“I am a strong believer in the concept that a liberal arts education makes for a better civil society, I also think that as a university professor it is important for me to keep an eye on students’ ability to get a job after completing their degrees.”
“I am a strong believer in the concept that a liberal arts education makes for a better civil society, I also think that as a university professor it is important for me to keep an eye on students’ ability to get a job after completing their degrees.”–Kerry Greer, Associate Professor of Teaching (SOCI)
Description
Students are partnered with on-campus groups at UBC or community partners to build relationships and either (1) reflect on practical, real-world skills needed in the workplace or (2) identify needs, then develop tools and methods to most effectively conduct research in the real-world.
Students will be able to make the connection between classroom learning and social dynamics and explain those connections while reflecting on the course material and social processes that they may have seen and experienced.
- Allow students to learn how civil society works within the context of addressing social problems and use that knowledge to inform their career paths
- Provide opportunities for students to gain real-world experience using the skills that they had first developed in their courses
Courses:
- SOCI 100 ("Introduction to Sociology")
- SOCI 380 ("Sociological Methods: Survey Research")
- SOCI 480 ("Urban Ethnographic Field School)"
Number of Students:
- SOCI 100 & SOCI 380- Large lectures (up to 150 students)
- SOCI 480- small to medium lectures (up to 28 students)
Level of Difficulty:
- Medium: SOCI 100 & SOCI 380
- Hard: SOCI 480
Delivery: In-person
Time: up to 1 full course length
Keywords: student engagement, peer learning, community building
Learning Activities
Scaffolded Community Engagement Opportunities
Delivery
In-person
Prep Work
Instructor seeks out community partners or units on-campus who would benefit from and be able to work with students. The selection of community partners is determined by the learning goals of the particular course. For example, first-year students in Introduction to Sociology are encouraged to partner with schools, youth organizations, and other organizations that are addressing general aspects of social inequality, while students in the Urban Ethnographic Field School work with some community organizations located in high-poverty areas, and are addressing inequality through more complex strategies.
Method
Students are provided with the following opportunities to experience the practical aspects of industry and/or the professional world:
- In SOCI 100: Students are given the option of participating in a community-based learning experience where they partner with a non-profit organization and spend two hours a week working with that organization in lieu of a traditional weekly discussion section. They write reflective accounts discussing their observations of the organization: how the organization works, who the clients are, how the organization serves the clients, and how the organization fits within the broader context of some of the topics that are discussed in class. The students also do an assignment in which they build an ePortfolio using the UBC Arts WordPress tool and are encouraged to regularly update it, which helps them in understanding how the activities and learning over the course of their student life build their professional skills.
- In SOCI 380: Students learn foundational survey research skills in the classroom and apply those skills in collaboration with a UBC unit. Each student team is assigned a UBC unit to partner with, and develop a survey instrument that will allow the UBC unit to conduct the kind of research it identifies as being critical to its advancement. In the past, student teams have developed surveys for increasing the usage of the cultural assets at UBC, provided several AMS organizations with surveys to measure student attitudes, and worked on harm reduction initiatives to address addictive behaviour among students. Students learn to work on a team, collaborate with a partner organization, and use their emerging survey research skills to prepare a field-tested survey that is subsequently made available to their partners for use.
- In SOCI 480/ ANTH 480: In this co-instructed intensive 6-credit course, students start the term with a Launch Lunch where they are introduced to their partner organizations over lunch. With a thematic focus on food security, students spend six weeks “in the field” working with their community partner while learning the advanced research method of ethnography during 12-hours per week of classroom-based instruction. At the end of the semester, students present their experiences at a mini conference where community partners and students come together to consolidate their learning and share their experiences. Through their experience working with community organizations and actively participating in the “goings on” at their placement, students gain insights into how the organization works, develop their communication skills, and gain a deep understanding of an advanced qualitative research method.
Grading
- In SOCI 100: A substantial thirty percent of the grade is allocated to community engaged learning. This aligns with my interest in enabling students to apply concepts learned in class to real-world examples and reduce the emphasis on memorization of concepts or just being able to define them on an exam.
- In SOCI 380: Students are regularly evaluated on their progress in developing their respective surveys, incorporating best-practices for survey design, and delivering their final survey to the UBC-unit. Throughout the course, students share their progress with their peers, who provide feedback and suggestions. Because students are working with a UBC-unit, students are also evaluated based on their level of professionalism in communication, meeting deadlines, and contributing to a team-based process.
- In SOCI 480/ANTH 480: Students complete a series of ethnographic accounts, which are evaluated with the goal of developing students’ ability to write ethnographically. Additionally, students are expected to maintain a high-level of professionalism in working with their community partners, including communicating effectively and completing projects.
Discussion and Reflection
In the past, I have incorporated practical learning in SOCI 301 Sociology of Development and Under-development, where I had students produce infographics of concepts to demonstrate their learning, and the students had to present and explain those to their classmates. Even in my theory class I have had students write about theoretical ways of understanding contemporary phenomenon, which helps them engage with contemporary issues, and helps them appreciate the value of classical and contemporary theorists in providing insights into understanding our social world. In most of my courses, practical learning comes into play in some way; obviously, the ones that are hands-on, like working with community groups, have the most solid connection.
Broadly speaking, my pedagogical approach is to tie what students are learning in their courses to professional skill sets. I try to balance that goal with the purpose of the courses for the curriculum. For some courses it is easier to incorporate professional learning, I try to include practical aspects in most of my courses because I think that is it both necessary and a great strategy to give students a better learning experience.
My hope is to continue to build a laddered set of opportunities for practical learning within my department so that in the first-year students get an introduction to practical learning, and by their third and fourth year they are prepared to do deep dives into practical learning. But that requires a commitment of support from my department, and I am trying to build that culture in my department to achieve that. Incorporating more practical learning into courses needs to happen across the curriculum, so that all students have access to these opportunities. To achieve this, continued support from UBC is needed.
I would suggest starting in the space that you are comfortable in. Start small with having students do a portfolio or having assignments that connect them to communities. Management of all the moving parts requires a lot of practice—and a willingness to make mistakes--so try to get good support, like having TAs who understand what you are trying to do, and the support of your department head. Support is critical. Connect with the staff at UBC who can guide you through the support that UBC provides. For me, early conversations with Julie Walchli have helped me a lot in charting a map, starting at the point of figuring out how to get art students more involved with the existing resources the university already has. Practical Learning with Dr. Kerry Greer- Q&A
