Civic Engagement In Higher Education Research Articles

A Renaissance of Civic Education and Civic Engagement in Higher Education in the Spirit of the American Founders and Constitutionalism

A growing number of states have responded to negative trends in civic knowledge, trust, and engagement by creating new institutes or schools at state universities, with the express aim of reinvigorating civic education and thoughtful, engaged citizenship. In seeking to increase civic knowledge, champion viewpoint diversity, model civil discussion of ideas, combat polarization, and embrace the civic responsibilities of higher education, these institutes can be seen as carrying forward the American founders’ vision of civic education, the moral foundations of law and constitutionalism, and the constitutional principles of free speech and federalism.

INSTITUTIONALIZING SERVICE LEARNING IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION

The institutionalization of service learning in universities is a pressing concern in higher education. This qualitativeresearch aims to explore strategies associated with institutionalizing service learning in the institutions of highereducation. The paper examines the eight case studies from universities globally, including Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Stanford University, the University of Cape Town, and the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, highlighting their successful adoption of service learning. The research seeks to address thelimited integration of service learning in the universities by offering a theoretical framework of service-learninginstitutionalization. The theoretical framework consists of three components; governance, capacity and incentives(GCI) and further includes nine sub components. This paper aims to contribute to the development of evidencebasedpolicies and practices, fostering holistic student development and civic engagement in higher education.

Areas and dimensions of universities response to COVID-19: Diversity, trends, and evidence from the University Social Responsibility Network

The University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) promotes civic engagement in higher education and awareness of the nature of University Social Responsibility (USR), how it functions, and what it means depending on its context. In 2019 the USRN started a collaborative Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called Introduction to University Social Responsibility. The outbreak of COVID-19 affected the production of the course, however this also led to the addition of a Special Session on Universities’ Response to the MOOC showing how members addressed the challenges of the pandemic. Based on the experiences from 13 universities and the USRN, this article portrays flagship responses of how universities in the network tackled some of the challenges presented by the pandemic in range of academic and non-academic initiatives categorized as University Social Responsibility (USR) Areas of Engagement, namely research, education, advisory role, outreach, information management, provision of support, institutional reforms, and extended services. The article discusses broader questions referring to how COVID-19 impacted the understanding of what USR is; therefore, looking into both policy and theoretical implications of how the concept of USR and universities responses can be understood and applied in different contexts and universities.
 Received: 31 January 2022Accepted: 30 August 2023

Service learning and self-efficacy in exercise science: outcomes of a community fitness training program involving undergraduate Exercise Science students.

There is increasing awareness of the importance of civic engagement in higher education. Service-learning activities in undergraduate programs, in particular, have been linked to positive academic outcomes and gains in various forms of self-efficacy. Exercise Science students at our university complete two service-learning courses as part of the curriculum, each of which involves implementing a structured 12-week individualized fitness training program with a community member client. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of these service-learning experiences on Exercise Science students' self-efficacy for fitness assessment and exercise prescription. Students completed a seven-item self-efficacy questionnaire administered at both the beginning and end of each service-learning course and reflected on their experience using an end-of-course survey. Our results showed significant improvements in self-efficacy from pretest to posttest for each of the two service-learning experiences, with the second experience producing additional gains in self-efficacy over and above the first. Students also reported improved confidence in their fitness assessment and exercise prescription skills in the end-of-course survey. Community members involved in the fitness training program reported a positive experience with students' knowledge of fitness assessment and exercise prescription as well as their own progression to independence in a home exercise program. Our findings highlight the benefits of including a structured service-learning experience in the Exercise Science curriculum.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study was done to investigate the effect of a structured fitness training experience on Exercise Science students' self-efficacy for fitness assessment and exercise prescription. Our results indicate a significant improvement in self-efficacy from pretest to posttest. Students also reported improved confidence in their fitness assessment and exercise prescription skills. Community members reported a positive experience with students' knowledge of fitness assessment and exercise prescription and their progression to independence in a home exercise program.

Leadership for Better Understanding and Advancement Of Civic Engagement in Higher Education

William V. Flores and Katrina S. Rogers (Eds.). (2019). Democracy, Civic Engagement, and Citizenship in Higher Education: Reclaiming Our Civic Purpose. Lexington Books. 410 pages. ISBN: 978-1498590945

Discipline-Oriented Citizenship

The authors introduce a framework for considering the particularities of civic engagement in higher education. Colleges and universities make increasing reference to civic engagement in mission statements and other guiding documents; however, these documents often do not allow for distinctions between types of civic engagement activities that might occur in specific academic disciplines. This suggests a singular approach to civic engagement. The authors argue that actual pedagogies demonstrate variance and nuance in purposes of and approaches to civic engagement. Supporting faculty considerations of what content and skills are necessary for civic engagement in a particular academic discipline, the authors examine the notion of disciplinary literacy and adapt it to the college classroom.

Educating Students for Civic Engagement: What the Arts Have to Do With It

The literature on civic engagement in higher education is rich with examples of courses and programs that promote the development of students as engaged citizens in our democracy. However, few of them involve the arts. This fact is unfortunate because all forms of engagement with the arts is an important and effective means of achieving our civic engagement goals for students, communities, and institutions. This article explores the civic benefits of engagement with the arts and provides modes and examples of arts engagement. It offers implications for practice and resources for those of us who seek to promote social responsibility and engaged citizenship, whether we are most directly involved with the arts, civic and community engagement, or institutional leadership.

Students as partners in the promotion of civic engagement in higher education

ABSTRACT The development of the knowledge and skills of students can only be complete when the tenets of civic engagement are inculcated in them to respond to the needs of society. However, due to the weakening role of higher education institutions to develop a university ethos that stimulate civic interest and participation among students, it has become necessary to examine the aspects that enhance civic engagement. Using social cognitive and transformative learning theories, we examined six major aspects namely, civic knowledge, civic skills, civic culture, cultural diversity, social responsibility and students as partners to reveal the sets of relationships and antecedents that enhance civic participation among students. We relied on a mixed method approach for gathering and analysing data from students in an HEI setting in Ghana (n = 261). Results revealed that cultural diversity experience, social responsibility and students as partners represent important aspects for stimulating civic participation among students in HEIs.

Knowledge for Social Change: Bacon, Dewey, and the Revolutionary Transformation of Research Universities in the Twenty-First Century by Lee Benson et al.

Reviewed by: Knowledge for Social Change: Bacon, Dewey, and the Revolutionary Transformation of Research Universities in the Twenty-First Century by Lee Benson et al. Jessica Ostrow Michel and Ty Mcnamee Lee Benson, Ira Harkavy, John Puckett, Matthew Hartley, Rita A. Hodges, Francis E. Johnston, and Joann Weeks. Knowledge for Social Change: Bacon, Dewey, and the Revolutionary Transformation of Research Universities in the Twenty-First Century. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2017. 210 pp. Paperback: $14.95. ISBN: 978-1-4399-1519-6 Introduction Knowledge for Social Change: Bacon, Dewey, and the Revolutionary Transformation of Research Universities in the Twenty-First Century surrounds the notion of reshaping research universities to operate as mechanisms that advance knowledge for social change. To do so, authors Lee Benson, Ira Harkavy, John Puckett, Matthew Hartley, Rita A. Hodges, Francis E. Johnston, and Joann Weeks extend upon Benson, Harkavy, and Puckett's (2007) first collaborative book, Dewey's Dream: Universities and Democracies in an Age of Education Reform: Civil Society, Public Schools, and Democratic Citizenship. There, Benson et al. centered on Dewey and the proposition that, despite his call for participatory democracy, he failed to develop programs that employed his theory in real-world practice. However, taking a cue from their prior writing, in this book, Knowledge for Social Change, the authors attempt to strengthen Dewey's participatory democracy theory by placing his work in historical perspective (similar to Bacon's oeuvre). They then describe how universities can take the theoretical notions of Dewey, Bacon, and others, and apply those ideas to civic engagement in higher education, focusing on the ways in which civic engagement can be integrated "into the core work of the academy—teaching, learning and research" (p. 82). Summary of the Book Part I: The Advancement of Learning for "The Relief of Man's Estate" Part I of the book serves as an overview of the historical and theoretical concepts of several key actors in the knowledge for social change movement, as well as a summary of the application of these concepts to higher education. The first four chapters call attention to key actors (Bacon, Franklin, Harper, Addams, and Dewey) who rejected traditional, classical education. Instead, these scholars called for education to be pragmatic and based in real-world applicability, viewing it as a means to solve issues in both the world at large, and specifically in local communities. In their view, with the proper scientific organization of individuals, universities, K-12 institutions, and community-based organizations could effectively advance the knowledge central to what Bacon refers to as "the relief of man's estate," or "the continuous betterment of the human condition until all human beings could enjoy Good Lives in a Good Society" (p. 5). Chapter 5 calls for a broader, deeper understanding of democratic and civic engagement—one in which universities and communities intentionally partner together, democracy and civic behavior are embedded in the research, teaching, and learning of a university, and the work of higher education institutions focuses on solving global problems. [End Page E-1] Part II: The Netter Center: Higher Education and Civic and Community Engagement Part II of the book showcases Penn to illustrate how universities can foster relationships with their external communities. Chapters 6 and 7 provide historical context and descriptions of Penn's local partnerships, such as the Netter Center1 and West Philadelphia Improvement Corps (WEPIC)2. Chapter 8 elaborates further on engagement with surrounding communities by illustrating the regional, national, and international work that Penn, WEPIC, and Netter also conduct. WEPIC-like programs took root all around Philadelphia and around the country, with some academically-based community service (ABCS) projects still thriving in present day. The Netter Center's model has been replicated, as well, influencing the development of national organizations, such as the Coalition for Community Schools and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office for University Partnerships. Beyond the U.S., Netter has shared civic engagement strategies with international regions and countries, and founded the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility, and Democracy. Chapter 9 homes...

Book Review: Creating Spaces for Transformative Civic Engagement in Higher Education

Book Review: Creating Spaces for Transformative Civic Engagement in Higher Education

Civic Engagement in Higher Education: A university course in civic statistics for mathematics preservice teachers

Civic Engagement in Higher Education: A university course in civic statistics for mathematics preservice teachers

Developing a “Sense of Community”: Exploring a Cognitive Component of Civic Engagement

Civic engagement has become an important component of higher education practice that assists colleges and universities in fulfilling their civic mission and public purpose. This reflective essay outlines an oftentimes forgotten aspect of that work—how we integrate students into the life of a community and help them develop a sense of interdependence with it. The concept of “sense of community” allows this opportunity and should be incorporated in higher education professions as both a guiding principle and an outcome of engaged scholarship. The author outlines the idea of incorporating the sense of community concept into higher education civic engagement, including its definition, its impact, and implications for current practice. While not prescriptive in its analysis and propositions, the article poses questions for thoughtful reflection on civic engagement in higher education.

Coda: Making Geography Relevant

If the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (2012) is correct that there is a crisis of civic engagement in higher education, geography's “out in the world” approach and ...

Higher Education and Society ed. by Joseph L. DeVitis and Pietro A. Sasso

Reviewed by: Higher Education and Society ed. by Joseph L. DeVitis and Pietro A. Sasso Andrew J. Ryder Higher Education and Society Joseph L. DeVitis and Pietro A. Sasso (Editors) New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2016, 310 pages, $40.95 (softcover, e-book) In Higher Education and Society, editors DeVitis and Sasso ask "What are the influences of higher education on society—and what are the influences of society on higher education?" (p. 1). They acknowledge the difficulty in parsing such a question, yet they do so to impose what results in a fairly fluid organizational framework for the 14 chapters comprising the book. Like their previously coedited volume (Sasso & DeVitis, 2015), DeVitis and Sasso ground this work in the increasingly commodified context of contemporary higher education, though several chapters advance other important themes and ideas. Assembled authors include longtime and emergent scholars and leaders representing various institutional types, professional roles, and topical expertise. Such breadth is a notable strength of the volume. The quality of writing and concise analysis supported by data and contemporary examples found in many chapters are also strengths. Other chapters summarize current scholarship as an introduction to illustrative cases, but the length of the examples attenuates the chapters' effectiveness. Part 1 examines higher education's influence on society at the local, state, and national levels. In chapter 1, "On Purpose: Liberal Education and the Question of Value," Cornwell asserts liberal education as essential to contemporary society, arguing that the combination of higher education's instrumental value (i.e., graduates' wage premiums and substantially lower unemployment rates) and political value (i.e., enhanced abilities for informed deliberations of policy and social justice issues), helps maintain social order. Because graduates may learn to reconcile other cultures and beliefs with their own, liberal education also promises much-needed cultural value to our divided society. In chapter 2, "Higher Education, the Professions, and the Place of Expertise," DeNicola explains how the "asymmetry of the authority" (p. 37) possessed by increasingly specialized professions (e.g., medicine, business, law) contributes to public perceptions that such professionals prioritize their own personal and institutional interests over those of clients and society. Effects may be witnessed in the increased reliance upon consumer reviews for complicated services and widespread cynicism with which previously well-respected social institutions (e.g., the media, higher education) are now regarded. To rebuild trust, DeNicola urges devoted effort toward infusing reflexivity and social ethics into professional curricula and guarding liberal education components of preprofessional studies from encroaching competency-based approaches. Elmore's chapter, "Academic Freedom and Public Higher Education in the Neoliberal Age," offers a clear and concise explanation of how 40 years of neoliberal policies increasingly [End Page 964] commodified and privatized public higher education. Elmore explains how persistent rounds of state budget cuts and new accountability metrics compelled institutions to emphasize more easily measured job skills, thus undermining faculty leadership of the curriculum. Under the guise of ensuring economic outcomes, he notes broad-access institutions experience the effects of these changes more acutely as they increasingly focus on "polishing human commodities" for the workforce (p. 82) and reproduce social stratification. Part 1 concludes by examining the commodification of intercollegiate athletics in "College Sports and Society." Authors Vincent and Williams describe relative harmony between the purpose of athletics and the personal and intellectual development goals of college among institutional members of NCAA Division II, III, or NAIA. In contrast, they detail how commercialization of sports and commodification of athletes within NCAA Division I, especially football and men's basketball, often subvert the purpose of higher education. As evidence, the authors cite the escalating race to finance and build increasingly posh athletics facilities, institutions' efforts to profit from athletes' likenesses, and Hawkins's (2010) "new plantation" idea where revenue generated from sports played mostly by African American athletes subsidizes Olympic sports played mostly by White athletes. Also included in part 1 are Covaleskie's analysis of higher education as both a public and private good, Guarasci's argument for renewed relevance of civic engagement in higher education, and Hatcher and Childress's discussion of the need to cultivate town and gown relationships that transcend economic development. Part 2 probes...

Book Review: Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices.

Book Review: Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices.

Book Review: Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices

By Leah A. Murray Abstract Barbara Jacoby and Associates. (2009). B. Jacoby, ed. Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. According to an Association of American Colleges and Universities monograph, “Five High-Impact Practices,” there are four essential learning outcomes for college students. They are knowledge of […]

Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices

As the new millennium dawned, it became clear that American higher education had done some serious soul-searching in light of concerns that it was losing distinctiveness in pursuit of prestige. Moreover, many institutions began returning to their roots in response to exhortations to take a new leadership role in preparing students for active, responsible citizenship. Ernest Boyer struck a responsive chord when he proposed the scholarship of engagement as a means whereby the academy would employ its considerable resources to tackle the social, civic, and ethical problems that beset our communities (Boyer, 1996). In 1999, higher education leaders across the country articulated their commitment to the civic purposes of their institutions as vital agents and architects of a flourishing democracy (Campus Compact, 2000). The present decade has witnessed a widespread renewal of higher education’s historical commitment to public engagement and the growth of service-learning as a pedagogical approach to developing civic knowledge and skills. However, much work remains to be done. Social problems persist, locally and globally; today’s youth view political involvement with skepticism; civic learning is lacking, or lagging. That is the basis of Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices.

Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices – By Barbara Jacoby and Associates

Civic Engagement in Higher Education: Concepts and Practices – By Barbara Jacoby and Associates

Orientations to civic engagement: insights into the sustainability of a challenging pedagogy

Civic engagement in higher education encompasses a diversity of goals, strategies and activities. These include particular approaches to teaching and learning – community-based or service learning – which share an explicit civic focus and combine the features of experiential learning with opportunities for engagement. A range of ‘orientations’ towards civic engagement can be discerned amongst those associated with these initiatives, reflecting different values and priorities. These orientations inform a diversity of academic strategies and practices and have consequences for sustainability. This article draws on findings from a multi-site case study within Irish higher education, and reports how aspects of this nascent but growing phenomenon highlight some of the tensions, paradoxes and sources of ambivalence which are characteristic of contemporary higher education. The findings highlight the challenge of reconciling competing goals and values within higher education for those seeking to infuse the curriculum with a sense of the civic.

Developing global citizenship

This article explores an attempt to develop global citizenship through a service-learning experience that placed undergraduate students in community organizations that serve refugee populations. It begins with a discussion of the importance of civic engagement in higher education and how service learning, as a pedagogical method, can advance the goals of civic engagement and community building. It discusses how groupwork in class, with service providers, and with refugees led to increased civic awareness and transformed student dispositions toward diverse community groups.