Multi-Level, Multi-Constituent Assessment of Service-Learning at an Academic Medical Center

Abstract

The aim of this companion dissertation in practice (DiP) was to address the need to facilitate a culture of community engagement through service-learning at an academic medical center. The integration of the philosophy of community engagement is needed to prepare health care students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to practice ethically, while also meeting the needs of the community and fulfilling the mission of the university. The two complementary studies included in the DiP gathered data needed for strategic planning to advance the scholarship of engagement across the institution and specifically within the occupational therapy (OT) department. The primary objectives were to determine current levels of the institutionalization and development of service-learning at an institutional and departmental level for multiple stakeholders. Findings served as a foundation for recommendations to develop strategies to advance service-learning and community engagement across campus in preparation for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification and for planning service-learning throughout the curriculum for a new OT doctoral program.

Instruments used for assessment included adaptations of Andrew Furco’s Self-Assessment Rubric (2002), as well as surveys from Campus Compact. As theories underlying the studies emphasize the importance of mutual and reciprocal relationships across multiple constituencies, the populations surveyed for assessment included faculty, students, administrators, and current and proposed community partners.