Project Investigator(s): Kerry Greer, Instructor, Department of Sociology; Katherine Lyon, Instructor, Department of Sociology and Vantage; Thomas Kemple, Professor, Department of Sociology and Chair of First Year Programs in Arts; Susan Grossman, Director, Centre for Community Engaged Learning
Project Description
Anecdotal evidence from a pilot-year investigation suggests that community-based experiential learning opportunities enhances student engagement with the broader Vancouver community and the UBC community, and improves students’ overall assessment of their first year experience. A year-long Introduction to Sociology course offered students the opportunity to learn about key sociological concepts and have them reinforced and illustrated through experiences outside the classroom. This project will develop and deploy assessment tools to provide a more detailed picture of the differences in experiences and outcomes between two groups of students who experience two different pedagogical approaches (Trek/CEL: where students spend two hours each week with a community partner as service-learners, and engage in reflective exercises and regularly debrief as a group; or Face to Face discussion section: where students participate in weekly meetings where they engage in active learning exercises).
Research Questions
1. How does community-based experiential learning (CBEL) compare to face-to-face discussion sections with respect to: (1) Engagement with UBC; (2) Foundational academic skills (writing, reading, studying); (3) Course specific knowledge mastery; and (4) Satisfaction with first year experience?
2. What are the strengths, benefits and limitations of participating in the Trek program or attending weekly discussion sections?
Impact on teaching and learning at UBC
Student engagement in CBEL heightens student’s ability to link intellectual knowledge to the social context and identify root causes of social problems. An important aspect of this course design is that participation in CBEL is optional—this freedom helps ensure strong student by-in for the Trek option, which requires a higher weekly commitment for students compared to discussion sections. This project enhances student learning by incorporating an existing and longstanding UBC asset (Trek) into its pedagogical approach, thus contributing to a model that other courses can adopt to more easily integrate CBEL.