Is there value in incorporating service-learning and leadership development in the first-year experience? That’s the focus of this week’s 60-second SoTL, hosted by Logan Morral.
See our extended episode notes at https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/incorporating-multiple-dimensions-in-the-first-year-experience/.
This episode features on open-access article on service-learning and leadership development in first-year seminars:
Krsmanovic, Masha. 2022. “Fostering Service-Learning and Leadership Development through First-Year Seminar Courses.” Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education 15: 54–70.
The episode was hosted by Logan Morral, Graduate Apprentice for the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education at Elon University. The episode was edited and produced by Jessie L. Moore, Director of the Center for Engaged Learning and Professor of Professional Writing & Rhetoric. 60-Second SoTL is produced by the Center for Engaged Learning at Elon University.
60-Second SoTL
Episode 49 – Incorporating Multiple Dimensions in the First-Year Experience
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0:03
Jessie L. Moore:
Welcome to 60-Second SoTL! This week’s episode is part of a short series by students in Elon University’s Masters of Higher Education program. The students are exploring first-year experiences as meaningful or high-impact learning experiences, and this week’s episode focuses on the article, “Fostering Service-Learning and Leadership Development through First-Year Seminar Courses.” Listen for the other podcast episodes in this series wherever you subscribe to 60-Second SoTL.
0:32
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0:35
Logan Morral:
Is there value in incorporating service-learning and leadership development in the first-year experience? That’s the focus of this week’s 60-second SoTL. I’m Logan Morral.
0:48
In “Fostering Service-Learning and Leadership Development through First-Year Seminar Courses,” SoTL scholar Masha Krsmanovic assessed students' perspectives on the value of integrating service-learning and a living community in a first-year seminar. Previous scholars have recommended including curricular and co-curricular activities into the first-year experience, yet the advantages remain under-researched. Research also shows that students should engage with more than one high-impact practice in their collegiate career, yet the efficacy of integrating multiple HIPs into one experience remains unknown. The program was designed as a scholarship opportunity for students who needed financial assistance at a large public research university in the southern US. Krsmanovic was also curious to see if first-generation status, gender, or academic year had any effect on their attitudes towards the benefit of the program.
1:37
The study was a non-experimental descriptive research design, and data was gathered from previous surveys completed by the students in the program. Specific questions from the survey were utilized to better understand participants' opinions and attitudes about the relationship of the components.
1:53
The results revealed that students found the experience to be largely positive, with little to no difference between first-generation status and gender. However, first-year students reported finding the experience to be more positive while sophomores and juniors found it to be less advantageous. Krsmanovic recommends that other programs consider integrating multiple high-impact practices into the first-year experience and assessing their potential benefits. Combining multiple high-impact practices into the first-year experience may help students with their transition academically, socially, and promote future civic engagement. To learn more, check out the full citation in our notes.
2:30
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2:33
Jessie L. Moore:
Join us next week for another snapshot of recent scholarship of teaching and learning on 60-second SoTL from Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning. Learn more about the Center at www.CenterForEngagedLearning.org.
2:46
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