Today@Dal

Join Dr. Heather L. O’Brien from the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia as she discusses her experiences with incorporating capstone experience and community-engage learning into a newly developed graduating project course.

WHEN: Thursday, August 13, 2015 - 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
WHERE: Kenneth Rowe Management Building, Room 1007

Many institutions, including the University of British Columbia (UBC), have incorporated community engagement into their strategic plans. Community engagement acknowledges that more can be accomplished societally when the priorities of universities are aligned with the broader community’s values and vision. Community engagement may take many forms, including action research, public policy development, and experiential learning opportunities for students. At the same time there is an increasing impetus, especially for programs accredited by professional associations, to provide direct evidence of student competencies and professional readiness upon degree completion. Previous indicators, such as student self-report, grades, and post-graduation employment status may no longer be sufficient for addressing what students have learned and how well they are able to apply it in professional settings.

At the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS) (iSchool@UBC), we sought to improve our approach to preparing students for the profession and assessing learning outcomes. Our approach involved exploring capstone options as a mechanism for assessing professional preparedness, identifying key assignments that demonstrated specific competencies, and developing program level competencies that mapped to our courses. We struggled with issues of faculty workload, student interest, and the approach that would be the right “fit” for our School and its values; we found this fit through community-based engaged learning (CEL).

This workshop draws upon the capstone experience recently implemented at the iSchool in the form of a three-credit graduating project course. The course aims to foster relationships between SLAIS students, staff, and faculty and community partners; meaningfully assess student learning and professional preparedness; and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate and hone professional competencies in a community setting. As the developer and instructor for this course, I have noted the many benefits of such a capstone experience, yet also interesting complexities in terms of assessing students’ learning, working with community partners, and designing lesson plans and course materials. In this talk, I will share my pedagogical approach to this course through examples derived from the course. I will also reflect upon what community-engaged learning means for graduate professional programs such as ours, along with my current motivation and efforts to develop a school-wide, community-engaged learning strategy.

Register for this event.