During the Service Learning Project, students will learn how to work collaboratively to produce a professional project for a real world client. Groups of 3-5 students will produce specific documents for a local non-profit organization determined by the instructor. While producing these documents, students will demonstrate their understanding of audience awareness, research, documentation, ethos, professionalism, conciseness, document design.
The instructor will form student groups and assign each group professional documents based on the demands of a specific non-profit agency. Based on an analysis of the non-profit agency, an understanding of their specific requirements, and comprehension of the course principles, the groups will research and produce the necessary documents. Because each group will be producing the same documents as the other groups in its section, clients will vote at the end of the project to select the documents they will use. This means that there is a competitive element to this project.
Step 1: Group Gantt Chart. In a thoroughly executed Gantt chart, students should lay out group goals, a time table for the completion of each goal, and the individual responsibilities of each member. Each Gantt chart must include all duties and deliverables necessary for project completion as well as color coding and a key that specifies which group member will complete each duty. There are many resources online to help you produce your chart, including instructions for using Microsoft Excel to make it. Just Google "gantt chart" for more information, and use the samples provided on Week 5 of the calendar. Due Friday, July 13.
Step 2: Group Activity Reports. Groups are also responsible for weekly activity reports (250 words) in order to keep the instructor informed of the progress that the group has made over the week. Activity reports (submitted as professional emails) are due by midnight, each Sunday, starting with week five (week five's report is due Sunday, July 15, and so on) and concluding in week eight. Please always give this email the subject "Group # Activity Report."
Step 3: Weekly Individual Work Blogs. Because the course and the professional world stress the value of documenting work, individual students are required to keep weekly work blogs of the tasks they have completed. These blogs (200 words each) should briefly and professionally describe work completed by the author and how this work contributed to the goals of the group. Work blogs (posted to the "Work blogs" category) are due by midnight, each Friday, starting with week five (week five’s activity report is due Friday, July 13th, week six's is due Friday, July 20, and so on) and concluding in week eight. Please label all work blogs "LASTNAME Work Blog Week #."
Step 4: Group Document Drafts: Because these documents are for a professional client, several drafts are required to ensure quality. Groups will turn in a draft of the project in weeks six and seven, July 18th and 24th. Each draft should demonstrate significant progress towards completion of the project.
Step 5: Group Peer Review: Each group will have their project peer reviewed by members of the other section. Your instructor will partner your group with a group in the other section. Each group member should post a 200 word review comment to that project by midnight of Wednesday, July 25th. For peer review to run smoothly, it is vital that each group posts its draft by midnight of Tuesday, July 24th.
Step 6: Group Final Draft: A final draft of the project is due at the end of the course. The final draft should meet all of the standards specified by the client and be ready for professional use. Final drafts are due Wednesday, August 1st.
Step 7: Individual Assessment: At the end of the project, each student will fill out the Project Assessment Form evaluating the final project and each group member's participation. Project Assessment Forms are due Friday, August 3rd.
The Service Learning Project is worth 20% of your course grade. The group portion of the project is worth 80% of project grade, and the individual portion is worth 20%. The breakdown for each of its components is as follows: Step 1: Group Gantt Chart (5%); Step 2: Group Weekly Activity Reports (10%); Step 3: Individual Work Blogs (10%); Step 4: Group Drafts (10%); Step 5: Group Peer Review (5%); Step 6: Group Final (50%); Step 7: Individual Assessment (10%).
For the service learning project, the client will contribute to the final grading process. The client will select one project for professional use, and that project will be the only project that receives an A. Other projects will receive an A- or less based on the following criteria:
The final course project cannot be revised because of time constraints. However, multiple drafts will ensure that groups get plenty of feedback to improve their projects.
Students enrolled in Tirrell's 420 course will be working with the Community and Family Resource Center (CFRC), a local non-profit organization. A one-page statement about the organization and some of its programs is available here.
Groups will produce two versions of a brochure soliciting prospective volunteers for CFRC's annual Christmas Day Dinner event: one full-color version and one grayscale version. Document specifications and support files are below. Some of the information is general, so your group will be expected to make design decisions. Remember that you will receive feedback from CFRC on two drafts before the final documents are due. Any questions that you have for the client or about the project should be directed to me.
As you put together these brochures, keep the following in mind:
Above all, groups should respond to direction provided by the client. The client's needs are paramount.
Content:
Brochures should contain the following:
Context:
These brochures will be available at the South Side Community Center, and they will be disseminated at CFRC's other events, as well as at volunteer drives in businesses, high schools, universities, and churches.
Audience:
The audience for these brochures is very broad. Many volunteers are recruited from the locations mentioned above (businesses, high schools, universities, and churches). Also, many volunteers are people who make use of CFRC's services, including Christmas Day Dinner. This means that the audience encompasses a very large range of ages, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels. The brochures must be readable for those with low eyesight, comprehensible for those with low literacy, yet also professional to appeal to businesses and donors.
Medium:
Both the full-color and grayscale brochures should fit onto either standard 8.5" by 11" or 8.5" by 14" white or single-color paper. A standard tri-fold or four-fold brochure is possible, but feel free to be creative in your design. Because your master files may require revision by CFRC, they must be in either Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher format.
Because this project is not built around topics relevant to your majors, I have grouped students randomly based on their position in the Drupal users list. I will email each group to initiate contact between members. The groups are listed below:
Group 1 (Group 1 wiki) (Group 1 chat)This is the Service Learning Page for students enrolled in Weber's 420 course. This summer, we are doing a service learning project with the Clinton County Humane Society (main page) in Frankfort, IN. Our contact person is Cindy Loveless, but to keep her email box from flooding with messages, please send questions to me and I will forward them along to her.
Each group will produce two documents for the Humane Society: a general information brochure and a caring for your pet brochure. The Humane Society has written what they would like included in each. You will notice that much of the phrasing below is very rough and vague, so it will be the job of your group to expand and refine the ideas below as you put together your brochures. You will also notice that the Caring For Your Pet information is still vague, so your group will do some required research finding and using sources to expand that section. I am still working on getting photographs from the Humane Society for inclusion in the brochures. However, I also recommend using royalty free image sites such as FreeImages.com, ImageAfter.com, and Dreamstime.com. Please do not use images from Google Image search, as they could be copyright protected.
As you put together these brochures, consider several aspects which will be crucial to your grade.
General Information
Please include some kind of introduction. Many people in our own community still don't know we are here or where we are located. In 2006, the shelter took in over 2,100 animals serving all of Clinton County and adopting many pets out of state. We have many youth and adult volunteers and give presentations to schools, 4-H clubs, girl/boy scouts, adult service groups and anyone that we can.
UPDATED: For year ending 2006, the shelter took in over 2,100 animals. Of those, many were reclaimed by owners, 83 were sent to rescue groups and 658 animals were adopted and found homes. The healthy wildlife we bring in is re-released into the woods on our property.
Mission Statement: The Humane Society's mission is to prevent cruelty and neglect to animals by operating an animal shelter for homeless, abandoned, and unwanted animals; by operating an adoption center for healthy animals; by investigating cruelty and abuse cases; and by educating the public in responsible pet ownership.
Location: We are located in Frankfort's TPA park. Specifically, from I 65, take the state road 28 exit (this is exit #158) and turn east to Frankfort. Follow 28 to the square and turn north (left) on main st. Follow main to Kyger st. At Kyger Street, turn right (east). Follow Kyger to tennis courts and take the left side of the Y into the park. There are signs from there.
From state road 28 east, follow 28 west into Frankfort. At Maish Rd., turn right. Follow Maish road to stop sign and turn left on Washington Ave. Follow Washington Ave to Catterlin. Turn right onto Catterlin. Catterlin will bring you into TPA park. Follow signs from there.
Hours: Open M & T 1-6, Wednesday closed, Thurs 1-7, Fri 1-6, Saturday Noon - 4 and Sunday 1-3.
Phone: 765-654-7717
E-Mail: cchs04@sbcglobal.net
We would like to include our link to petfinder. That would be www.cchumane.petfinder.org
List of needed items: HE laundry detergent, cat litter, 39 gallon trash bags, postage stamps, bleach, puppy and kitten chow, leashes and dog & cat toys/supplies.
Fundraising: We would like to include our new kennel sponsorship. The problem with this is that it is so new, we don't have it quite nailed down yet. We are thinking of three levels. $150, $100 and $50. We are open to ideas from your class about what to call each level that would work for both cats and dogs. For example, we don't just want to call it the gold, silver and bronze levels.
Caring For Your Pet
"Now that you dog is home."
Welcoming a new dog or puppy is exciting. However, in our human excitement, we must consider the changes for our new friend. For example, a puppy may have just been weaned, taken away from it's mother and even siblings. The animal's whole world has changed and we need to make that change as easy and comfortable as possible.
Could we have something general like the above paragraph at the beginning?
Then, topics to include:
Introducing to the family and other pets.
Food and water (try using same food or mixing until changed)
Crate Training
After the initial adjustment:
Vaccination Protocol
Flea and Heartworm Prevention
Spay/Neuter and Why
Cost of owning a pet
We could also include Four Seasons weather tips and pet safety.
We would also like something similiar for cats except change the crate training part to "using the litterbox." A huge mistake people make with cats/kittens is just turning them loose in a house and thinking they will use a litterbox. Common sense tells us that if I don't know where the bathroom is in a new house, why would a cat know where the litterbox is? They have to be confined to a smaller area for a few days and let out with supervision to ensure the cat gets well established. Also there are certain ways of introducing animals, cats and dogs.
Because this project is not built around topics relevant to your majors, I have grouped students randomly based on their position in the Drupal users list. I will email each group to initiate contact between members. The groups are listed below:
Group 1 (Group 1 wiki) (Group 1 chat)
Stephen Sandquist
Cory Mlinac
Alayna Willis
Daniel Sanchez
Group 2 (Group 2 wiki) (Group 2 chat)
Kim Macko
Pratyush Kamdar
Soo Yun Kim
Bryce Sexton
Group 3 (Group 3 wiki) (Group 3 chat)
Alexander Urban
Muhammad Faheem Aslam
Archit Aggawal
Terri Ricks
Group 4 (Group 4 wiki) (Group 4 chat)
Elizabeth Snyder
Gwenda Huhges
Maria Cristina Villacres
Roy Marschke
Group 5 (Group 5 wiki) (Group 5 chat)
John Cummins
Samana Tejani
Laura Lewandowski
Matt Koppelman
