Susan-Feather GannonProfessor, Technology Systems DepartmentSeidenberg School of Computer Science & In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsEmail: sfeathergannon@pace.eduNancy Lynch HaleAssistant Professor and Chair, Technology Systems DepartmentSeidenberg School of Computer Science & In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsEmail: nhale@pace.eduII. Institutional Descriptiona. Pace University, New York, NY, and campuses also inPleasantville, and White Plains, NYb. Four-yearc. Privated. 6,007 FTE undergraduate students, campus-wide;951 first-yearse. 2,386 are residential, of whom 787 are first-years;3,621 are commuters, 164 first-years.Darren HayesCIS Coordinator and Assistant Professor,Technology Systems DepartmentSeidenberg School of Computer Science & In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsEmail: dhayes@pace.eduRichard KlineAssistant Professor, Computer Science DepartmentSeidenberg School of Computer Science & In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsEmail: rkline@pace.eduPauline MosleyAssociate Professor, Technology Systems DepartmentSeidenberg School of Computer Science & In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsEmail: pmosley@pace.eduHeather NovakAssistant Director, Project PericlesEmail: hnovak@pace.eduLinda PennachioAssistant Professor, Technology Systems DepartmentSeidenberg School of Computer Science & In<strong>for</strong>mation SystemsEmail: lpennachio@pace.eduPace UniversityOne Pace PlazaNew York, NY 10038-1598
CASE STUDYPENN STATE UNIVERSITY, LEHIGH VALLEY CAMPUSService-Learning and <strong>First</strong>-<strong>Year</strong> Programs: Examining LiteracyMary C. Hutchinson, Assistant Professor, ESLInstituted at Penn State University in 1997, the <strong>First</strong>-<strong>Year</strong> Seminar(FYS) program is designed “to introduce new students to an openand purposeful learning community, and to help them developthe habits and pleasures of good scholarship…[and] learn to takecharge of their own education, to plan <strong>for</strong> internships, internationalexperiences, research, and, in general, to become active learners.” 1The FYS program does not have a common curriculum; the coursesare offered in one-, two-, and three-credit <strong>for</strong>mats. The different<strong>College</strong>s of the University have implemented a variety of FYScourses, and students are free to choose among the options and enrollin a course during their first or second semester. Some of thesecourses meet general education requirements; others are electives.Many of them are provided by academic departments to introducepotential majors to the scholarly obligations of the field.HD FS 287X, Community-Building, is a three-credit, servicelearningfirst-year seminar offered through the <strong>College</strong> of Healthand Human Development. The course is established as a diversityfocused,writing intensive, social and behavioral science generaleducation course designed to meet the seven established objectivesof the FYS program:1. Academic Success. Faculty will provide an opportunity<strong>for</strong> students to learn about the scholarly characteristics ofa college setting.2. Communication. Faculty should create a classroom environmentthat encourages a communication-across-thecurriculumapproach to learning.3. Research and Undergraduate Scholarship. Faculty willengage students in activities that promote skills and positiveattitudes toward scholarship and seeking knowledge.4. Critical Thinking. Faculty will create activities that encouragestudents’ use of reasoned thinking and the analysisof in<strong>for</strong>mation including rhetorical strategies.5. Community Building and Diversity. Faculty will encouragecollaborative learning and support students’ ef<strong>for</strong>ts toconnect with the many varied components and diversity ofa university setting.6. Computer Literacy. Faculty will require the use of computertechnology in the completion of some assignments.7. Career Awareness. Faculty will require students to participatein activities that improve their awareness of careersand their individual career goals.Examining Literacy in Community-BuildingHD FS 287X — Community-Building is a student-centeredcourse that offers class members an introduction to negotiatingdifferences in small groups, families, institutions, and communitiesthrough an initial intensive, experiential <strong>for</strong>mat. 2 Participantsmeet be<strong>for</strong>e the start of the semester <strong>for</strong> three, eight-hour daysand engage in a series of activities designed to increase their selfawarenessand understanding of communication and behaviorand to help them to examine their own values, look at the waythese beliefs impact their behaviors and investigate how theirbehaviors impact their relationships with others both inside andoutside the institution. The instructor serves as a facilitator <strong>for</strong>the course, guiding students through various structured experiencesto heighten their diversity awareness and increase theirskills in negotiating diversity.Service-Learning in Examining LiteracyThe service-learning part of the course provides an opportunityduring the semester <strong>for</strong> students to integrate academic contentwith real-world application through an individual communitybasedproject with the Pennsylvania Literacy Corps Program.During the 15-week course, students read The 22 Non-NegotiableLaws of Wellness by Greg Anderson, along with various readingsabout adult literacy and tutoring. Students are matchedwith adults enrolled in Adult Basic Education (ABE), GeneralEquivalency Diploma (GED), or English as a Second Language(ESL) classes and work one-on-one with them or in small groupsthroughout the semester to assist them with their learning andliteracy goals. They keep logs about their experiences and meettogether with the instructor monthly to discuss concerns andissues. As a FYS course, HD FS 287X emphasizes students’responsibilities in engaging with the experience so that it has apositive impact on the quality of their own education.
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