2013 Service-Learning Faculty Survey Results Report

Service-learning is an important teaching pedagogy that has been proven effective in enhancing student learning and promoting both academic and civic engagement. As civic engagement continues to gain prominence as an integral aspect of higher education, it is increasingly important that engagement metrics are consistently measured to demonstrate outcomes. This is especially true of service-learning as it strongly correlates with student learning, academic performance, and retention rates. Feedback and suggestions from service-learning faculty members are useful for gaining insights into how service-learning quality can be enhanced at the classroom level and understanding the resource needs of faculty members. The purpose of the Service-Learning Faculty Survey was to assess (a) the level of support that faculty members receive for their service-learning/community engagement activities and (b) the impact they believe their service-learning/community engagement work has had. The evaluation asked questions on the following dimensions: 1. Perceived support, 2. Usefulness of supports provided and received, 3. Partnerships, 4. Scholarship, and 5. Impact. The results will serve two purposes. First, information gathered will be utilized in VCU‟s renewal of its Community Engagement Classification through the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In addition, the results will help the Service-Learning Office improve the services and supports it provides to meet the needs of service-learning instructors. Data was collected from faculty members who had taught at least one service-learning course during the 2011-2012 academic year. Appropriate faculty member were identified by VCU‟s Service Learning office (n=69). These individuals were sent a confidential, online survey using Qualtrics (a secure, web-based application designed to support data capture for research studies). Faculty members were sent an invitation and two follow-up reminders to complete the survey