Civic Engagement and Organizational Learning Strategies for Student Success

Abstract

Students succeed in college by engaging with faculty, peers, and the community. Institutional leaders can utilize organizational learning strategies to learn what works to support civic learning outcomes and student success.

Bringing It All Together Through Group Learning

“…The new models, generated through a phenomenological study of faculty collaboration that occurred at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in Ireland, may be useful in other educational environment where greater knowledge sharing is desired, be it among individuals, across programs, or at the institutional/organizational level (Chance, Duffy, & Bowe, under review). The models are tools for organizational learning of the sort recommended by Moore and Mendez (2014) because they adopt a systems perspective, conceptualize stakeholders as a "community of learners" (Kezar, 2005a, p. 10), and suggest processes "for acquiring information, interpreting data, developing knowledge, and sustaining learning" (Kezar, 2005b, p. 13) across the institution.…”

“…Such activities encourage students to connect and integrate what they learn from one setting to the next (Barber, 2014). Innovative approaches--such as those involving civic engagement (Moore & Mendez, 2014) and technology-assisted, "blended" learning (VanDerLinden, 2014)--can help educators reach more students more effectively. They also can help address differences in students' learning styles (Kolb, 1984(Kolb, , 1998 and extend the benefits of learning beyond the walls of the traditional classroom (Kerr, 1995).…”

“…For students, learning-rich environments that provide fodder for "connection, application, and synthesis" (Barber, 2014) of new knowledge involve: classroom learning, co-curricular activities, internships, service learning/civic engagement projects (Moore & Mendez, 2014), blended learning (VanDerLinden, 2014), and other immersive experiences (Wawrzynski & Baldwin, 2014). Today, educators seek to make classrooms into immersive, high-impact environments by using techniques such as experiential learning and groupbased discovery.…”

“…International study programs, while costly, yield untold benefits for the faculty and students fortunate enough to participate (and for society as a whole, according to NAFSA, 2003NAFSA, , 2006. The effect of such programs can be amplified by including requirements for civic engagement (Moore & Mendez, 2014) as the Fulbright program does (Eddy, 2014). A primary benefit of such programs is development of the orthogonal skills (Leslie, 2014).…”

“…Authors included in this volume have discussed the importance of organizational learning (Amey, 2014;Moore & Mendez, 2014;VanDerLinden, 2014;Wawrzynski & Baldwin, 2014). Their texts provide keys to helping postsecondary institutions learn more effectively.…”