University Defines Policies for Off-Campus Programs


What if a student has an accident as she drives to her community-based learning work? What if a student slips and hurts herself on a snowy sidewalk as she walks to the elementary school where she has her placement? What if--God forbid!--a crime occurs around a student in transit or on site? What if a student behaves unethically or illegally?



These are the nightmare scenarios of anyone who does community-based learning.


When I began doing Spanish community-based learning in 2004, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement provided a group of us with support. In addition to seed money, they organized meetings so that we could brainstorm and trouble-shoot together.


One issue that came up over and over again was liability. But there was no clear campus policy to guide us.


Now, Asst. Dean Barbara Hancin Bhatt in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has directed me to their website for "Information & Protocols for Off-Campus Programs." There are explanations and forms to help community-based learning instructors do due-diligence in their planning and as Dean Hancin Bhatt says, "a release form can get students to acknowledge their responsibilities to the program and to you."


If your own institution does not have clear policies in place for liability issues and community-based learning, perhaps this information can help you begin a conversation with university administrators.

Comments

  1. G. A. November 10, 2008 at 7:31 PM

    Great information, specially for those implementing the CBL methodology from scratch!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vocabulary for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Image
I'm very happy that so many students responded to our community partner's need for help. Our students' language skills will help Central High School's Latino parents better communicate with the teachers during the parent-teacher conferences next week. Central's secretary will contact the students directly to schedule times with them. Here is some vocabulary help for students. Materias. School subjects are "materias" NOT "sujetos." You should remember subjects from your intro Spanish courses, but here are some reminders: historia, matemáticas, inglés, física, química, biología, educación física, etc. General vocabulary. Notas = grades; aprobar = to pass; suspender = to fail; conducta, comportamiento = behavior. Topics. Ms. Citraro offers the following advice: "The topics and vocabulary that would come up are about the subjects at school. For example: no ha entregado las tareas tiene que tomar el examen otra vez habla mucho en clase falta muc
Read more

How to Correctly File Hispanic Names

Image
I know that community-based learning students don't like it when they are asked to file during their time in the community. However, their learning goals are to improve their Spanish and knowledge of Latino cultures. Filing information on clients with Hispanic names helps them with both. And imagine the impact of mis-filing for the organizations where our students work and and their clients. That's why I was unhappy to learn that many SPAN 232 students did not do well on their exam section asking them to put some Hispanic names in alphabetical order. I can imagine that some students feel that putting names into alphabetical order isn't important. It is! It is especially important in the organizations where they work because they are dealing with clients who may not have "accommodated" to the American system of using only one last name. And it is especially important for clients whose papers are so important for their legal status, medical information and oth
Read more

Interview with Jessica Horn of ACCIÓN Chicago

Image
By Carolyn Kloecker , Span 232 student This past week I completed an assignment for my Business Communications class (SPCM 211) which was to interview someone in a field that I am interested in working for in the future. I asked her many questions about the organization, and lots of information can be found on their website www.accionchicago.org . This organization is a Community Partner with Spanish & Illinois, and has an extensive connection with the Spanish-speaking community in the Chicagoland area. Here are a few of the questions and answers from Jessica: Is ACCIÓN a fairly new organization? How did it begin? ACCIÓN Chicago started in 1994, but the parent organization, ACCIÓN was started in 1961. It is the largest micro-lending organization, and it began in Venezuela, and took root in the U.S. in 1991. How do loan officers communicate with clients? Mostly by phone, as people call in to the office to get a loan for their small business. The website is also a main form o
Read more