Training and Professional Development

  • Service Learning Faculty Fellows Program 2023

    Join our Service Learning Fellows Program 2023!

    Search for the Newest Classroom and Community In·no·va·tors 

    /ˈinəˌvādər/ 

    noun 

    a person who introduces new methods, ideas, or products.

     

    The Office of Outreach and Engagement is excited to bring back a building block of Service Learning (SL) here at the University—the Service Learning Faculty Fellows Program. We are looking for six new SL Faculty Fellows to offer their courses in fall of 2023. 

    This will be a full year program (January 2023 to December of 2023) where faculty will learn and develop Service Learning in alignment with their teaching, research, and grant funding. Faculty who apply can be new to Service Learning or have done it for years. This program will support the development of courses under the guidelines of the new Common Core curriculum and any Life Transformative Education a faculty may want to pursue.  

    The time commitment is roughly eight hours for orientation, two hours a month for monthly faculty fellow meetings, in addition to planning and development time in between meetings (approximately six hours), and any other events, workshops, talks, meetings that develop ideas further with partners and other stakeholders. Summer will be used for finalizing course logistics with implementation for fall of 2023. 

    Through the Fellows Program you will build knowledge about:

    • community-academic partnerships
    • collective impact
    • interdisciplinary social change projects
    • community-based participatory research and public scholarship
    • long term project development and partnership strategy
    • cultural humility and how to portray it in the classroom and community
    • the SL trajectory [project --> research --> grant funding]
    • marketing your outcomes 

     

    1) Submit an intent to apply here by Monday, December 19, 2022.   

     

    2) Submit your Fellows Application by Friday, January 6, 2023.  

     

    3) If you are accepted, be sure to anticipate orientation for Friday, January 27, 2023, Faculty Orientation Date (IN-PERSON) (*required attendance - if you want to apply but this date does not work for you, please email julia.yakovich@uconn.edu)

     

    Service Learning Fellow Orientation Overview (may be altered)   

    • Introduction to Service Learning and the Critical Components  

    • Alignment of course goals and objectives to community project(s) 

    • Creating a mutually beneficial relationship with community  

    • Reflection  

    • Service Learning research and outcomes  

    • Critical vs. Traditional Service Learning Overview 

    • Brainstorming where SL fits into your courses and how to begin 

    • Building partnerships with the community  

    • Creating long and strategic relationships  


    Remainder of the Fellow Year:

    • SL Pedagogy: Overview of development and key ideas 

    • Critical Reflection: How to craft and grade reflective assignments 

    • Navigating University/Community Partner Relationships 

    • Community Partnerships: Reciprocal Learning and Privilege  

    • Assessing Service Learning  

    • How to market the outcomes of your projects 

    • Working with the IRB and Sponsored Programs 

    • Other ideas, topics, projects, field trips, guest speakers, etc. as they arise during the year, depending on the needs the cohort  

     

    “Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” 

    - The Carnegie Foundation 

    Share the word and please contact Julia Yakovich with any questions at julia.yakovich@uconn.edu.

    For more information, contact: Julia Yakovich at julia.yakovich@uconn.edu