Kerker, Sindee

English

The 3-week January term incorporates high-impact educational practices to provide students with an integrated learning environment centered on citizenship. Students take courses that focus on a civic issue, or problem, while engaging in experiential learning opportunities and community service work with local, community-based partners. Thematic areas for courses include homelessness, environmental sustainability and urban renewal. The university works with local partner organizations to enhance students understanding of civic engagement. A pre-and-post-test assessment was designed and implemented, based on a prepared survey instrument, and on common essay assignments with common measurements to assess both the knowledge and attitudinal components of citizenship

Lynn University: SPIRAL (Scholarly Publications, Institutional Repository and Archives at Lynn)

The Citizenship Project: Commitment to CommunitySindee Kerker, J.D.Associate Professor of Criminal JusticeLynn University3 week educational program: 2 creditsMission: to provide intensive & innovative learning opportunities outside traditional academic settingExperiential learningLynn University J-TermJ-Term: Citizenship Project Provide all first-year students with a highly structured, integrated learning experience2013: 215 students2014: 372 students2015: 350 studentsCitizenship-related thematic areas Intellectual learning experiences linked directly to service learning projects within local communityPreparation For CitizenshipWhat Does it Mean to be a Citizen in the 21st Century? “Now undergraduates in America make up a large share of a generation in which civic apathy is the norm.” “A majority of young Americans turning 18 will have grown up in a home in which no parent has ever voted.”Bok, Derek. Our Underachieving Colleges. Princeton, 2006, 73.Active Citizenship “An effective active citizen is a person who understands the obligation and undertakes the responsibility to improve community conditions, build healthier communities and address social problems.”Tufts University Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service  Knowledge about economic, political and social issues Fully understand roles and responsibilities as active participants at local and global levelsLynn University J-Term GoalsDevelop leadership skillsDemonstrate greater global understandingBecome civically engagedBecome socially responsible citizensCommon Readings Graham, Bob.  America, The Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You. Washington D.C.: CQ Press, 2010. Print. Bok, Derek. “Preparation for Citizenship” in Our Underachieving Colleges.Princeton: Princeton U.P., 2006. Print. Loeb, Paul. “Making our Lives Count” in Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times. St. Martin’s, 2010. Print.Optional ReadingsAdditional Documents our faculty have utilized include: U.S. Constitution Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions Gettysburg Address Letters from Birmingham Jail What We Don’t Talk about When We Talk about Service, Adam Davis The Lovers of the Poor, Gwendolyn Brooks The Sweetness of Charity, Maya Angelou The Lamb and the Pinecone, Pablo Neruda Nobel Lecture, Wangari Matthai We Say No, Eduardo Gaelano Letter to Deng Xiaoping, Wei Jingsheng My Forbidden Face, LatifaCommon Lectures and ActivitiesSenator Bob GrahamDr. Robert Watson: “Can One Person Make a Difference?”Voting Registration DriveTOMS  Shoes Party: Blake Mycoskie“Our Green Future,” Panel PresentationExperiential Learning ComponentCitizenship-Related ThematicAreas with Community PartnersHabitat for Humanity Poverty, social inequality, social justiceGumbo Limbo Environmental justice, stewardship and sustainabilitySolid Waste Authority, Delray Beach Police Dept., and Boca Helping Hands Building community, service and social justice as well as urban and community politicsCommunity Policing: Course DescriptionProvide students with basic understanding of philosophy behind community policingStudents work side by side with community police officers on service projects1. Picking up trash on beach 2. Removing graffiti off walls on           storefronts & public areas3. Painting & landscaping  homesCourse illustrates significance of relationship building between police officers and its neighborhood citizensWhy Community Service? Staff: Laurie & Tammy: “Make a Wish” Foundation Wishes for terminally ill children Peer Mentor: Tom: Students For The Poor, Haiti Journey of Hope: survived 2010 Haiti earthquake Prof. Kerker: Food For The Poor, Nicaragua Knights Unite: Day of CaringStudent Learning OutcomesSLO 1: Evaluate a civic issue from multiple perspectivesSLO 2: Identify and describe examples of civic engagement and articulate the relationship between service and citizenshipSLO 3: Demonstrate a positive shift in attitude toward the value of citizenshipSLO 4: Show an increased desire to understand and to be engaged in the political processes that shape the larger communityMeasurement Demonstrate whether the integrative structure of classroom and experiential learning increases student learning relative to citizenship and the impact of January Term within the first-year experience Embedded assessments include a prepared survey instrument (Global Perspective Inventory) and common essay assignments based on common measurements administered prior to and at the conclusion of the Citizenship Project Pre-and post-test survey linked to content-based SLO 1 and 2 (two essay prompts: 150-200 words) Pre- and post-test 22-item survey using 5-point Likert scale linked to SLO 3 and 4 (measures allow for internal comparisons of students before and after their experience)Global Perspective Inventory (GPI)The GPI consisted of 22 questions associated with 4 factors of citizenship:Value of CitizenshipDesire to Understand and be Engaged in the Political Process Social ResponsibilityGlobal Citizenship2013: Average Pre and Post Scores by Category2013: Average Difference Pre-Post by Category2014: Average Pre and Post Scores by Category2014: Average Difference Pre-Post by Category2015: Average Pre and Post Scores by Category2015: Average Difference Pre-Post by CategoryResults GPI was administered to all freshmen: 2013: 215 students, 2014: 372 students, 2015: 350 students The average post-survey scores for each question were higher than the pre-survey scores. Similar hypothesis tests of the pre/post difference data (student by student) and overall means were conducted. There were significant pre/post differences across all 4 factors at the 5% level. The Citizenship Project is making a positive difference in the students’ attitudes and perceptions towards the value of citizenship, desire to be involved in the political process, social responsibility, and global citizenship. Sindee Kerker J.D. Associate Professor of Criminal Justice skerker@lynn.edu(561) 251-9689

The Citizenship Project: Commitment to Community

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The Citizenship Project: Commitment to Community

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Lynn University: SPIRAL (Scholarly Publications, Institutional Repository and Archives at Lynn)