Facilitating Student Participation in Service Learning and Applied Research-based Partnerships: Developing the Capacity of a Next Generation of Professional Partners

Kilmer, Ryan and Cook, James and Brookins, Kwesi Craig and Clark, Laura (2013) Facilitating Student Participation in Service Learning and Applied Research-based Partnerships: Developing the Capacity of a Next Generation of Professional Partners. In: CU Expo 2013, June 12-15, 2013, Corner Brook, NL, Canada. (Submitted)

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Abstract

Presenters, including university faculty and a community partner, will describe strategies for developing students’ capacity for work in community-university partnerships, particularly via community-based applied research, program evaluation, consultation, advocacy, and service. The community partner directs a children’s intermediary organization with which university faculty (and others) have partnered, one that has provided valuable practicum training for students and has played an instrumental role in community initiatives. The university faculty teach graduate and undergraduate courses; two co-direct a community psychology research lab involved in efforts with public education, mental health, child welfare, and public housing programs, while another’s lab focuses on community development and the promotion of health and well-being. The presenters will discuss several community initiatives, the partnerships involved in the efforts, and the roles and opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in these partnerships. Presenters will describe: (1) a partnership involving multiple agencies, a challenged school, and university faculty and students, designed to implement a coordinated approach to address the comprehensive needs of families; (2) a pilot data-based evaluation and coaching effort to support a new model of service delivery in public housing; (3) a multi-component partnership intended to reduce disparities in child welfare; and (4) an interdisciplinary partnership between a university and city government to identify and promote community assets. They will also detail learning objectives, student roles, the nature of the training experiences, and the specific competencies developed. The respective roles of faculty and community partners in creating these opportunities (whether via faculty research labs or program curricula), supporting and mentoring students, and providing developmentally-appropriate supervision and guidance to students of varying experience levels will be discussed. Additionally, presenters will highlight ‘lessons learned’ in these training experiences, noting specific strengths and benefits, elements that have been less successful, and actionable strategies that may be generalizable to other sites.

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