Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
From 2014 to 2022, the number of programs offering tax-based service learning decreased 25 percent, from 248 programs to 185 (Blanthorne & Westin, 2016; Jeong et al., 2023). Despite the historical commitment of land-grant institutions to tax education through programs such as The Land Grant University Tax Education Foundation and Cooperative Extension's active participation in the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, less than 5 percent of tax-based service-learning programs exist in Agriculture and Human Science disciplines. However, there's a growing interest in these fields to enhance and broaden tax-based service-learning to improve student learning outcomes.This project addresses this by establishing a comprehensive tax-based service-learning curriculum across partner institutions, focusing on North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT) and the University of Georgia (UGA). The initiative aims to build faculty capabilities, foster institutional linkages, and attract underrepresented students to Human Science graduate programs. Specifically, it will create a self-sustaining program at NCAT by training faculty and staff and developing a curriculum that maximizes student development through experiential learning. This curriculum will also be implemented at UGA and shared with other schools.Additionally, the project intends to strengthen institutional ties between the UGA and NCAT, facilitating a smoother transition for students into graduate studies in Human Sciences and encouraging more underrepresented undergraduates to pursue advanced degrees in the field. This initiative underscores the critical role of tax-based service-learning in preparing civically engaged, professionally adept graduates.
Animal Health Component
70%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
70%
Developmental
30%
Goals / Objectives
This proposal establishes and expands tax-based service-learning curriculum across partnering institutions while building faculty capacity to sustain curriculum changes and builds institutional linkages by recruiting underrepresented students to Family and Consumer Sciences FCS) doctoral and master's programs, which are not available at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT). A tax-based service-learning curriculum will be developed, implemented, assessed, and revised at both institutions and will be shared with other institutions. The project will fund one doctoral student annually to support these objectives and connect many more students to accessible doctoral and master's degree programs at UGA.The target audience for this project is four-year students in FCS degree programs. Secondary audiences also benefit, including low-income community members in rural and high-poverty areas who receive services through VITA-based service-learning. The UGA VITA program has an estimated annual economic impact of $3.5 million in rural and high-poverty areas.Target ObjectivesTarget Objective 1: Enhance student learning and academic success by training faculty and supporting the establishment of a robust and sustainable tax-based service-learning program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.1A. Develop a self-sustaining VITA program at NCAT by training faculty.1B. Collaborate with NCAT faculty to develop comprehensive uniform learning objectives, learning activities, learning outcomes, and learning assessments for tax-based service-learning programs to evaluate student development and growth.Target Objective 2: Strengthen institutional capacities to recruit and retain North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's students to doctoral and master's degree programs in FCS at the University of Georgia.2A. Collaborate and expand linkages between North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to increase the number of underrepresented undergraduate students continuing to graduate programs in FCS.2B. Expand the perceived career opportunities in the Human Sciences discipline, such as Cooperative Extension and personal financial planning.
Project Methods
The evaluation design will employ a mixed-methods approach, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Pre- and post-surveys will be used to gather data from program participants, including students, faculty, and participating institutions. Evaluation DesignGuiding Evaluation Questions: The following questions will be used to guide the data college and analysis process. These questions are based on the overall Target Objectives of the project.1A -To what extent were NCAT faculty trained and a self-sustaining VITA program developed at NCAT?1B - To what extent was a comprehensive curriculum developed that included uniform learning objectives, learning activities, learning outcomes, and learning assessments for tax-based service-learning programs to evaluate student development and growth?2A -To what extent did expanded linkages between NCAT and UGA increase the number of underrepresented undergraduate students continuing to graduate programs in FCS from NCAT to UGA?2B -To what extent did the project expand the perceived career opportunities in the Human Sciences discipline, such as Cooperative Extension and personal financial planning among undergraduate students at NCAT?Data Collection: To measure the achievement of each of the 3 target objectives, the following data collection methods will be employed.Target Objective 1A combination of pre- and post and end of course surveys will be employed to assess changes in students' confidence, skills, and competencies related to VITA-based service-learning and working with clients with low financial literacy.Assess students who complete the VITA-based service-learning programs for increased knowledge, skills, and competencies.Number and percentage of enrolled students reporting gains in confidence working one-on-one with clients (including clients with low financial literacy and from rural underserved communities).Number and percentage of enrolled students reporting gains in confidence working as professionals; working with technical content matter; interpersonal awareness; planning; time management; conflict resolution; and organization skills.Number and percentage of enrolled students who complete IRS tax preparer training and obtain Advanced VITA certification.Number and percentage of enrolled students who get internships.Interviews with student VITA participants will be conducted to gather information on their perception of the program's impact on their confidence, skills, and competencies related to preparation for professional work.Target Objective 2A combination of end-of-course surveys and institutional data obtained from the participating institutions will be used to assess changes in recruitment and retention:Underrepresented students from diverse disciplines across participating institutions enrolling in VITA-based service-learning courses or activities.The number of enrolled students, and the percentage of underrepresented students of the total enrolled.The percentage of different student majors represented among the students enrolled.Students who complete the VITA-based service learning and report awareness/interest in careers serving underserved communities.Number and percentage of enrolled students reporting gains in awareness of interest in careers providing financial services for underserved communities.Interviews will be conducted with participating institutions to gather qualitative data on their perception of the VITA-based service-learning program's impact on their capacity to recruit and retain minority and underrepresented students.Overall Project ImpactCollect data on the following from the participating VITA sites:How many communities were served through this project?Assess the economic impact of VITA-based service learning.Interviews will be conducted to gather data from participating faculty on their experiences of working in an interdisciplinary academic service-learning setting.