Community Service Learning Honors Independent Study
APPLICATION & CONTRACT
Deadline for Application: Monday, February 13, 2012
** Must meet with CSLHIS Coordinator by Monday, February 6, 2012 **
Contact Ellen Correa
Community Service Learning Honors Independent Study (CSLHIS):
CSLHIS is an Honors independent study that integrates academic study, service in the community and guided reflection. CSLHISoffers students an opportunity to enhance their academic learning while making a meaningful contribution to the community, by participating in service that is related to their academic goals. Note: Commonwealth Honors College students may use a maximum of three HISs, CSLHISs, or any combination of these, to satisfy Commonwealth Honors College requirements.
Two Types of CSLHIS: There are two types of CSLHIS, each with different course components and requirements:
Course-Affiliated CSLHIS
The course-affiliated CSLHIS is a graded course for 1-2 credits in which students combine learning from service with learning from an affiliated course. Students complete at least 30 hours of service for each CSLHIS credit (i.e., 30 hours for one credit, 60 hours for two credits). CSLHIS must link to a UMass Amherst course of at least three credits, taken by the student currently or during the previous semester. For example, if a student participates in a CSLHIS during Spring 2012, it can be attached to a course taken during Fall 2011 or Spring 2012. The student’s service must relate to the content of the affiliated course, and the CSLHIS application/contract must articulate the relationship between the content of the affiliated course and the service experience. In order for a course-affiliated CSLHIS to be approved either the student or the faculty sponsor must have experience with Community Service Learning. That experience may come in the form of a student having successfully completedan Honors CSL course at UMass or the faculty sponsor being a former faculty fellow with the UMass Civic Engagement and Service-Learning office (formerly the Community Engagement Program), or otherwise have experience teaching service learning courses.The only faculty member who can sponsor this type of CSLHIS is the instructor of the affiliated course. The student and the faculty sponsor meet an average of ½ hour per week for a total of 8 hours over the course of the semester. In addition, the student and community supervisor are expected to meet for a minimum of 2 hours during the semester. The student will write regularly in his or her reflection journal and share these journal entries periodically with the faculty sponsor. Students typically write a final paper which reflects on the service experience and integrates the content of the affiliated course with the service experience. The student and the faculty sponsor may also define an alternative summative project.
The Non-Course-Affiliated CSLHIS
The non-course-affiliated CSLHIS is a graded course for 1-4 credits in which students combine learning from service with reading, research and writing on a specific topic related to the service. The number of credits is determined by the amount of independent reading, research and writing and by the amount of time committed to service. Students commit to 3 hours or more each week of service, reflection and study for each credit, with a minimum of 30 hours per semester of service. Students develop their program of study in consultation with their faculty sponsor. The CSLHIS application/contract must articulate the rationale for the integration of the service with the academic pursuit, as well as specific academic research, reading, and writing goals. In order for a non-course-affiliated CSLHIS to be approved the student or the faculty sponsor must have experience with Community Service Learning. That experience may come in the form of a student having successfully completed an Honors CSL course at UMass or the faculty sponsor being a former faculty fellow with the UMass Civic Engagement and Service Learning office (formerly the Community Engagement Program), or otherwise have experience teaching service learning courses.The student and the faculty sponsor meet regularly throughout the semester, for a total of 8 hours over the course of the semester. In addition,
the student and community supervisor are expected to meet for a minimum of 2 hours during the semester. The student writes regularly in his or her reflection journal and shares these journal entries periodically with the faculty sponsor. The student typically writes a final paper which includes reflection on the service experience and integrates the service experience with the research, reading, and other academic work. The student and the faculty sponsor may also define an alternative summative project.
Service Component and Community Supervisor:
Students are encouraged to identify relevant service opportunities in consultation with their faculty sponsor. For additional assistance securing a community service placement contact the CSLHIS Coordinator at the Civic Engagement and Service-Learning(CESL) office (610 Goodell). The handout Guidelines for Students Calling Organizationsis available to assist with contacting community organizations.
In an effort to ensure adequate training and support for the community service experience, students must have a community supervisor at their service site. Students should consult with their community supervisor on their CSLHIS application. Near the end of the semester, the community supervisor completes an evaluation of the student and submits it to the Civic Engagement and Service Learning (CESL) office, which forwards the evaluation to the faculty sponsor.
Note that academic credit is not for the service itself, but for what students learn from the service and related reading and research. In order to build a relationship with the community organization and to benefit from reflection which takes place over an extended period, the student’s service hours should take place over the course of the semester. Service hours which take place in a compressed period of time, for example, one week or weekend, are not appropriate for CSLHIS. Service hours should be completed by the end of the semester in which the student is registered in the CSLHIS.
Orientation and Reflection Sessions:
Students enrolled in CSLHIS will attend two sessions with other CSLHIS students. The first session provides an orientation to community service learning as well as an opportunity for students to further define their goals and meet other CSLHIS and CSL Practicum students. In the second session students will have the opportunity to reflect on their service experiences, address any challenges, and develop their ideas for final papers or projects. Applicants rank their dates of preference on the attached application in the space provided. Participation in the two sessions is mandatory and will be considered in the course grade.
Deadlines and Details:
Students are encouraged to begin the application process early. In order to increase the likelihood that a proposal will meet the CSLHIS requirements, students are encouraged to meet with the CSLHIS Coordinator to discuss their application. The deadline for meeting with the CSLHIS Coordinator is Monday, February 6, 2012. Completed applications, and any necessary course change request forms, must be submitted to the Civic Engagement and Service-Learning (CESL) office, 610 Goodell, by Monday, February 13, 2012. Applications will be reviewed and students will be notified of their status. Applications that are received without a preliminary meeting will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Additional details regarding the application process are on the attached Student, Faculty and Community Guidelines.
Coursework Due Dates and Grades:
Students will write a weekly reflection journal, which should be submitted to the faculty sponsor on the due dates determined by the faculty sponsor. Students typically write a final paper, which reflects on the service experience and integrates the content of the affiliated course or other academic exploration with the service experience. The student and the faculty sponsor may also define an alternative summative project. The faculty sponsor will assign a grade based on the student’s demonstration of learning, fulfillment of service hours, completion of the goals outlined in the CSLHIS contract, the community supervisor’s evaluation, and the student’s evaluation of service placement.
Community Service Learning Honors Independent Study (CSLHIS)
APPLICATION AND CONTRACT
(Copies will be mailed to the student, faculty sponsor, and community supervisor.)
STUDENT INFORMATION
Student Name
MajorClass Year: Sr. Jr. Soph. Fr.
Local Address
Phone ( )Email
Student ID#
FACULTY INFORMATION
Faculty Sponsor Name
Department
Campus Address
Phone ( )Fax ( )
EmailFaculty ID# (REQUIRED)
AFFILIATED COURSE INFORMATION (if applicable)
Course Title Semester taken: (circle one) Current The Previous Semester
Course Dept. and Number (e.g. ECON 101) SPIRE Number (5 digits)
COMMUNITY SUPERVISOR INFORMATION
Community Supervisor Name
Organization Name
Organization Address
Phone ( ) Fax ( )
CREDITS AND SERVICE HOURS
Semester (circle one): FallSpring Year:
Credits (circle one):Affiliated with course: 1 (min 30 hrs) 2 (min 60 hrs)
Non-affiliated with course: 1 2 3 4 (Number of credits is determined with faculty sponsor, based on combination of academic
work and service hours, with a minimum of 30 hours of service during the semester.)
When will your service begin? Anticipated Number of WEEKLY service hours:
This application/contract is the official record of your CSLHIS. Grad schools, employers, etc., inquiring about your CSLHIS may be sent a copy of your proposal; ensure that it is well written and an accuratereflection of the integration of service and learning in your independent study.
Attach a 1-2 page proposal that answers the following questions:
1) Describe the service you will do with the community organization. Include in your answer:
- Where you will be working
- What kind of work you will be involved in
- Who you will work with (service recipients, organizational staff, other community members)
- Who will supervise your work
- Why you are interested in doing this work
2)What connection(s) do you plan to explore between your proposed service and the affiliated course and/or your academic interests? What do you hope to learn? What methods will you use to fulfill your learning goals? Please be specific about reading, writing, and research components. Please describe your initial ideas for a final paper or project.
REFLECTION SESSIONS
Rank each set of reflection sessions in your order of preference: e.g. __1__ Feb. 29th ; __2__Feb. 27th; __3__ Mar. 1st
______Monday, Feb. 27th, 4:30-6:00______Tuesday, Mar. 27th, 4:30-6:00
______Wednesday, Feb. 29th, 5:00-6:30______Wednesday, Mar. 28th, 5:00-6:30
______Thursday, Mar. 1st, 5:00-6:30______Thursday, Mar. 29th, 5:00-6:30
Student: I have read and understand the CSLHIS Contract and Guidelines. I agree to complete the number of service hours indicated, write in my reflection journal, meet regularly with my faculty sponsor, and submit a final paper or project. I plan to learn from this service experience and make connections with my academic work.
Student SignatureDate
Faculty Sponsor: As this student’s faculty sponsor, I accept his/her service plan and learning goals. I agree to review his/her reflection journal, meet regularly with the student to help him/her consolidate learning from the service experience and make connections to the course or academic matters, and evaluate the student’s work.
Faculty Sponsor SignatureDate
Community Supervisor: As this student’s community supervisor, I approve this service plan as both feasible and useful to my organization. I think the learning goals are reasonable, and I agree to supervise this student in this work and complete an evaluation.
Community Supervisor SignatureDate
Community Service Learning Honors Independent Study (CSLHIS)
STUDENT, FACULTY, AND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES
Prior to the Application Deadline:
- Studentmeets with the CSLHIS Coordinator to review application process by Monday, February 6, 2012. Set up an appointment by contacting the CSLHIS Coordinator at 577-3783 () or visit 610 Goodell.
- Student communicates with faculty sponsor and community organizations to identify a community placement (with the help of CESL if needed).
- Student reviews all attached materials with the community supervisor.
- Student and faculty sponsor develop academic, civic, and personal learning objectives and any additional course requirements for the semester in communication with the community supervisor.
- Student completes CSLHIS Application/Contract and submits it to CESLby the application deadline (Monday, February 13, 2012).
- If applying after the end of the Add/Drop period, studentcompletes Course Change Request (CCR) form and submits it to the CESL with the application. (Pre-Major students whose contracts will be processed after the Add/Drop period should be sure to submit a Late Course Add Petition in addition to all other contract materials.) The following fields must be completed by the student on the CCR form: Student Name, Student I.D. Number, Primary Major, Level, Date, Student Signature. The instructor signature must also be provided.
- The application is reviewed by CESL staff and the student is contacted regarding the application status.
- If accepted, CESL enrolls the student. Student should check his/her SPIRE schedule to verify that the course has been listed. Late Adds can take several weeks to appear in SPIRE.
During CSLHIS:
- CESLprovides the following resources: student guidelines for service, reflection journal guidelines, resources for completing the final paper, and introductory materials on service learning pedagogy.
- Student participates in service. Expectations include: prompt, regular attendance, a positive attitude, respect for the organization (including staff and clients), fulfillment of outlined responsibilities, and a desire to learn.
- Community supervisor clearly identifies reasonable service hours, explains the organization’s goals and the student’s role in working toward those goals, provides adequate training for assigned tasks and offers the guidance and supervision provided to volunteers in the organization. The student and community supervisor are expected to meet a minimum of 2 hours during the semester. Communitysupervisors are encouraged to contact the faculty sponsor or CESL with any questions or concerns.
- Student keeps weekly reflection journal (2-3 pages per week). CESL sends reflection journal guidelines to the student when they are accepted to the program.
- Student and faculty sponsor meet regularly to reflect on the community service experience and its link to academic matter for a minimum of 8 hours over the course of the semester. The reflection journal should be submitted and discussed during these meetings.
End of the Semester:
- Student submits a final paper or project to the faculty sponsor by the due date determined by the faculty sponsor. The final paper/project should address the integration of the student’s service experiences with content from the affiliated course or other academic exploration.
- Community supervisor returns the student evaluation form (sent in advance) by the deadline indicated on the form to CESL. CESL then forwards a copy to the faculty sponsor.
- Student returns the Student Evaluation of Service Placement form to CESL that then forwards it to the faculty sponsor.
- Faculty sponsor evaluates student learning as demonstrated by the reflection journal, meetings with the student, the community supervisor’s and student’s written evaluations, and the student’s final paper/project. Faculty sponsor assigns a grade for the CSLHIS and then responds to grade submission request from Civic Engagement and Service-Learning office.
610 Goodell Building · University of Massachusetts · 140 Hicks Way · Amherst, Massachusetts 01003-9272
phone (413) 545.2015 · fax (413) 577.4000 · ·
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