Progress 09/01/09 to 02/28/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A major service activity that was accomplished included a total of 670.5 hours of tutoring/support services in 2010-2011. Products included development of a new 100-level course; CEL 150: Service Learning and Civic Responsibility) and student-developed projects that included; culture and community papers, service/volunteerism projects, community action presentations, a group service project/event, and final reactive, data-driven service papers. Dissemination occurred through PWSCC's website, student services counseling, PWSCC staff and faculty, and word-of-mouth by students. Educational materials and resources were distributed to students through class activities, and to the community at large through student projects completed as class requirements. PARTICIPANTS: Lisa Sparrell was the PI for this grant. The following individuals provided tutoring services in excess of one person month: Loretta Jones (Valdez campus) - 202.50 hours totaling $4,431.91 (R19-R07); Dave Hippe (Valdez campus) - 230.50 hours totaling $5,349.53 (R19-R07). Also notable are out outreach individuals. The Copper Basin outreach site services fewer students than the Valdez campus and staffing for the position was not as consistent. If taken as a collective, the following individuals represent almost one person month: Mary Odden (Copper Basin) - 78.50 hours totaling $1,821.85 (R22-R07); Tiffany Williams (Copper Basin) - 32 hours totaling $742.68 (R20-R25, R03); Sarah Steiger (Copper Basin) - 24 hours totaling $557.01 (R19-R21); Robert Absher (Copper Basin) - 6 hours totaling $139.25 (R19). TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for this project was rural and Native Alaskan post-secondary students. Efforts included a 100-level course (CEL 150: Service Learning and Civic Responsibility), as well as classroom instruction and experiential learning opportunities associated with it. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The project has continued to actively recruit rural and Native Alaskan students from five communities outside of Valdez proper. In the first semester, 58% of the 12 students that received scholarships Fall semester were retained and enrolled Spring semester, while 42% of the students completed the academic year and planned to continue the following Fall. Approximately half of these students participated from the Copper Basin Outreach campus The impact rural and Native Alaskan enrollment had on the institution that curriculum was developed based on the need to address service learning to the target demographic. CEL 150: Service Learning and Civic Responsibility was written and offered to address this need. From this developed curriculum, the targeted students; 1) explore theoretical and practical approaches to civic engagement, community responsibility, and social action, 2) understand how individuals, groups, and communities make change and empower themselves to do so, 3) develop a connection between academic coursework and experience outside the classroom, and civic engagement in the public arena, 4) examine the root causes of and potential solutions to social problems and cultural conflict, 5)develop effective skills in engaged citizenship and community service including: oral and written communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, utilization of research, and diversity awareness, 6) develop and examine the student's own commitment to civic engagement and service and sense of civic responsibility and empowerment, and 7) identify opportunities to become more involved and active in collegiate and local communities.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
The goals of this grant are to recruit and retain Native Alaskan and rural Alaskan students and to support them through tuition and housing assistance. We expect to retain them by fully engaging them in their classes; that is, showing them direct application of classroom learning to community problems of food and hunger. We recruited an annual total of 20 students, with 19 funded (our goal was 20 - 25 students). We retained 60 percent of these students through a full year. Two students graduated with their AA degrees and are continuing on to further undergraduate education. Of the eligible remaining students, 75 percent have been retained through second year registration--that is, they expect to return to PWSCC in late August. PRODUCTS: Student limericks in support of a student-run food drive; a student-written article about hunger in rural Alaska; student research paper and presentation on the relationship between geography and food security; student-designed marketing poster. OUTCOMES: In the last year, this project has led to recruitment of rural and Native Alaskan students from five rural communities outside of the hub community of Valdez. Project efforts led to 80 percent of project students meeting a one-semester retention goal, and 60 percent of students meeting a one-year retention goal. Prior to our experience with the ACTIVE project, our one-semester completion with appropriate GPA rate for very rural students was 50 to 70 percent. Students worked with professors in at least six different disciplines over the course of the year. This means that curriculum in more than six classes was adjusted to accommodate service learning opportunities. At the end of the project year, all completing students had experience working on solutions to the problem of hunger in rural Alaska, though each approached the problem from a different discipline. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Information has thus far been disseminated through the ANNH Project Directors meeting; the Empty Bowls event at PWSCC; several food drives; two community dinners; faculty meetings; student government meetings; and, the PWSCC weekly newsletter. FUTURE INITIATIVES: As a result of student and community feedback, we will develop focused projects from which students can choose, and we will, when possible, match students to mentors from our local community food banks (volunteers). Additionally, we will be adding a student mentoring component to the project. Through this, second-year ACTIVE students will assist first-year students over a variety of hurdles. This will provide second-year students with leadership opportunities, and this should improve retention of first-year students. We will make other adjustments as recommended by our evaluator, once an evaluator has been approved by USDA.
Impacts
The 2010 graduating class valedictorian was an ACTIVE project student, as was the recipient of the President's Cup, a student leadership award. Two of the most remote communities served by PWSCC, Chitina and Mentasta, are, as a result of student project work, now developing emergency food reserves. PWSCC has now taken a leadership role in fighting hunger in Valdez through the introduction of the Empty Bowls project to the community. This occurred as a result of students needing a specific focus for their class-based projects.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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