Citizen Scholar Research Articles

Citizen scholars: cultivating 21st century graduate competencies in business education

PurposeThis study has two objectives: (1) to identify gaps in the citizen scholar framework by comparing and synthesizing the relevant pedagogical literature and (2) to illustrate how 21st century graduate capabilities can be cultivated through teaching practices using the citizen scholar framework.Design/methodology/approachWe briefly synthesize the relevant citizen scholar pedagogical frameworks and approaches. We use two case studies in two large classroom settings in Ireland and Australia to demonstrate how the citizen scholar attributes can be developed through curriculum design and multiple forms of assessment.FindingsWe identify that there is a need for digital literacy to be placed as a fifth attribution cluster in the citizen scholar framework. We also demonstrate that these graduate competencies can be developed at scale by embedding the citizen scholar framework in teaching practices.Practical implicationsWe offer a practical implementation mechanism for cultivating 21st century graduate competencies, which will help further embed citizen scholar in pedagogy strategies, thus empowering learning at scale in business education.Originality/valueThe current study makes the first attempt to identify significant attribution gaps in the citizen scholar framework by synthesizing and mapping the relevant approaches. Detailed examples of curriculum design from the two countries also offer new insights into the implementation of a citizen scholar framework.

Writing within simultaneity: A reflective progress report through letters from the Wits Writing Programme

Listening has long been understood as characteristic of writing centre practice, and as central to writing centre philosophy. This reflective progress report argues that such listening is also the generating culture of a university-wide writing programme of writing intensive courses, and that this culture will only be manifested and sustained if constantly modelled at all levels of the programme. In order to model what we teach, we need to build listening into the processes and structure of the programme as well as into the classrooms. Through letters from the invited co-authors of this paper, a snapshot is provided of the generative power of active listening in the teaching conversations between professor and writing fellows; lecturer, writing fellow and students; and writing fellows as a team as they create their lesson plan. Active listening is understood as a discipline of attentiveness to multiple and simultaneous meanings, and thus as a discipline which is necessary for complex thought and writing. Edward Said (2013) has described this attentiveness to simultaneity as key to a humanist critical literacy, which not only promotes engaged students and teachers but is also a political commitment to developing the citizen scholar. In the Wits Writing Programme, attentiveness to simultaneity represents a principle of teaching and of learning, an aim of writing, and a guiding value of the programme’s construction.

Integrating community service learning into a master’s program

Purpose In order to address the complex problems of society, the innovation research process should incorporate technical, social, economic and ethical factors, but also actively involve a diverse group of non-scientific actors. One way to prepare students for this type of research is to create “Citizen Scholars,” students who want to work for the betterment of society. Arvanitakis and Hornsby (2016) argue that we need to change how we teach and train students in specific proficiencies. The purpose of this paper is to assess how the pedagogical approach applied within the program contributes to building the proficiencies and attributes as described by Arvanitakis and Hornsby (2016). Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a total of 12 interviews with alumni who started their program in 2014, one focus group discussion with lecturers and 132 questionnaires with alumni to discuss to what extend the proficiencies are trained in the program and whether these are used in their current jobs. The authors also included data of an earlier study conducted in 2014. These data contain 26 interviews with students during the first year of the program. These students graduated in 2017 and are thus from the same cohort as the alumni. Findings The results show that the pedagogical approach in the management policy analysis program trains all the attributes. Important elements in the program are: the inquiry-based approach intertwined with community service learning (CSL) throughout the program; gradually increased complexity of the real-world problems addressed; students working in teams; and gradually reducing support of the lecturer. Research limitations/implications The authors conclude that our pedagogical approach applied in the program contributes to learning the proficiencies. The authors argue that for the training of inter- and transdisciplinary, the proficiency knowledge integration should be added. Practical implications The result show that more inquiry-based approaches and CSL programs can stimulate the four clusters of proficiencies, which should hold a central place in universities if we want to create citizen scholars. Social implications With the approach, students contribute to research issues of local communities. Originality/value Despite the increasing interest of higher education to involve civic activities in the curricula, few pedagogical approaches are described. The research shows that theoretical insights in the adaption of a model to realize a citizen scholar.

Civic Engagement in the Online Classroom: Increasing Youth Political Engagement in an Online American Government Course

This article discusses the development and implementation of a civics project in an online American government course and explores the challenges and opportunities around managing civic engagement projects in an online format. Data analyzed for this article included 11 semesters of responses to anonymous pre- and post-project surveys, university end-of-course evaluations, Center for Civic Engagement surveys of Citizen Scholar courses, student reflection papers, and discussion board posts. Findings revealed that participation in the civics project increased students’ civic knowledge and helped them develop the skills needed to become active citizens. Students indicated that they intended to continue following current events and that they would stay involved in the political process. Lessons learned are applicable to courses in fields seeking to incorporate service-learning, community-based research, or civic engagement in an online context.

Working in partnership: The role of Peer Assisted Study Sessions in engaging the Citizen Scholar

This article argues that peer learning, specifically Peer Assisted Study Sessions, supported by academic tutors, is a valuable part of the agenda to emphasise the social mission of higher education. This study draws on data collected at two time points from respondents who were trained as Peer Assisted Study Sessions leaders. The data reveal that peer learning interventions nurture specific proficiencies and attributes of the Citizen Scholar, particularly creativity and innovation, design thinking and resilience. This study focuses on how Peer Assisted Study Sessions leader respondents conceptualise and articulate their own learning, relating it to the development of these specific proficiencies and attributes. It also offers insight into how Peer Assisted Study Sessions leaders foster the skills of citizen scholarship for those participating in their sessions.

Social determinants of health: A pedagogical framework for advancing the Citizen Scholar

The concept of the Citizen Scholar highlights the potential for universities to act as vehicles for social change by supporting the development of active, engaged graduates who are geared to respond to current and future global challenges. This demands a radical shift in teaching towards more interactive pedagogies, which may prove difficult for some educators and students who are comfortable with a traditional model of learning and ‘teaching to the test’. Despite these challenges, universities have a responsibility to bring about change in practice to prepare undergraduate students for the complex outside world. This article reports on a revised version of a 12-week Australian undergraduate course in health promotion that was delivered to 147 first-year students enrolled in a Bachelor of Education and/or Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. Significant revisions were made to the curriculum and modification of teaching methodology, with the aim of encouraging greater social awareness and students’ capacity for social change. In this article, I reflect on various teaching strategies employed to develop skills and proficiencies akin to the Citizen Scholar, with a particular emphasis on fostering critically health literate graduates who are empowered to create healthy, just societies. Strategies included the facilitation of discussions to ignite empathy, integrating problem-solving activities and building advocacy competencies. A collaborative, learner-directed approach is considered as a way forward for other university educators, as a way of disrupting previous pedagogic work that emphasises knowing ‘about’ social problems rather than ‘acting on’ them.