Service-Learning and the First-Year Experience: Preparing Students for Personal Success and Civic Responsibility

This monograph documents the congruence of two powerful educational concerns: the success of first year students and the potential of service-learning as a teaching-learning strategy. Over the past 10 years in particular, both these concerns have gained an ever larger group of adherents. However, until recently, neither has fully realized how important each could be to the other or the degree to which many of their values, challenges, and even goals overlap. (editor) Contents:

• Preface by John N. Gardner
• Making the Case for Service-Learning in the First Year of College High School Service-Learning and the Preparation of Students for College: An Overview of Research by Andrew Furco
• Service-Learning and the First-Year Experience: Outcomes Related to Learning and Persistence by Lori J. Vogelgesang, Elaine K. Ikeda, Shannon K. Gilmartin, and Jennifer R. Keup
• Service-Learning and the Introductory Course: Lessons From Across the Disciplines by Edward Zlotkowski
• The Impact of High School Service-Learning on New College Students by Marty Duckenfield
• A Matter of Experience: Service-Learning and the Adult Student by Tom O'Connell
• Learning From Practice: The University of Rhode Island's New Culture for Learning by Jayne Richmond
• Institutional Strategies to Involve First-Year Students in Service by Julie A. Hatcher, Robert G. Bringle, and Richard Muthiah
• Inquiry as a Mode of Student Learning at Portland State University: Service-Learning Experiences in First-Year Curriculum by Dilafruz Williams, Judy Patton, Richard Beyler, Martha Balshem, and Monica Halka
• A Positive Impact on Their Lives: Service-Learning and First-Year Students at Le-Moyne Owen College by Barbara S. Frankle and Femi I. Ajanaku
• Service-Learning in a Learning Community: The Fullerton First-Year Program by Kathy O'Byrne and Sylvia Alatorre Alva
• Writing as Students, Writing as Citizens: Service-Learning in First-Year Composition Courses by Thomas Deans and Nora Bacon
• What, So What, Now What: Reflections, Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations on Service-Learning and the First-Year Experience by John N. Gardner
• Appendix: Additional Program Profiles 1. The Communication and Culture Freshmen Interest Group at Humboldt State University 2. An Overview of IMPACT: A Residential Learning Community at UMass, Amherst Focused on Community Service-Learning 3. Building Awareness: Environmental Action Projects at Philadelphia University 4. Communication Arts I at Samford University