The project has adapted the more formalised model for community-based learning used in the United States, which is typically known as Service Learning.  This approach is well summarised by Learn and Serve, the USA’s National Service Learning Clearing House, found at http://www.servicelearning.org/what_is_service-learning/service-learning_is/

"Service-learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity change both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content."

This definition is reflected in the pilot community-based learning projects being developed at the University of Birmingham detailed below:

The Business School, BSc Business Management Suite – Level 3

A module called Service Learning for Business Students has been developed and aims to embed student volunteering work experiences in the Business School curriculum.  It will investigate the perceptions of students on how such activity has impacted on their skills levels related to employability. Specifically, research will investigate students’ self-perceived skills levels before a voluntary work experience, and aim to enable them as part of the assessment of the module, to articulate the experience they have gained in skills related to employability.

The Centre for Urban and Regional Studies and the Institute of Local Government Studies, Regenerating Urban Communities module Level 2

This project has undertaken an evaluation of the ACF (Active Community Fund) funded Castle Vale project (the Regenerating Urban Communities module), an existing scheme of community-based education developed in the School of Public Policy. This module focused on community-based regeneration and served to bring residents and students together in an off-campus action-learning environment. The evaluation will serve to provide lessons for the development and implementation of new modules that will extend the principles of embedding student volunteering and enquiry-based learning into the undergraduate curriculum.

Dentistry, Bachelor of Dental Surgery – throughout programme

This project will develop and introduce a new Community Engagement Strand within the Bachelor of Dental Surgery. This strand will be an explicit acknowledgement of the social context of modern Dentistry and is designed to provide a link between early modular and later speciality teaching in the programme and encourage students to make the link between the volunteering activity they undertook prior to applying for their course and the significance of continuing such activities while they undertake their academic programme. The Strand will demonstrate how community engagement can enhance employability and life skills, develop keener problem solving and diagnostic skills through an understanding of different social contexts.

School of Health and Population Sciences-Nursing and Physiotherapy, MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration), Context of Physiotherapy Practice module - Level M

The project has developed the incorporation of service learning into the Year 1 of the MSc (Pre-reg) Physiotherapy programme. The module has been approved and will be delivered in May/June 2009.  This volunteering challenge in service-user social settings will promote greater awareness of service users and their communities. Evaluation of the project will seek evidence of the intervention’s impact in supporting development of a more client-centred approach to practice. In addition the evaluation will explore the project’s potential to enhance employability through enabling development of a wider set of skills.

Institute of Applied Social Studies - BA Social Policy Level I – Second Year Undergraduate

For the past three years the 20 credit second level module ‘Social Policy into Practice: learning through volunteering’ has been offered as an option to BA Social Policy students. The module is designed to enable students to study social policy in practice through the experience of a voluntary placement in a local social policy setting. Voluntary placements are negotiated by the students, with the support of the Student Development team within the Guild and the module co-ordinator, mostly in the public and voluntary sectors. On completion students set their placement experience within the policy and organisational contexts and identify their own learning about policy in practice.
This project will consolidate the learning from the first three years, establish a proactive approach to finding further appropriate volunteering placements for students, and explore the possibilities of introducing a related third year module incorporating the dissertation and introducing a similar M level module for students on MA Social Policy and MA Policy into Practice.

The project has also worked alongside colleagues in the Careers Service and the Guild of Students and has run “Introduction to Volunteering” sessions with the School of Health Science and the Institute of Applied Social Studies, with further dates planned for Dentistry in 2008.  These sessions have offered students the opportunity to examine how their volunteering placements can help them to seek and secure a job, and benefit them in employment through the skills they have gained whilst being a volunteer.

---

Events

Social Enterprise in Action – a conference for students

Social Policy UG and PG students joined students from CURS and the Business School for an inspiring day conference in staff House on 6th November. The conference was one of the results of  discussions between staff from the three departments who all include ‘service-based learning’ – or work-based placements within their programme modules and was funded by the Enhanced Enterprise Education (e-cubed) project in the Learning Development Unit and organised  by  Cathy Bonner and Sue Welland  of the  Embedding Service Learning into the Curriculum project.

Professor Pete Alcock, Director of the Third Sector Research Centre introduced the day and then students had the choice of seven workshops most of which were run by social entrepreneurs from the West Midlands region, including Castle Vale Community Regeneration Services, Marshes Energy Agency, All Saints Action  Network, Mentoring for Educational Achievement and a rural social enterprise, SkillBuilders.

The student evaluation of the day was very positive with the lunch being particularly mentioned – and a note that ‘all the staff smiled’!  Most found the speakers inspiring and there was a buzz of interest and lots of interaction between the students and the speakers. Filming took place throughout the day and a DVD will be produced based on the day as well as other teaching materials.

Liz Ross
Lecturer and Social Researcher
Institute of Applied Social Studies

---

For more information on Embedding Service Learning into the Curriculum, please contact:

Pat Askey
Tel: 0121 414 2961
email: p.a.askey@bham.ac.uk