Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

Spirit, Mind, Action:  Civic Engagement at Georgetown College

Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for Reaffirmation of SACS Accreditation

Mission Statement: In the Spirit, Mind, Action QEP, Georgetown College seeks to create learning experiences which address needs in three areas: academic learning goals, met through service; expectations for deeper understanding of civic responsibility, met through opportunities for structured critical reflection; and community needs, met through collaborative partnerships.

Civic Engagement

• Is an opportunity for students to apply academic knowledge and involves an intentional connection between service and academic learning goals
• Is an opportunity for students to participate in structured critical reflection and assessment of their service, therefore resulting in a deeper understanding and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility
• Is an opportunity for students to directly engage with surrounding community, address a community need, and form a collaborative partnership

Two Types of Civic Engagement in the QEP

Curricular Service Learning (SL): credit-bearing educational experience where service is an integral part of a course and involves an intentional connection between service and academic learning goals.

Community-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL): faculty or staff-led learning opportunity to actively engage with the surrounding community where service is not connected to a course.

QEP Learning Goals/Outcomes

• Goal #1:  Students will be civically engaged
  • Outcome #1:  Students will demonstrate (application) the ability to work actively with community partners in a reciprocal relationship
• Goal # 2: Students will make connections between their academic knowledge/skills and their service with Community Partners
  • Outcome #2: Students will investigate (application) if their specific knowledge/skills were applicable to community partner needs
• Goal #3:  Students will explore their spiritual identity
  • Outcome #3:  Students will identify (analysis) how their civic engagement has contributed to their spiritual identity
• Goal #4:  Students will increase their critical thinking skills
  • Outcome #4: Students will formulate (synthesis) essential questions, analyze, develop, and support rational positions, and make decisions

Program Level Questions

1. Does student participation in service learning appear to positively correlate with increased levels of civic engagement as a student and beyond graduation?
2. Are students who participate in service learning retained at a higher level than students who do not?
3. Do students who participate in service learning have a higher 6 year graduation rate than students who do not participate?
4. Do students who participate in service learning demonstrate higher critical thinking skills than students who do not participate (Example: ETS Proficiency Profile Assessment)?
5. Do students who participate in service learning appear more satisfied with campus climate topics (diversity, spirituality, etc.)? (Student Satisfaction Inventories)

Service Learning Designation (SL)

Courses at Georgetown College can apply to the QEP Implementation Committee for a service learning (SL) designation

Criteria

• SL project must be a significant part of a credit-bearing course (number of hours or ¼ of student effort for the course)
• Students must interact with Community Partner in such a way that promotes reciprocity; Community Partner serves as a Co-Teacher in the course
• Students must have multiple opportunities to critically reflect on their service
• Service must be assessed using the QEP Assessment structure

The faculty member and Community Partner are viewed as co-educators. An emphasis is placed on reciprocity, ensuring that both Georgetown College and the Community Partner are involved in the planning, implementation, and assessment of the service learning project.

Community-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL)

Faculty and staff members can submit a Community-Based Experiential Learning (CBEL) event to the QEP Implementation Committee to be incorporated into the QEP. The same event may also be submitted as a Nexus Immersion event.

Criteria

• Students must be involved in an off-campus experience
• Students must have an opportunity to critically reflect on their service
• Service must be assessed using the QEP Assessment structure

Sources

• Faculty Service-Learning Handbook, Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service at Berea College, http://www.berea.edu/celts/servicelearning/resources.asp, accessed February 2011.
• Furco, A. (1996). Service-learning: A balanced approach to experiential education. Expanding boundaries: Service and learning. Washington, DC: Corporation for National Service. Reprinted from Campus Compact’s (2000) Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit.
• Faculty Guide to Service Learning, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC. Accessed February 2011. http://www.meredith.edu/academics/servicelearning/facguide_final_draft-1.pdf.
• Bringle, R. and Hatcher, J. (1995). “A SL Curriculum for Faculty,” Michigan Journal of Community Service. 112-122.