourage greater student participation and to motivate continued volunteerism in college. A multiple case study methodology was used that included face-to-face interviews with 7 teachers and service-learning coordinators from private, public, and faith-based high schools in the Los Angeles area. Also, phone interviews were conducted with 6 experts in the field of service learning who were identified in a review of the literature. Interview data were coded based on findings from the service-learning literature. Data analysis included a comparison of the 3 types of schools as well as identification of strategies for effective service learning in high schools, areas of improvement, and obstacles that may be encountered while implementing improvements. Each of the schools integrated only some of the identified practices, which included increasing student reflection, giving students a stronger voice in the program, and tying service learning with standardized test outcomes. Recommendations from this study provide high school administrators and service-learning teachers with ideas and tools to enhance their programming. Thus, the results of this study can be used to improve the likelihood that high school students will have high-quality service-learning experiences and will continue volunteering in college.

Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2009. / Title from title screen (viewed 7/29/2009). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145--152).

For several years, the Family Life Education and Gerontology classes have been involved in an intergenerational teaching/learning project. By matching Millennials and Baby Boomers in computer literacy classes, it builds bridges across generations. The students are teamed up with Seniors through a “Cyber Seniors” project, under the auspices of Collat Jewish Family Services (CJFS), which in turn is supported by United Way. The Seniors are encouraged to develop and expand their computer skills on any electronic device of their choosing. Out of these interactions a number of anticipated and unanticipated outcomes were achieved. The project supports computer related skills, and internet safety and privacy for Seniors. The metacognitive learning that took place in both parties, was unanticipated and most rewarding. Students gained respect, empathy and greater understanding for the Seniors. Teaching, learning and socializing were intertwined and the Seniors spoke highly of the social benefits of these meetings.

Durch Service Learning, das aktuell an deutschen Hochschulen an Bekanntheit und Verbreitung gewinnt, soll soziales Lernen und gesellschaftliches Engagement in Studium und Lehre verankert werden. Nach einem kurzen Überblick zur Idee und Entstehungsgeschichte dieses Ansatzes wird eine neue Initiative der Universität Augsburg vorgestellt, durch die das Engagement von Studierenden in sozialen Einrichtungen im Umfeld der Universität gefördert wird. Der Beitrag arbeitet im Hinblick auf dieses Projekt heraus, wie diese Initiative an zahlreiche Einzelprojekte anknüpft und diese in eine gesamtuniversitäre Strategie einbindet. Digitale Medien spielen dabei eine zentrale Rolle bei der Kommunikation der Projektidee und bei der Vernetzung der heterogenen Beteiligtengruppen.

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<p>While there are numerous studies of the police, few have addressed the changes in policing that have occurred since the turn of century. Prior studies address issues such as police effectiveness, social control, the military model of police organization, police socialization, and the relationship between crime rates and the size of police forces. Although these studies have provided insight into different aspects of policing, they have not established a comprehensive understanding of the police as an institution. In other words, we have little understanding of what has caused the police to change. Further, we know little about the substance and consequences of change.</p> <p>My goal is to conduct an exploratory study of changes in policing by examining the main trends in the Hamilton, Ontario, Police Department between 1900 and 1973. Trends in economics, organization and work are considered. The study provides significant findings, which can be understood in relation to the existing literature, and can provide new questions to serve as the basis for future research.</p> <p>I explain trends in policing in relation to larger social and historical factors including population growth, the changing distribution of crime, and the role of the automobile. Change was pluralistic; different factors contributed to major changes in policing. Often, change was the result of external circumstances -the larger social context provided both the motivation for change and the possible range of alternatives that could be implemented. In Hamilton, the twentieth century was a period of considerable population growth. At the same time, the city was being transformed by the automobile, a revolution that redefined urban space, patterns of social interaction and the mobility of citizens. Over the course of the century, there was a substantial shift in the distribution of criminal offenses. It is within this context that significant changes to policing occurred.</p> <p>The police responded to the changing times by changing themselves. The growth of the Department paralleled that of the city. The police adopted cars and motorcycles for patrols to cope with traffic problems and to provide a quick response to citizens in need. The Department was completely reorganized and became more professional. At the same time, the costs of policing were rising. Police chiefs continually struggled to find ways to cope with rising wages and declining work weeks. Citizens would be hired, technology employed, patrol strategies changed to cope with declining productivity.</p> <p>The findings of my research suggest that changes to the Hamilton Police can be understood in terms of diffusion theory. The larger social milieu provided not only the motivation for change: it limited the range of possible solutions at any given point in time. I argue that changes to the Police Department were a direct result of their ability to adopt innovations. Ultimately, to understand the police we must view them as social and historical products.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

From the very beginning, library education has been a mixture of theory and practice. Dewey required apprenticeships to be part of the first library school at the University of Chicago as a method to indoctrinate new professional. Today, acculturation is incorporated into the professional education through a large variety of experiential learning techniques, including internships, practicum, field work, and service learning projects, all of which are designed to develop some level of professional skills within an information organization. But, what is done for understanding library culture? It is said that one cannot truly recognize the extent of one's own cultural assumptions, until they have experienced another. This study followed a group of LIS graduate students that took that next step – going to Russia. By employing a critical hermeneutic methodology, this study sought to understand what value students gain by from working on an assessment project in an international school library. Using a horizon analysis, the researcher established the worldview of participants prior to their departure, analyzed their experience through post-experience interviews, and constructed an understanding of value. Among other concepts, the researcher looked specifically to see whether "library cultural competency", understanding library culture in global context, was developed through working on a service learning project within an international school library. This dissertation provides feedback for the program leaders and ideas for future research.