In+the+long+run

**In the long run: The persistence of outcomes after completion of a university-level** **community engagement program** Diane Chin, Associate Director, Chicago Civic Leadership Certificate Program, University of Illinois at Chicago dianchin@uic.edu] Michael J. Bolz, Researcher and Ph.D. Candidate, Learning Sciences Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago mbolz@uic.edu]



**Keywords:** Community and civic engagement, long-term effects, post-secondary experience

**Track:** Student development and learning

**Format:** Team presentation

**Date & time:** Thursday 3:20-4:30 **Location:** Salon 6

**Summary:** This project is based on the Deweyan vision of education for democracy that has been and remains the engine of the movement to encourage colleges and universities to design and support programs that engage their students with their communities as apprentices or interns, researchers, and volunteers. The project investigates the anticipated and unanticipated long-term effects of a four-course civic engagement certificate program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and asks whether a post-secondary experience that integrates academics with community-based exper­ience actually is an effective strategy for, among other things, influencing citizens to be active participants in their communities after their experience in the program ends, and, if so, how such effects occur.

The participants were 39 young adults who completed the Chicago Civic Leadership Certificate Program (CCLCP) during their first two under­grad­uate years. Data were gathered in audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked about their experiences during and after CCLCP. This research tests the persistence over time of knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified by curriculum designers as contributing to F formation of active participants in a system of self-governance (Mitchell, et al., 2011; Kirlin, 2003), and specifically the knowledge, skills, and attitudes established as learning outcomes by designers of the CCLCP curriculum (Feldman, 2008; Feldman, 2009).

**References:** Boyte, H., & Hollander, E. (1999). //The Wingspread declaration on the civic responsibilities of research// //universities.// Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

Charmaz, K. (2001). Qualitative interviewing and grounded theory analysis. In J. Gubrium & J. Holstein (Eds.), //Handbook of interview research: Context and method// (pp. 675-694). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Colby, A., Beaumont, E., Ehrlich, T., & Corngold, J. (2003). //Educating for democracy: Preparing undergraduates for responsible political engagement//. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Creswell, J. W. (2007). //Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches// (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Deans, T. (2000). //Writing partnerships: Service-learning in composition.// Urbana, IL: NCTE.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Feldman, A. M. (2008). //Making writing matter: Redesigning first-year composition for the engaged university//. Albany: SUNY Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Feldman, A.M. (2009). Situated university, situated writing. //Metropolitan universities//, //20//(1), 34-45.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Harkavy, I. (2004). Service-learning and the development of democratic universities, democratic schools and democratic good societies in the 21st century. In Welch, M., & Billig, S. H. (Eds.), //Service-learning: Research to advance the field// (pp. 3-22). Greenwich, CN: Information Age Publishing.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Kirlin, M. The role of civic skills in fostering civic engagement. CIRCLE working paper, CIRCLE, 2003.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Mitchell, T., Visconti, V., Keene A., & Battistoni, R. (2011) Educating for democratic leadership at Stanford, U Mass, and Providence College. In N. V. Longo & C. M. Gibson (Eds,), //From command to community: A new approach to leadership.// Boston: Tufts U P.

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