Learning Together Through Service: A Collaborative Project for First Year Undergraduates and Graduate Students phyllis mccluskey-titus | jodi hallsten | wendy g. troxel | erin pearce
intro d uc t i o n to the service-learning p ro j ec t In response to the campus-based American Democracy Project initiatives (http:// americandemocracy.illinoisstate.edu) and the university’s strategic plan, Educating Illinois (http://www.educatingillinois.ilstu.edu/), a group of faculty and staff developed a collaborative, yearly service-learning project to create purposeful and educational interactions among first-year undergraduates and graduate students. Service learning was selected as the educational delivery method due to the opportunity for genuine interactions and learning that occurs when students work together toward a common purpose (Oates & Leavitt, 2003) and because concrete service experience allows students to more fully comprehend abstract concepts in their courses (Watts, 2007). In addition, service-learning projects can facilitate learning across a variety of learning styles, making the experience meaningful for everyone involved (Cress, Collier, Reitenauer & Associates, 2005). Each year the project involves 20-25 firstyear undergraduates enrolled in a one-credit learning community course (LinC) and 20-30 first-year college student personnel administration graduate students enrolled in a college student cultures course. This project has been offered every fall semester since 2005. The intended program goals for students involved in the project included:
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l ea rn in g togethe r t h ro u g h se rv i c e : a co ll a b o rat i ve p ro j e c t fo r f i r s t ye a r u n d e rg ra d uat e s a n d g raduat e student s
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Exposing first-year students (undergraduate and graduate students) to community needs.
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