|
Newsletter Fall 2000
Content:
Welcome to the Clearinghouse...
A New Project Director!
The UCLA Service-Learning Clearinghouse Project is pleased to introduce Dr. Lori
Vogelgesang as the new Director. Lori was most recently employed as a research analyst for the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute, where her research consisted of a national study on service learning as well as work in the areas of leadership, diversity, civic engagement and institutional transformation. Lori also served as part of the RAND evaluation team for the Corporation's Learn and Serve America Higher Education programs. We believe that Lori's extensive knowledge will provide outstanding leadership for the Clearinghouse. You may contact Lori directly at (310) 206-4815 or by email at
vogel@ucla.edu.
Farewell...
We also want to take this opportunity to wish Elaine Ikeda the very best as she assumes the Executive Director position at the California Campus Compact. Elaine has provided outstanding leadership to the Clearinghouse, and we will miss her very much here at UCLA.
RETAINING STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY AGENCIES
One of the concerns that we hear from community partners is that community agencies invest time and energy to train students, only to have students disappear after a quarter or semester. Then these agencies must begin the training process again with a new group of students to fill the voids left by disappearing students. We recently asked the Learn and Serve America higher education grantees and subgrantees to share strategies that they have used on their campuses to address the problem of retaining students trained by community agencies. Here are some of the suggestions:
Start with a clear understanding of the expectations and requirements of all participants. Maintain open lines of communication among agencies, instructors and students. Match students with appropriate agencies. (Marcia
Shideler, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS).
INFORMATION FOR DESIGNING WEB PAGES THAT WORK
By: Rachel Delgadillo
One of the projects that the UCLA Service-Learning Clearinghouse Project is currently undertaking is the development of a "Roadmap" of service-learning programs and organizations. We are inventory my service-learning web sites including individual college and university sites. The project is examining how institutions of higher education use the web to inform faculty, students, and community partners about service learning. We have uncovered some interesting findings that have led us to compile a list of best practices.
As a librarian who has taught classes on how to search and locate information on the Internet, I find searching for information about service learning to be both rewarding and frustrating. Rewarding because there are some very good sites that are well designed and informative and demonstrate the great potential the Internet has to inform people about new programs, practices and developments in the service-learning field. I am frustrated by hard to locate information, sites with poorly conceived and executed search engines and web pages that even an experienced searcher has difficulty navigating because of poor organization.
This article describes some of the best practices we have found. It provides helpful advice on creating and maintaining web sites that can be used to attract students, faculty and administrators to service learning.
Location, Location, Location
Keep the real estate advice in mind when linking from the institution's main page to your service learning page; location is everything. Searchers can't find information that is hidden by confusing titles or under departments that don't seem to have a clear connection to service-learning. We found several sites where the service-learning pages were "hidden" under "First Year Program" and "Teaching Program." The only way searchers can find sites is when sites are located under titles that are clear and intuitive to the searcher. The service learning sites we had the easiest time locating from institutional home pages were found under "Student Activities" and "Academic Programs."
Color
Remember the old saying that too much of a good thing is a bad thing? Well, too many colors detract from the information on the site. Avoid dark backgrounds too. Sites with dark colors are difficult to read and when printing information from these sites, the background may be indistinguishable from the wording. Institutional policy may dictate that your web page utilize the school colors as the background and those colors may be dark tones such as burgundy. Try using a background that has a hint of burgundy instead of solid burgundy. Another color distraction is changing the color of the font every other paragraph.
Font Size
The standard font size used for printing documents, 10 or 12 point, is difficult to read on a computer screen. Use 14 point font or larger for best results.
Bells and Whistles
Avoid graphics that provides no information and grab the searchers' attention away from written information. The best ways to convey information are clearly well written statements on plain backgrounds. Breaking up the text with pictures or highlighting important dates and deadlines in text boxes are good ways of holding the searchers' attention.
Order of Information
List information about location, office hours and key personnel on the first page of your site. Include pictures of the staff as a means of facilitating personal connections with students and faculty When writing the text for this section, pretend that you are a student who has never visited your campus. Don't write, "we are located next to Smith Hall, across the commons from Jones Library." Develop a map with directions to the service learning office and have a picture of the building on the page.
Table of Contents
Searchers may experience information overload if information is not well organized. Keep web pages short by utilizing an easy to use table of contents. Use category labels that are descriptive such as "Course Listings" "Forms" and "Faculty Information." Consider developing a separate table of contents for administrators, faculty, students and community partners.
Updating and Maintenance
If you link to other sites, check them on a monthly basis. It is aggravating to searchers to click on to a link and receive a "404-error" message. Fix the links that are broken or remove them until the link is repaired or you are able to locate an updated address. Provide timely and up-to-date messages about future events and deadlines. If your page had not been updated in six months, consider posting an "under construction" sign on it and begin updating your site immediately. Because of the time involved in updating and maintaining a web page, you may wish to consider hiring a student familiar with web page design to assist you.
Summary
Web pages are an excellent way of connecting and informing students, faculty and community partners about service learning. Well-conceived and smartly created web pages are an asset to every service-learning organization and program that has spent the time and effort to develop one. The best sites all have the following characteristics in common:
· Pages that are easy to locate from the institution's home page
· Information that is well written and organized
· Tables of content and organization structures that enhance searching and promote site exploration
· Links that connect *
WEB SITES THAT WORK
While gathering information for the service-learning "Roadmap" we came across a number of web
sites that we think serve as good examples of web sites that work. It is interesting to note that the pages are from a wide spectrum of higher education institution, from Ivy League schools to small liberal arts colleges to community colleges and every size in between.
Excellent Overall Sites:
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis-Center for Public Service and Leadership, Office of
Service Learning.
Highlights: Faculty page that describes ways to integrate service learning into classroom curriculum. There is also a page of reflection exercises.
( www.psynt.iupui.edu/epsi/CPSIhome.htm
)
Providence College-The Feinstein Institute for PubIc Service.
Highlight: A list of objectives for making service-learning work.
( www.providence.edu/psp)
San Diego State University-Center for Community Based Service Learning.
Highlight: A service learning resource library. ( http://starter.sdsu.edu/ccbsl
)
University of Virginia-Madison House-Student Volunteer Center.
Highlight: Online resource manual for students. ( http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~madison)
Faculty Resources:
Calvin College-Service Learning Center.
Highlight: Checklist for faculty for integrating service learning into the
curriculm.
( www.calvin.edu/admin/slc)
Denison University-Center for Service-Learning.
Highlight: Faculty guidelines for developing service-learning classes.
( www.denison.edu/service-learning)
Humboldt State University.
Highlight: Elements of high quality service learning programs.
( www.humboldt.edu/~slee/)
Miami-Dade Community College- The Center for
Community Involvement and Civic Literacy.
Highlights: How faculty can get started in service learning and a bibliography of service learning resources.
( www.mdee.edu/servicelearning/)
North Carolina Central University.
Highlight: Faculty guide for service learning. www.nccu.edu/commserv/serve.htm
)
Student Resources:
Seattle Central Community College-Service Learning Program.
Highlight: Service learning manual for students.
( www.sccd.ctc.edu/~ccslp/
)
University of Rhode Island-Feinstein Center for Service
Learning.
Highlights: Year by year plan for service and tips for
keeping a service-learning journal.
( www.uri.edu/volunteer)
University of Washington-Carlson Leadership and
Public Service Center.
(
www.washington.edu/students/carlson/ )
Community Partners:
Georgetown University-Volunteer & Public Service Center
Highlights: Information about community driven research and program evaluation.
(www.georgetown.edu/outreach/vps/
)
Macalester College-Community Service Office.
Highlight: Community partners organized by interest.
(www.macalester.edu/~cso) *
A New Service Learning Web
Site from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Service-Learning in Composition
http://www.ncte.org/service/
Announcing a new web resource for the service learning community. Highlights include:
· Teaching resources: syllabi, assignments and advice for teachers
· Program descriptions of service-learning initiatives
· Bibliographies and works in progress
· Examples of student projects
· A listserv
Examine how students are encouraged to stay on as volunteers after their service-learning commitment is over.
Are students welcome to stay with their agencies if they choose?
Is student feedback about their experience welcomed?
Are students assisted in connecting with other long-term volunteers?
Are students involved with interesting, developmental work?
Are students asked to speak to classes in collaboration with faculty about service-learning?
Are students encouraged to have friends join them? (Betsy Warriner, Partners in Learning, Portland, OR). *
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: The EPI CENTER-
Effective Practices Information Center
Sponsored by the Corporation for National Service
An online database of effective program practices to support practitioners in developing sustainable programs that lead to positive outcomes. Practices are provided by program staff, members, volunteers and service partners throughout the country. Examples include tutoring, conflict resolution, developing partnerships and collaborations with the private sector and local government, and much more.
Visit this site at: http://www.cns.gov/resources/epicenter
UCLA Service-Learning Clearinghouse Project
2005C Moore Hall · Box 951521
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1521
Phone: (310) 206-4815. Fax: (310) 794-5004
Harold G. Levine, Helen S. Astin,
Principal Investigator Principal Investigator
Lori Vogelgesang, Rachel Delgadillo,
Prolect Director Research Analyst
Kejian Jin, Website Designer
The UCLA Service-Learning Clearinghouse Project is funded by the Corporation for National Service and the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.
For additional copies of this newsletter or for more information about the UCLA Service-Learning Clearinghouse Project, contact our office at (310) 206-4815 or
heslcp@gseis.ucla.edu.
Contact
us by form mail:
(c) UCLA Service Learning Clearinghouse Project
|
