A Window into Service-Learning
Photo: Anna Masozera
CDAE graduate student Kelly Hamshaw has a new role this semester as CDAE-CUPS Graduate Liaison. The UVM Office for Community-University Partnerships & Service-Learning (or CUPS) developed this position with support from CDAE to conduct a departmental assessment of community engagement and identify concrete ways of improving the experience for faculty, students, and partners alike.
Kelly Hamshaw in her office at 409 Billings
Kelly has a history with international service-learning courses, taking her first trip to Honduras in the international service-learning course taught be Dan Baker when she was an undergraduate. Now as a graduate student in CDAE, she has transitioned to conducting applied research on issues surrounding affordable housing in Vermont while she stays active in the Honduras program as well.
Kelly Hamshaw Liases CDAE with CUPS Fall 2008 Service-Learning Courses CDAE 106 SL: Renewable Energy Workshop (Dominica) CDAE 120 SL: Strategic Writing for PCom CDAE 195/295 SL: Sustainable Development in Island Economy CDAE 250 SL: Applied Research Methods CDAE 273 SL: Project Development & Planning CDAE 295 SL: Community Design Studio
In Meg Ashman’s CDAE 120 SL:Strategic Writing for PCOM course, students were challenged to put their writing skills to use for local non-profit agencies. The service-learning partnerships were a semester-long application of the material studied in the classroom, and students learn how to write documents regularly used in the professional world. The feature stories and brochures the students completed were tailored to suit the needs of the agencies to promote special programs and events. Fall 2008 partnerships included Essex ground, Rebuilding Together, and CHIPS & Teen Center, Winooski Underground, d Gro rowi ro w ng n Vermont store. the CDAE-initiated, student-operated Growing
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In addition to assisting with training of service-learning teaching assistants, she also helped to coordinate the UVM Global Citizenship Conference held this November. Kelly is currently administering a survey to all CDAE faculty as the basis of this assessment and will be presenting the results and suggested actions back to the department later this academic year.
Spring 2009 SL Courses CDAE 124 SL: Public Communication Media CDAE 171 SL: Community & International Economic Transformation (Honduras) CDAE 195 SL: Application of Sustainable Development (Belize) CDAE 195/295 SL: Preparation for Field Work in Honduras CDAE 291 SL: Community & International Development CDAE 295 SL: Intro to Nonprofit Field
Although not a designated servicelearning course, CDAE 168 Marketing g for Community Entrepreneurs students Ke Bauer and Michele Cranwell Schmidt’s CDAE 250 SL: Applied Research In Ken were paired with vendors of the Growing Meth Methods course, students completed a project with the Vermont Micro Business VT Store. The outputs generated for each Development Program (MBDP). Student pairs interviewed entrepreneurs in vendor were Wikis with images, customer Burlington and MBDP alumni to evaluate outcomes of the training programs interviews (as podcasts), and a complete that MBDP runs across the state. This is the second semester this course provided marketing plan. evaluation partnerships between students and a community NGO to conduct evaluations based on literature reviews, phone surveys, and interviews.