First-Year Civic Engagement: Sound Foundations for College ...

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Another major assignment for this course is Practicing Citizenship,an experiential learning project that confronts studentswith the challenge of working in a large (20-25 member) groupto research and teach their peers about a citizenship-related topicof their own choosing. Practicing Citizenship focuses as much onprocess as product. Each group begins by creating a managementplan, a social contract that establishes community guidelines forcompleting assigned tasks, working together productively andresolving differences. Throughout the project, group membersuse face-to-face discussions, blogs and formal writing assignmentsto reflect on their struggle to produce successful collaborativework while staying true to core democratic principles—equality,deliberation, civility, cooperation and respect for difference—encountered repeatedly in course readings.AssessmentNCC’s First-Year Experience has fared well in national effortsto assess students’ satisfaction with their college experiences. Inthe 2003 National Survey of Student Engagement, for example,NCC first-year students reported substantially higher levels ofsatisfaction and academic engagement than general GeorgeMason University freshmen. Specific findings indicate that NCCfreshmen engage in more writing and critical thinking assignments,they are more likely to stay at George Mason for theircollege careers, and they report “higher levels of academicchallenge, more engagement and collaboration in learning…anda more positive environment on campus.”Below is a selection of comparative data reflecting aspects ofstudents’ overall satisfaction with their educational experiences:Satisfaction with educational experience (4-point scale):NCC Freshmen: 3.53 General GMU Freshmen: 3.06Willingness to attend GMU again (4-point scale):NCC Freshmen: 3.52 General GMU Freshmen: 3.03Quality of relationships with other students (7-point scale):NCC Freshmen: 6.12 General GMU Freshmen: 5.52Quality of relationships with faculty members (7-point scale):NCC Freshmen: 6.40 General GMU Freshmen: 5.16Below is a selection of comparative data reflecting students’evaluation of their own academic and personal development.Institution’s contribution to student’s knowledge and personaldevelopment (4-point scale)Contributing to the welfare of your community:NCC Freshmen: 3.59 General GMU Freshmen: 2.23Developing a personal code of values and ethics:NCC Freshmen: 3.52 General GMU Freshmen: 2.68Working effectively with others:NCC Freshmen: 3.77 General GMU Freshmen: 2.90Writing clearly and effectively:NCC Freshmen: 3.69 General GMU Freshmen: 3.04Thinking critically and analytically:NCC Freshmen: 3.78 General GMU Freshmen: 3.18Narrowing the focus to Self as Citizen, this learning community’sdual emphasis on the individual and the community is best reflectedin the assessment strategies associated with the PracticingCitizenship assignment described above. The faculty team grantsstudents the authority—and responsibility—to assess themselvesand their peers as individuals, and to work collectively to assesstheir group as a whole. Individual students post, on the groupblog, their weekly reflections on the group process. At the conclusionof the course, students fill out a quantitative instrumentthat asks them to assign numerical values to every group member’scontributions (see attached file–“group peer evaluation”).Each group also submits a 3- to 4–page paper that addresses thegroup’s collective learning about working in large, complex collaborativebodies (see Practicing Citizenship guidelines on Selfas Citizen web page).Supplemental MaterialsThe Self as Citizen web page can be accessed athttp://classweb.gmu.edu/nclc140. This resource includes thecourse syllabus and assignment guidelines for the past three iterationsof Self as Citizen.I. Contributor’s Contact Name and InformationMain contact for the submission:Andrew WingfieldAssistant Professor of Integrative StudiesNew Century College, MS 5D3George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA 22030Phone: 703-993-4307Fax: 703-993-1439Email: awingfie@gmu.eduOther Contributors:John O’ConnorProfessor of Integrative StudiesNew Century College, MS 5D3George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA 22030Phone: 703-993-1436Fax: 703-993-1439Email: joconnor@gmu.edu
Sarah SweetmanInstructor and AdvisorNew Century College, MS 5D3George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA 22030Phone: 703-993-1683Fax: 703-993-1439Email: ssweetm1@gmu.eduII. Institutional Descriptiona. New Century College of George Mason University, Fairfax, VAb. Four-yearc. Publicd. Residential/Commutere. 30,000f. This year’s cohort numbers 167 students.Of the 126 residential students in the program,33 live in NCC’s Living Learning Community in theGeorge Mason residence halls. The remainder of thestudents live off campus.
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First-Year Civic Engagement:Sound F
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CONTENTSivPrefaceMartha J. LaBare,
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Zlotkowski, Edward, ed. (2002). Ser
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we had the “great flood” of the
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Requiring civic engagement demonstr
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The preparation of citizens was one
Page 16 and 17: preparation. At its heart, this wor
Page 18 and 19: in it of particular interest to tho
Page 20 and 21: often in tension. Political partici
Page 22 and 23: educating students for active citiz
Page 24 and 25: CHAPTER 4Civic Learning: Aligning P
Page 26 and 27: Faces/Phases of CitizenshipFace/Pha
Page 28 and 29: ecome more informed and participate
Page 30 and 31: ReferencesAstin, A.W., Vogelgesang,
Page 32 and 33: photography techniques to inmates a
Page 34 and 35: CHAPTER 8Action Steps to Move theFi
Page 36 and 37: ConclusionI wish to be very clear t
Page 38 and 39: CASE STUDYALLEGHENY COLLEGECivic En
Page 40 and 41: CASE STUDYANTIOCH COLLEGECivic Enga
Page 42 and 43: CASE STUDYCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSI
Page 44 and 45: CASE STUDYCALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSI
Page 46 and 47: CASE STUDYCHANDLER-GILBERT COMMUNIT
Page 48 and 49: CGCC Global Engagement:http://www.c
Page 50 and 51: student blog in which students are
Page 52 and 53: CASE STUDYTHE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY
Page 54 and 55: I. Contributors’ Names and Contac
Page 56 and 57: opportunities of CSU students and C
Page 58 and 59: needs, and expectations of the serv
Page 60 and 61: Although Times Talk began in Septem
Page 62 and 63: CASE STUDYFRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSIT
Page 64 and 65: We now have a comprehensive assessm
Page 68 and 69: CASE STUDYHAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGELiv
Page 72 and 73: Qualitative assessment begins with
Page 74 and 75: 3. Lessons in Democracy. The IUPUI
Page 76 and 77: CASE STUDYLEHIGH UNIVERSITYJudging
Page 78 and 79: CASE STUDYMARS HILL COLLEGELifeWork
Page 80 and 81: CASE STUDYMERCER UNIVERSITYInterdis
Page 82 and 83: CASE STUDYMICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Page 84 and 85: CASE STUDYPACE UNIVERSITYCivic Enga
Page 86 and 87: Susan-Feather GannonProfessor, Tech
Page 88 and 89: AssessmentData were gathered from s
Page 90 and 91: CASE STUDYPITZER COLLEGEThe Communi
Page 92 and 93: from people different from themselv
Page 94 and 95: Table 1Summary of the Major Outcome
Page 96 and 97: engaged stewards of the environment
Page 98 and 99: HIV-positive individuals. They also
Page 100 and 101: Students were then equipped to eval
Page 102 and 103: the World Affairs Council (WAC), in
Page 104 and 105: CASE STUDYTRINITY UNIVERSITYCivic E
Page 108 and 109: in the organization of health care
Page 110 and 111: study and a series of retreats as p
Page 112 and 113: ing based opportunities. Both semes
Page 114 and 115: engaging first-year students and st
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CASE STUDYWEBER STATE UNIVERSITY CO
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