Service Learning/Community-Based Learning(CBL) : 6 Best Practices

Evidence indicates that students engaged in high-impact practices (HIPs) experience elevated levels of learning success. These evidence-supported approaches include service learning, undergraduate research, internships, capstone courses/projects, collaborative assignments/projects, common intellectual experiences, diversity/global learning, ePortfolios, first-year seminars/experiences, learning communities, and writing-extensive courses (8). Welcome to our blog, where we explore many of the different High Impact Practices. First, we will be discussing the compelling reasons why introducing service learning or community-based learning into your curriculum is a pivotal step toward creating a more engaged and empathetic generation. Many practices use the terms service learning and community-based learning interchangeably. This topic is…

Blog Series: Exploring High Impact Practices (HIP) for a Deeper Understanding

The teaching and learning practices that will be described and discussed within this blog series are designated as “high-impact practices,” or HIPs. Dr. George Kuh developed the term High-Impact Practices in 2008 in his AAC&U monograph “High-Impact Educational Practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter.” (link). He then identified 11 instructional practices associated with better outcomes using the National Survey of Student Engagement dataset. These practices were chosen based on evidence of significant educational benefits for students who participate in them—including those from demographic groups historically underserved by higher education. These practices can take…

KyCC Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Rachel Carr, Assistant Professor, Lindsey Wilson College

“Service-learning helps students see the value in the skills we learn and the issues we study.” Rachel Carr, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English Program Coordinator of Women’s and Gender Studies Lindsey Wilson College For Dr. Rachel Carr, service-learning means helping her students connect their work in the classroom to the world outside it. “Service-learning helps students see the value in the skills we learn and the issues we study,” Dr. Carr shared. “It also helps them see how they belong to and are impacted by several communities, even ones they never felt connected with before.” The incorporation of service-learning into…

VISTA Spotlight: Annabelle Leskinen

“Each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world.”  – Fred Rogers Annabelle Leskinen Colonel’s Cupboard Education Specialist Annabelle Leskinen has always had a passion for serving communities. Even as a kid, she dedicated her time to volunteering with multiple organizations, including National Awareness of Mental Illness, Lupus Foundation, American Youth Soccer Organization, and much more. She studied Nutrition with a concentration in Food Management and a minor in Public Health while attending the University of Southern Indiana. Leskinen strives to collaborate with organizations that promote strength and wellness within communities. Her KyCC VISTA host site is…

KyCC Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Jeffrey Shenton, Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropolgy

Lived Histories: Urban Renewal Oral History Project Jeffrey T. Shenton, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology Centre College Dr. Jeffrey Shenton works as a cultural anthropologist and as an educator. One of his primary concerns is always to try to find ways to get students out into the community and to engage with people. “As much as this is about civic engagement, it is also about methods: living people are, quite literally, the source of our data in cultural anthropology,” he explained. “But, one of the main goals in teaching anthropological methods is also to teach empathy and sensitivity to…

April 2021 Message from the Executive Director

When we start each new month, I love to look at the list of “National Days”  – just for fun. April has over 50 such days including National Soft Pretzel Month and National Canine Fitness Month! Two that really inspired me were National Month of Hope and Second Chance Month. I had to ask myself, “How would the month of April be different for me and those around me if I focused on hope and second chances?” This could especially have a significant positive impact on the students, faculty, and staff we interact with. Without any additional funding or training,…

KyCC Faculty Spotlight: Abe Cross, Assistant Dean of Students

Service-learning is next-level teaching. If students cannot retain what they learn, or if they cannot apply it, then are they really learning? Abe Cross Assistant Dean of Students Lindsey Wilson College When asked to describe service-learning, Cross shared it is a way to engage in a hands-on, tangible learning methodology that positively impacts a community. He noted that it is one thing to understand the theory – and that is important – but it is another thing altogether to apply this approach. “That’s what service-learning enables our students to do: They get the added bonus of doing it within the…

Archived KyCC Newsletters

Please click below to view some of our past newsletters Feb/March ’21 Newsletter January ’21 Newsletter November ’20 Newsletter October ’20 Newsletter        

Campus Compact Announces 2021 Cohort of Newman Civic Fellows

BOSTON, Mass. – March 1, 2021 – Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the students who will make up the organization’s 2021 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows. The 2021 cohort comprises 212 students from 39 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico. The 2021-2022 cohort of Fellows includes students from three institutions across Kentucky. Kentucky Campus Compact is excited to congratulate the following students who have been named Newman Civic Fellows public problem solvers:  Marcus Stubbs- Bellarmine University Autumn Harvey- Berea College Ashley Smith- Lindsey Wilson College The Newman Civic Fellowship…

AmeriCorps Recognizes Five Kentucky Institutions as Schools of National Service

AmeriCorps has recognized five Kentucky institutions as Schools of National Service; Asbury University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Lindsey Wilson College, Madisonville Community College, and Union College. This title benefits both institutions and the AmeriCorps alumni. Schools of National Service recognize AmeriCorps alumni who are a valuable asset to the academic community. It is a way to reward the AmeriCorps members by providing educational benefits to students who choose to serve. It is also a way for the institutions to host individuals that want to be role models on their campus and in their community, making a win-win program. “The AmeriCorps Schools…