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Introduction Robert G. Bringle Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis When I discuss civic engagement to higher education audiences, I always display and discuss the Venn diagram in Figure 7.1 (Bringle, Games, & Malloy, 1999). This figure is useful because it bases the analysis of civic engagement on the three areas of faculty work: teaching, research, and service. Much of faculty work takes place on campus, but it illustrates how civic engagement is teaching, research,orserviceinandwiththecommunity,notjustservice(Bringle,Hatcher,&Holland,2007).Thefigure is also useful because it situates service-learning as the intersection of teaching and service, demonstrating how service-learning has the dual purposes of meeting the learning objectives of the course and also being beneficial to the community. Similarly, the intersection of service and research, participatory action research, has the dual purposes of meeting the scholarly interests of the faculty and also being beneficial to the community. Every time I present this figure, I am quick to point out that, when Rich Games and I drew the diagram, we both knew that it did not represent the triple intersection of teaching, research, and service, even though we knew that it could exist. We did not draw the figure to include that element because it would not clearly represent other aspects of civic engagement in the figure. Nevertheless, as I point out to all my audiences, the triple intersection of teaching, research, and service in and with the community is the most integrated type of civic engagement and it can exist. That is, a service-learning class on participatory action research can be conducted in which students engage in participatory action research with the community partners in order to learn research skills and other course content, the research is beneficial to the community, and the research also makes a scholarly contribute to the discipline or the profession. 7 The Teaching of Research and Other “Tools of the Trade” Figure 7.1. Civic Engagement as Faculty Work in the Community (adapted from Bringle et al., 1999b, p. 5). Research Community Teaching Distance Education Service Learning Course Research Site Participatory Action Research Professional Community Service Service Engagement of Faculty Work in and with the Community Clinical Services Civic Engagement All practitioners of service-learning understand the integral role that reflection plays in providing the indispensible mechanism for learning to occur. Eyler, Giles, and Schmiede (1996) note its essential role, “It is critical reflection…that provides the transformative link between the action of serving and the ideas and understanding of learning” (p. 14). The entries in this book and service-learning practice across the nation illustrate that reflection has many different forms that help students learn from their experiences. However, all reflection may not be equally effective in fostering student learning. Eyler et al., (1996) note that reflection “need not be a difficult process, but it does need to be a purposeful and strategic process” (p. 16). Bringle and Hatcher (1999) posit that reflection activities should (a) clearly link the service experience to the course content and learning objectives; (b) be structured in terms of description, expectations, and the criteria for assessing the activity; (c) occur regularly during the semester so that students can develop the capacity to engage in deeper and broader examination of issues; (d) provide feedback from the instructor so that students learn how to improve their critical analysis and reflective practice; and (e) include the opportunity for students to explore, clarify, and alter their personal values (Hatcher & Bringle, 1997). Bringle, Hatcher, and Muthiah (2004) also found that three characteristics of reflection independently predicted course quality: (a) reflection activities that clarified personal values, (b) reflection activities that were a regular part of the course, and (c) reflection activities that were structured with clear guidelines and directions. To bring all of these points together, the entries in Chapter 7 of this volume illustrate how reflection is important to the design of optimal service-learning courses. Furthermore, many of the entries go beyond this and show how service-learning provides an excellent vehicle for teaching about research. To add a research component to a service-learning course creates a component that aligns very well with the qualities of good reflection: it links theory and practice, it is a highly structured activity that provides regular opportunities for feedback as the research is developed, and it allows the students to explore not only the technical aspects of the work but also the civic aspects. Furthermore, it provides a meaningful and authentic way to teach...

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