Fitz Center for Leadership in Community
Integration of Engaged Teaching, Learning and Scholarship
Community engaged learning (CEL) is a primary means of engaging with the community; addressing critical community-identified interests and needs through learning opportunities, and sustaining reciprocal relationships. Within the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community, community engaged learning is a means to an end. The purpose is to build community with urban Dayton and the surrounding region to achieve the common good. The CEL team is intentionally working to deepen UD’s commitment to and experiences with community engagement and to act as a catalyst for enhancing or creating new community engaged learning opportunities.
Community engaged learning works by providing:
RECIPROCAL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Fitz Center staff actively sustain many community partnerships that are based on reciprocity (all are equally planning, learning, teaching, etc.) and community voice. High value is placed on impactful engagement that meets a public good as determined through an intentional and equitable collaboration with the community.
MEANINGFUL AND IMPACTFUL EXPERIENCES
To gain the most meaning and impact for the community, the community partner is involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the experience. Furthermore, the activity addresses the needs/issues as identified by the community in a way that the community can appreciate.
To gain the most meaning and impact for faculty and students, there is evidence that the partnership and experience (and pedagogy) are most appropriate for and will enhance student learning based on the outcomes. Furthermore, the experience and intended outcomes are developmentally appropriate for the students involved.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO)
The CEL team uses learning agreements between students, faculty, and community partners to share goals, expectations, and student learning outcomes. Community Engaged SLO’s can include academic, personal, and/or civic outcomes.
The most impactful community engaged learning experiences are realized when SLO’s are closely aligned with community engagement goals, when the content of the course and the community engagement experience lead students to learn more about the other, when the process of engagement is realized both in and out of the classroom, and when SLO’s are appropriate for the developmental stage(s) of the students.
CRITICAL REFLECTION INTEGRATED THROUGHOUT
The Fitz Center staff have access to many research-based effective reflection methods and use them frequently in their student programs and community partnerships. Creating many opportunities for students to reflect on their community engagement experience encourages them to make links between the course content and the experience, and it generates and deepens knowledge, skills, and competencies.
EVALUATION & ASSESSMENT
In Fitz Center programs, all partners are involved in evaluating the students, the projects, and the community impact to enhance learning experiences and develop students. Receiving feedback from all partners embraces the reciprocity embedded in "community engagement" and creates a comprehensive approach to evaluation.
Assessment of SLO’s can be done through critical reflection methods and can be used to generate and deepen learning and to check alignment and reciprocity of the partnership.
Fitz Center staff support the University of Dayton faculty and staff in bringing active learning, reflective learning, and community building to their courses and research using the CEL pedagogy.
We offer the following resources and services:
- Support with initiating and developing community partnerships and meaningful CEL opportunities
- Assistance integrating active learning, reflective learning, and other innovative teaching strategies
- Curriculum development with the CEL pedagogy (course development, setting intentional learning goals, project design, reflection activity ideas, and evaluation tools)
- Class visits (facilitation of reflection activities, presentation on CEL principles, preparing for CEL training workshops)
- Workshops, trainings, mentoring to support faculty and staff efforts in CEL
Course Design
- Community Engagement Terms and Definitions (pdf)
- Best Practices, Principles and Values for Community Engaged Learning at UD (pdf)
- Principles of Good Practice for Combining Community Engagement and Learning (pdf)
- Ways to Include Community Engaged Learning in Your Classroom (pdf)
- Advancing the Learning Outcomes found in "Habits of Inquiry and Reflection" - The Potential of Community Engaged Learning (pdf)
- University of Dayton Community Engaged Learning Partnership Agreement (pdf)
- Community Engaged Learning: Foundational vs. Advanced (pdf)
- Taxonomy for Service Learning Courses: Instructor Centric for Course Design (IUPUI) (pdf)
Partnership Development
Risk Management and Liability
- Fitz Center for Leadership in Community Safety/Risk Management Orientation (pdf)
- Risk Management for Community Engaged Learning (pdf)
- Code of Ethics for Community Engagement (pdf)
- Key Points from the University's Minors Policy: What to Do and Not to Do When You're Around Children (pdf)
- Informed Voluntary Consent and General Release (pdf)
- Risk Management Aids (pdf)
The community engaged learning (CEL) team is intentionally working to deepen UD’s commitment to and experiences with community engagement and to act as a catalyst for enhancing or creating new community engaged learning opportunities. This includes developing meaningful and effective programs for students to reflect on experiences in ways that will deepen knowledge and spark academic, personal, and civic development.
Also, through our Neighborhood School Center partnership, there are many opportunities for our students to be civically engaged, volunteering their time in the classroom, with afterschool care, as tutors, as coaches for sports, etc.
Our Programs
YESS AmeriCorps
Volunteer
Community engaged learning works by providing:
Reciprocal Community Partnerships
Fitz Center staff actively sustain many community partnerships that are based on reciprocity (all are equally planning, learning, teaching, etc.) and community voice. High value is placed on impactful engagement that meets a public good as determined through an intentional and equitable collaboration with the community.
Bridging Classroom and Community
The CEL team staff provides trainings/orientations for students in courses, internships, LLC’s, and programs.
Meaningful and Impactful Experiences
To gain the most meaning and impact for the community, the community partner is involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the experience. Furthermore, the activity addresses the needs/issues as identified by the community in a way that the community can appreciate.
To gain the most meaning and impact for faculty and students, there is evidence that the partnership and experience (and pedagogy) are most appropriate for and will enhance student learning based on the outcomes. Furthermore, the experience and intended outcomes are developmentally appropriate for the students involved.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
The CEL team uses learning agreements between students, faculty, and community partners to share goals, expectations, and student learning outcomes. Community Engaged SLO’s can include academic, personal, and/or civic outcomes.
The most impactful community engaged learning experiences are realized when SLO’s are closely aligned with community engagement goals, when the content of the course and the community engagement experience lead students to learn more about the other, when the process of engagement is realized both in and out of the classroom, and when SLO’s are appropriate for the developmental stage(s) of the students.
Critical Reflection Integrated Throughout
The Fitz Center staff have access to many research-based effective reflection methods and use them frequently in their student programs and community partnerships. Creating many opportunities for students to reflect on their community engagement experience encourages them to make links between the course content and the experience, and it generates and deepens knowledge, skills, and competencies.
Evaluation & Assessment
In Fitz Center programs, all partners are involved in evaluating the students, the projects, and the community impact to enhance learning experiences and develop students. Receiving feedback from all partners embraces the reciprocity embedded in "community engagement" and creates a comprehensive approach to evaluation.
Assessment of SLO’s can be done through critical reflection methods and can be used to generate and deepen learning and to check alignment and reciprocity of the partnership.
The CEL team staff provides trainings/orientations for students in courses, internships, LLC’s, and programs. Such orientation and training help students prepare to be effective and appropriate partners in the community engaged learning experience. Important elements include reflecting on concepts embedded in “community engagement” (reciprocity, doing "with" not "for," creating common ground, etc.), discussing multiculturalism, examining power and privilege, reviewing risk and liability information, discussing a code of ethics for community engagement (acting professionally, accountability, respect, etc.), and reflecting on the value of community.
If you would to request someone from the CEL team come to your class, please complete the Bridging Classroom and Community request form >
- Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement Taskforce
- Growing Power Initiative
Our research
The applied research of the Fitz Center provides a valuable resource to the area’s human services programs, neighborhoods and other non-profits in the region. The researchers have helped establish community priorities, write needed grant proposals, and evaluate ongoing projects. The evaluation reports have improved the accountability and efficiency of numerous social service, educational, and cultural projects in an era of scarce resources. Professional expertise in data collection and analyses, social service delivery systems, and neighborhood trend analysis has been provided to groups as diverse as a retirement home and the county child protection agency.
Much of our research has been focused on social service programs in Dayton and the surrounding area. Many of these programs have been designed to ameliorate difficulties associated with housing insecurity, underemployment, and poverty. Some have focused on ways to reduce family violence, some to improve the educational systems’ ability to meet the challenges of teaching students with few supportive resources at home, or to help people avoid a range of health-risking behaviors. Center research focuses on accurately assessing the impact of human services programming on the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our communities. Center staff members have worked with local groups to reduce the chances of family violence and child maltreatment, homelessness, adolescent pregnancy, and improve school readiness.
In addition to the research and evaluation services provided to human services groups in the Dayton area, each year Fitz Center researchers track the involvement of UD undergraduate students in service, service-learning, and other forms of civic engagement. A yearly assessment and tracking of students’ involvement in the Dayton area and their home communities is undertaken to aid the University as it seeks to strengthen the quality of the undergraduates’ education while addressing community needs and priorities.
The Center has a long history of working with private groups such as Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, East End Community Services, Homefull, Catholic schools, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and Daybreak. The City of Dayton and Montgomery County Human Services Planning and Development, and Dayton Public Schools have also used the research and evaluation services of the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community. Over the years, funding has been received from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County Job and Family Services, ServeOhio; the Ohio Arts Council, and numerous private foundations.
The evaluation research of the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community focuses on the impact of various human service and educational programs. Researchers of the Fitz Center have been actively involved in the development of effective human service programs to support low-capacity neighborhoods, help fragile families, and aid young people learn all the skills they need for today's complicated world. Researchers have been involved in the efforts of a number of social service agencies to decrease the chances of homelessness, child maltreatment, and economic distress, while others have sought to increase civic involvement and facilitate a range of neighborhood-initiated projects.
Some of the programs evaluated by the staff of the Center would be considered university programs and are staffed primarily by university students while other programs are based in other community organizations and involve few students. Fitz Center evaluators seek to measure program impact on both the participants and the recipients of any services they provide. Some of the research has focused on initiatives of the University itself while others are designed in partnership with other private or public organizations.
The researchers of the Fitz Center have worked closely on program development, grant writing, assessment, and evaluation for service providers such as the City of Dayton, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, Dayton Public Schools, Dayton and Montgomery County Libraries, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Homefull, Montgomery County Homeless Solutions, Daybreak, and Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services.
The research and scholarly efforts of our faculty and staff ensure that all students are educated in a vibrant and engaged environment. Recent research and scholarship projects are listed below.
Evaluation Reports
Donnelly, B.W., Arrington, A.L. Annual report to ServeOhio on Dayton Corps (September 2018)
Bohrer, K., Acosta Matos, C., Sakuda, C. Civic Engagement in the Marianist Tradition II. Report prepared for the Association of Marianist Universities (2017).
Donnelly, B. W. "Findings and Results: 2017 United Irish of Dayton Celtic Festival Satisfaction Survey." Reports submitted annually to United Irish of Dayton, Inc., The Ohio Arts Council, Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District, and other funders. Dayton, OH (Annually 2001 through 2017).
Donnelly, B.W., Sommers, S.D., & Winston, C. Annual report to ServeOhio on YESS AmeriCorps (Annually, September 2015, through September 2017).
Bohrer, K., Pinnell, M., Anderson, M., Vanderburgh, P., Ferguson, R., Kinnucan-Welsh, K., Lopez-Matthews, A., Harmon, K., Forlani, V., and Neeley, G. Application for 2015 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, received.
Other Projects, Proposals and Grants
Goodman, H.P. “Embracing Opportunity: Engaging Higher Education through Community Engagement.” Book review. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, Vol. 11, No. 1: pp 67 – 68 (2018).
Becker, S. & Sweet, C.“What Would I Look Like?”: How Concentrated Disadvantage Impacts Hip-Hop Artists’ Connections to Community.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, (2018).
Bohrer, K.”Foreword” in Thomas-Trout, M., Chema, C., and Irwin, A. Facing Dayton: Neighborhood Narratives (2018).
Donnelly, B.W. & Ritter, E. Proposal to ServeOhio for funding for Dayton Corps, November 2017, funded.
Bohrer, K. Proposal to Ohio Campus Compact for Facing Project, Ohio Campus Compact, 2016, funded.
Donnelly, B.W. & Russell, W. Proposal to the Ohio Arts Council to fund the United Irish of Dayton Celtic Festival, funded (Annually 2000 through 2018).
Merithew, C., Krane, C., Slade, A., Thomas, P., Dasgupta, S., Sun, Y., and Bohrer, K. Proposal to NEH Humanities Connections Planning Grant to develop and launch an undergraduate certificate program in Humanities and Health Connections (HHC), 2017, funded.
Donnelly, B.W. Data collection and analysis for the evaluation of the ECHO (Empowering Children with Hope and Opportunity) program formally the Urban Child Development Resource Center, University of Dayton, (2012 through 2017).
Donnelly, B. W., Currell, C. Data collection and analysis for the annual “Application for The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll” (Annually 2011 to 2016).
Fitz, R., Bohrer, K., Brown, S., Murray, A., Schramm, C., Rismiller, L., Washington, V., Wright, D. Educating for Practical Wisdom: An ideal and a journey. Prepared by Habits of Inquiry and Reflection Practical Wisdom Fellows (2016).
Bickford, D., Schramm, C., Eckert, J., Vanderburg, P., and Bohrer, K. Experiential Learning Implementation Team Report, 2015.
Ferguson, R., Bohrer, K., Osting, D. & Donnelly, B.W. Proposal to ServeOhio for funding for YESS AmeriCorps project, funded (July 2014).
Bickford, D., Benson, P., Bobrowski, P., Wallace, C., Pierce, J., and Bohrer, K. Experiential Learning Taskforce Report (May 2013).
Adams, S. M., Weaver, H. R., Ferguson, S. M., Currell, C. “Full Service Community Schools Grant.” Sponsored by Better Way Foundation, funded (2010 - 2012).
Currell, C., Adams, S., Ferguson, S., Weaver, R. "Ready Families, Ready Children Project." Proposal for funding from the Better Way Foundation. Dayton, OH (October, 2012).
Currell, C., Donnelly, B. W. Evaluation and research at A Peace of Mind at Wesley Park: proposal to evaluate the Open Spaces Sacred Spaces grant submitted by Wesley Community Center, Inc. Dayton, OH (July, 2012).
Donnelly, B. W., Currell, C. Literature review on examples of health and wellness activities in schools and partnerships between Health Departments and schools. University of Dayton. (May, 2012).
Donnelly, B. W., Currell, C. Data collection, analysis, and report. "Civic Engagement Workshop Evaluation Feedback” (January, 2012).
Donnelly, B. W. Data collection and analysis for the Association of Marianist Universities. Assessment of Levels of Civic Engagement of Students at Marianist Universities (2009 through 2012).
Donnelly, B. W., Currell, C. Data collection, analysis, and monthly reports on the activities of Neighborhood School Centers' Site Coordinators and Interns. Dayton, OH (2006-2012).
Presentations
Goodman, H.P. & Donnelly, B. W. “Dayton Corps: The University in Partnership with the City of Dayton.” Ohio Campus Compact annual meeting, August, 2018
Bohrer, K. “Social Justice 101”. Social Justice Symposium: Explorations in Social Justice at The Coretta Scott King Center at Antioch College, 2017
Bohrer, K. “A Human Rights Approach in Research on Service-Learning, Community Engagement, and Advocacy” Discussant. International Association for Research in Service Learning and Community Engagement, 2016
Bohrer, K. “Making, Creating, and Community Application: A two-part collaborative experience.” Co-facilitated a creative catalyst lab from IACT. Imagining America Conference, 2016
Bohrer, K. “Factors Influencing Food Insecurity: Looking beyond food access.” Montgomery County Annual Food Summit, Dayton, OH, 2016
Bohrer, K. “Combatting Food Deserts.” Homefull Conference: Building blocks for a better community, Dayton, OH, 2016
Bohrer, K. “Sustainability and Laudato Si’ for Parishes.” St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Kettering, OH, 2016
Bohrer, K. “Our Common Home: Our Shared Responsibility.” St. Francis Parish, Dayton, OH, 2015
Bohrer, K. “Sustainable Living: A Disciple Cares for the Earth.” Immaculate Conception Parish, 2014
The Montgomery County Office of Family and Children First Research Division has had the lead responsibility for producing the Montgomery County Family and Children First Council's hallmark publication - a series of annual Reports to the Community on Outcomes and Indicators. This effort has put Montgomery County in the forefront of communities attempting to implement "results-based accountability."
The FCFC Research Division has also provided support regarding issues as diverse as low birth weight, early childhood development, infants and toddlers at risk for - or with - developmental delays or disabilities, school readiness, child fatalities (with particular emphases on infant mortality, child suicides and layover deaths), juvenile sex offenders, teen pregnancy, the needs of the frail elderly, youth mentoring, supportive and engaged neighborhoods, poverty reduction/workforce development and the development of a website providing access to a variety of community indicator data for jurisdictions within Montgomery County.
The FCFC Research Division is housed within the Fitz Center to enable interaction with University students, faculty and staff.