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<< back to Dialogues Meeting to discuss international
held at Swarthmore College, February 2004community-based learning opportunities > meeting goals
- Discuss the concept of Venture developing study abroad programs that incorporate community-based learning. - Explore other opportunities for partnerships or new work in the study-away area that meet the mission of the Venture Consortium. > notes/excerpts from the meeting Two key questions emerged in our discussion: . Do your students have unmet needs in exploring the concept of social responsibility in a global context? . Are there resources on your particular campus or resources elsewhere that we could share or build upon as a consortium? Participants had the opportunity to share with one another their campus's current needs, programs that address social responsibility in a global context, and knowledge about other programs and resources. Some key issues that came up in our discussion: . What do we mean by the term, "community-based learning?" How can we define what it means for institutions abroad when we are having difficulty with defining what it means for us at home? . Our focus in terms of defining what we want should be focused on learning outcomes relevant to global citizenship and social responsibility, and not necessarily on the pedagogy of community-based learning per se. . What would constitute credit for field work in these types of programs; what is the academic product? . The importance of language and defining terms emerged in the process of defining quality programs and desired learning outcomes. . There is already a lot of programming out there that addresses global citizenship or that incorporates community-based learning. What could Venture do to help the member schools that would be value-added? Venture can help with cataloguing this information, administrating the collective initiatives we have in the study abroad area, and convening us for ongoing dialogue. . How would we choose what criteria are important for educating students for social responsibility in a global context? Increasingly, Swarthmore is thinking about geography and content area when they think about program development. . We acknowledged that there are gaps in programs in the developing world (Eastern Europe, South East Asia, Africa, and Latin America) and in particular areas of study (e.g., Peace & Conflict Studies, Environmental Studies, the Arts, Economics). . Are we getting the desired outcomes that we say we want from students who are studying abroad? After a study abroad program, are students better able to work with cultural difference and do they have the capacity to negotiate their place in the world at large? How is the student integrating their learning back into their overall undergraduate learning experience? Are students making high-level connections that they wouldn't have been able to make otherwise? . What are the lessons learned from students' experience with the Urban Education Semester? Can Venture define those concretely so that they can serve as a benchmark/model? Venture should do a longitudinal study of UES alumni. . Can we collectively define the essential components of a quality study abroad experience that educates students for social responsibility in a global context: for example, students understanding their privilege as U.S. citizens or being college-educated; students making connections to global, systemic issues; student reflection; well-guided immersion into the local community; a higher level of comprehension about solutions to complex problems; the production of academic work or a capstone experience, etc. . How are we preparing students for these experiences? How are we helping students integrate their learning experiences when they return to campus? . Are these programs aiming to meet student needs or local community needs? We have to be careful about this and defining what our intent is. . How do we better support students of color who go abroad to the developing world or to learn in community-based contexts? . How can Venture facilitate faculty connections across the Consortium for those interested in these issues? . Can Venture aid in creating a program inventory by school? . Can Venture facilitate exchanges for student placements in programs across the Consortium? (back to top) |
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