Lang Plan, Summer 2000

Lang Opportunity Grant Application-Final Draft

Susan Ansell

Elizabeth Derickson

Learning For Life Program

Summer 2000

MISSION

We have two main goals for our Learning For Life Program. Our first goal is the institutionalization of the Learning For Life Program, with three primary objectives: establishing staff as integrated members of the College community, establishing staff access to computers, and strengthening the Learning For Life Program.

Our second goal is the dissemination of the Program, with two primary objectives: dissemination to other colleges, mainly Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and the Claremont Colleges, and dissemination of the Program to the wider literacy community.

1. Institutionalization of the Learning For Life program

A. Establishing staff as integrated members of the College community

goal: Highlight the accomplishments and efforts of the staff members.

· inclusion of staff contact information (e-mail addresses and phone numbers) in the faculty/staff directory

· strengthening student-staff relationships

~ take a staff member to lunch program

~ employee of the month awards

· inclusion of staff-awareness in RA training

B. Furthering staff awareness of computer resources on campus

goals: All staff members of the college will understand 1) location of computers available for their use 2) the hardware and software resources available to them as employees of the college 3) their access to email accounts 4) about the Learning For Life Program and the continuing computer education that it can provide.

1. Staff will know about existing computer spaces on campus:

· The Human Resources Department Employee/Staff Handbook will include information (including a detailed map) of all public access computer spaces on campus

· This information can also be found in the Employee/Staff Handbook from the Computing Center as well as through the Learning For Life Program.

2. Staff will understand the hardware and software resources available to them as employees of the college

· The Human Resources Department Employee/Staff Handbook will include information about how to go about contacting the Computing Center concerning all questions regarding hardware and software

· The Computing Center will provide staff members with a handbook that will detail the hardware and software resources available to staff of the college, complete with contact information for the Computing Center Help Desk.

3. Staff will understand their access to email accounts offered by Swarthmore College.

· The Human Resources Department will alert all incoming staff members about their email accounts, how to access them, etc.

· The Computing Center and the student learners of Learning For Life will inform and assist staff members in accessing their accounts.

4. Staff will be informed about the Learning For Life Program through a description inclusion in both the Human Resources Employee/Staff Handbook and the Computing Center Employee/Staff Informational Packet.

C. Strengthening the Learning for Life Program

goals: Sustainability of the Learning for Life Program and facilitation of future execution of the program

· create a strong governing structure to ensure the continuation of the Learning For Life program

~ Board of Managers (i.e. advisory board made up of members of the Swarthmore community that have an invested interest in the future of our program)

~ CIVIC budget

· creation of a how-to-guide for future student coordinators

~ guide to basic organizational activities/duties

~ documentation of past efforts (including advertising, e-mails, participant recruiting strategies)

~ documentation of participants (staff members/students' contact information) and their efforts

~ documentation of resources utilized by (and available to) L4L participants

· inclusion of the Learning For Life Program in brochures about college resources distributed by both Human Resources and the Computing Center.

2. Dissemination

A. Dissemination to other colleges

goal: Implementation of the Learning For Life program at other liberal arts colleges across the country

· Development of the Swarthmore "how to guide" into a broader framework for the implementation of the program at other colleges

· Initiate communication with community service offices at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges about the Learning For Life program

· Plan and schedule training and informational sessions about Learning For Life at both colleges

· Develop a component of the Learning For Life website that serves as a resource center for other colleges implementing their own Learning For Life programs

B. Dissemination to the wider literacy community

goal: Introduction of the Learning For Life program and its unique approach to adult literacy education to the national literacy community

· Attendance (and presentation) at the national SCALE (Student Coalition for Action Literacy Education) conference in North Carolina in October 2000

· Attendance (and presentation) at the PHENND (Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development), a regional

higher education conference conference, November 14th &endash;15th.

VALUES

We believe that a strong college community is grounded in a tangible equality among all of its members. We also believe in the capability of the realm of technology to break down racial, socio-economic, age, and occupational boundaries.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED

The problem:

Staff members are isolated on campus in multiple ways. First, they are separate from students, administration, and faculty. They are left out of the central college communication network, which is grounded in email. Communication with staff members is also limited by their lack of mailboxes and voicemail accounts. Second, they are isolated from each other, due to limited means of communication within their division. Many staff members work alone-or in pairs-in buildings spread out over campus, and have no consistent means of communication with each other. If our project is successful, staff members will be connected to the broader College community. This connection will be rooted in the increased level of communication not only among staff members, but also between the staff and other branches of the community.

The problem:

Staff do not know of all the existing computer resources on campus. They are not sure about locations of public access computer areas, do not understand what services are available to them as staff members, and often do not even know that they do indeed have access to email accounts on the college's sever.

The problem:

Staff members do not feel comfortable or entitled to use the existing resources of the college. Much of this discomfort arises from a feeling of incompetence (with respect to computer literacy) and from insecurity about being in a place that is perceived as student-designated (e.g. public computer areas). With an increased level of technological competence comes a higher level of personal confidence in using available resources. If the program is successful, all staff members will have the basic skills-along with a sense of familiarity-to utilize computer resources on campus.

The problem:

Learning For Life is the only college program that addresses the above issues but there is no guarantee of its longevity. In understanding that the continuation of many college programs relies heavily on the forces of the individual students behind the programs, influential and important college programs often disappear when their coordinators graduate. Successful implementation of our program will ensure that the Learning For Life Program continues into the foreseeable future. We will have established a formal institutional support structure for the Program, in addition to providing an operating framework for the future program coordinators.

The problem:

Learning For Life is a program that has changed people's lives at Swarthmore College. It has brought together students, staff, administration and faculty in a community that shares common interests and goals. Students and staff have learned from each other and taught each other new things. Yet no other program like this exists in the tri-college area or in the rest of the country. We feel as though other small liberal arts colleges, like Swarthmore, could benefit from a program like this one and therefore, we would like to tell other schools as well as literacy organizations across the country about our successes here at home. Dissemination of the Learning For Life Program also establishes Swarthmore College as an innovative, dedicated and dynamic supporter of continuing literacy education.

COMMUNITY

Although the Learning For Life Program is operationalized between individual students and staff members, the success of the program relies heavily on the support of every dimension of the college community.

· Staff members

Over 30 staff members participated in the Learning For Life Program this year. These staff members came from the following divisions.

3 divisions: Environmental Services (Sarah Porter, Supervisor)

Facilities (Stu Hain, Supervisor)

Food/Dining Services (Linda McDougall,Supervisor)

· Students

Over 50 students, representing freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years, participated in the Learning For Life Program this year.

· Advisors/Mentors of the Faculty

Diane Anderson, Professor of Education

· Advisors/Mentors of the Administration

Pat James, Community Service Director

Diane Modes, Community Service Assistant

· Advisors/Mentors of various services on campus

Pam Harris, Social Sciences librarian

Eric Behrens, Computing Center

Current/Past Initiatives That Address Same Issues:

There have been minimal current or past initiatives that address similar issues, although Jane James of the Computing Center taught a group class focusing on basic computer skills. Participants were frustrated by the limitations of the group learning environment.

Potential Community-Based Barriers to the Success of the Project:

1. The limited number of students who choose to be dedicated, responsible members of community service programs at Swarthmore College. Due to the general over-commitment of Swarthmore students and the large number of community service programs operated through the college, student volunteers are a limited resource. The Learning For Life Program relies heavily on an adequate number of dedicated student volunteers.

2. The nature of staff members' roles at the college is that they are hourly-wage employees who are expected to be performing their occupational duties during their time on campus each day. Participation in Learning For Life involves staff members taking time away from their work. Although-due to unwavering support of the division supervisors-this problem has been a minimal issue so far, there is no official commitment by the college to adhere to this vague (but operational) system.

ACTION PLAN & FEASIBILITY

1. Reinforcing staff as integral members of the College community

A. Strengthening of student-staff relationships

· take a staff member to lunch program

· employee of the month awards

B. Inclusion of staff contact information (e-mail addresses, phone numbers) in the faculty/staff directory

C. Inclusion of the staff-awareness in RA training

2. Furthering staff awareness of computer resources on campus

A. Staff will know about existing computer spaces on campus:

· The Human Resources Department Employee/Staff Handbook will include information (including a detailed map) of all public access computer spaces on campus

· This information can also be found in the Employee/Staff Handbook from the Computing Center as well as through the Learning For Life Program.

B. Staff will understand the hardware and software resources available to them as employees of the college

· The Human Resources Department Employee/Staff Handbook will include information about how to go about contacting the Computing Center concerning all questions regarding hardware and software

C. Staff will understand their access to email accounts offered by Swarthmore College.

· The Human Resources Department will alert all incoming staff members about their email accounts, how to access them, etc.

· The Computing Center and the student learners of Learning For Life will inform and assist staff members in accessing their accounts.

D. Staff will be informed about the Learning For Life Program through a description inclusion in both the Human Resources Employee/Staff Handbook and the Computing Center Employee/Staff Informational Packet.

3. Strengthening the Learning For Life Program

A. Create a strong governing structure to ensure the continuation of the Learning For Life Program

·Board of Managers (i.e. advisory board made up of members of the Swarthmore College community that have an invested interest in the future of the Program)

· CIVIC Budget

B. Creation of a how-to-guide for future student coordinators

· guide to basic organizational activities/duties

· documentation of past efforts (including advertising, e-mails, participant recruiting strategies)

· documentation of participants (staff members/students' contact information) and their efforts

· documentation of resources utilized by (and available to) L4L participants

C. Inclusion of the Learning For Life Program in brochures about college resources distributed by both Human Resources and the Computing Center.

4. Dissemination

A. Dissemination to other colleges

·Development of the Swarthmore "how to guide" into a broader framework for the implementation of the program at other colleges

·Initiate communication with community service offices at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges about the Learning For Life program

Plan and schedule training and informational sessions about Learning For Life at both colleges

·Develop a component of the Learning For Life website that serves as a resource center for other colleges implementing their own Learning For Life programs

B. Dissemination to the wider literacy community

· Attendance at the national SCALE (Student Coalition for Action Literacy Education) conference in North Carolina in October 2000

· Attendance at the PHENND (Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development), a regional

higher education conference conference, November 14th-15th.

TIMELINE

Goal 1: Reinforcing staff as integral members of the College community

Activity: Inclusion of staff contact information in the faculty/staff directory (late August)

1. Meet with Melanie Young, director of Human Resources, to "okay" the inclusion of staff information into the faculty/staff directory.

2. Meet with the supervisors of the Environmental Services, Facilities, and Food/Dining Services in order to compile a complete list of staff information including staff members' names, divisions, supervisors' extensions, and email addresses.

3. Meet with Joanne Nealon who organizes the publication of the directory.

4. Obtain email accounts for all staff members who do not already have them.

5. Provide Joanne Nealon with the acquired information.

Activity: Computing center and McCabe Library orientation sessions for new and existing staff members (early September)

1. Organize an orientation for staff members that will help them better understand the resources available to them in the computing centers in Beardsley and McCabe Libraries. Contact information for this event: Eric Behrens (Computing Center) and Pam Harris (McCabe Library) *refer to attached letter

Activity: Strengthening student/staff relationships (late August, early September)

1. Contact Myrt Westphal and Tedd Goundie about promoting general friendliness and sensitivity to staff and staff issues through discussion during RA training

2. Contact supervisors with an open invitation for staff members to participate in relevant aspects of RA training

3. Contact Linda McDougall and supervisors about the feasibility of a "take a staff member to lunch" program.

4. Contact supervisors about "employee of the month" program: whether one already exists, ways to strengthen it, or the initiation of one if one does not exist.

Goal 2: Furthering staff awareness about existing computer resources on campus

Activity: Including the following information in the Human Resources Employee/Staff Handbook:

1. Information and location on existing public access computer spaces (including map)

2. Contact information for the Computing Center

3. Description, complete with contact information, of the Learning For Life Program

Activity: Determining whether or not more computer space for staff members is necessary on campus (November/December/January)

1. Create a staff forum (surveys, meetings, e-mail conversations) to determine what staff and supervisors would like to see in such "computer lounges" as well as rely on information already collected from staff and supervisors about this issue

Goal 3: Strengthening of the Learning For Life Program

Activity: Build a strong governing structure for the assured continuation of the Learning For Life Program (ongoing, throughout both Fall 2000 and Spring 2001)

1. Create a Board of Managers of Advisory Committee whose function it is to guide the progress of the Program ensuring the following things:

· continuation

· growth

2. Creation of a how-to-guide for future student coordinators

· guide to basic organizational activities/duties

· documentation of past efforts (including advertising, e-mails, participant recruiting strategies)

· documentation of participants (staff members/students' contact information) and their efforts

· documentation of resources utilized by (and available to) Learning For Life participants

Goal 4: Dissemination of the Learning For Life Program to other colleges

Activity: Implementation of the Learning For Life Program at other liberal arts colleges across the country

1. Development of Swarthmore how-to-guide into a broader framework for the implementation of the Program at other colleges

2. Initiation of communication with community service offices at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges about the Learning For Life Program

3. Plan and schedule training and informational sessions about Learning For Life at both colleges

4. Development of the Learning For Life website that serves as a resources center for other colleges implementing their own Learning For Life programs

Activity: Dissemination of the Learning For Life Program to the wider literacy community

1. Attendance at the national SCALE (Student Coalition for Action Literacy Education) conference in North Carolina in October 2000

2. Attendance at the PHENND (Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development) in November 2000

RESOURCES

Skills and Knowledge:

As the student coordinators of Learning For Life for the past two semesters, we feel as though we already understand the "in's and out's" of the institution (Swarthmore College, CIVIC, the Computing Center, McCabe Library) in which this program will be implemented. From being student tutors with the Learning For Life Program, we have established close personal relationships with many of the staff members on campus and therefore have an understanding of staff concerns. From being students in Diane Anderson's Literacies and Social Identities Education course, we understand the broader implications of computer literacy as a component of social identity. From being involved with CIVIC, Learning For Life, and other community service related projects on campus, we have existing relationships with administration and faculty that have an invested interest in Learning For Life and other staff related issues.

Community Based Resources:

1. Computer Resources

· Eric Behrens (Computing Center)

· Robin Jacobson (Computing Center)

· Heather Dumigan (Computing Center)

· Pam Harris (McCabe Library)

· Stan Pokras (Nonprofit Technological Resources in Philadelphia)

2. Personnel Resources

· Al Miser (Environmental Services)

· Hamza Wali, Don Bankston, Sharon Pierce, Mary Curry (staff member participants in the Learning For Life Program who have demonstrated interest in greater involvement in the future planning of the Program)

· Stu Hain, Sarah Porter, Linda McDougall (Division Supervisors)

· Melanie Young (Human Resources Director)

· Larry Schall (Vice-President of Facilities and Space)

3. Faculty Resources

· Diane Anderson (Professor of Education who is conducting ongoing research on the Learning For Life Program)

4. Institutional Resources

· Computing Center

· McCabe Library

· CIVIC

· Education Department, Educational Materials Center

· Nonprofit Technological Resources (Computer recycling/support organization in Philadelphia)

5. Additional Resources

· David Falk (Director of SCALE-Student Coalition for Action Literacy in Education)

Additional Funding:

David Falk has submitted a grant through VALUE (a national literacy organization) that will potentially provide the Learning For Life Program with additional funding. The actual amount of the grant that the Learning For Life Program will receive will depend on 1) if the grant is approved for David Falk and SCALE and 2) the available matching funds from Learning For Life.

Mentors:

Diane Anderson has been a continuos supporter of the Program. She organized and taught last semester's Education course entitled "Literacies and Social Identities" from which the initial base of student tutors originated. She is also doing independent research on the Learning For Life Program.

Al Miser was Learning For Life's first tutor in the spring of 1999. Since that point, he has been a vocal and enthusiastic supporter of the program. We would also like to say that it has often been his smile and words of encouragement that have motivated us and the progress of the project.

ORIGINALITY

The Learning For Life Program is unique in many ways. First, it is unique as a campus-based community service organization. Many community service programs turn their attention away from their college campus homes to address problems in the external community of Swarthmore, Chester, or Philadelphia. Learning For Life, however is one of the first community service programs here at Swarthmore College that entirely addresses issues in a community that is often overlooked, the community of Swarthmore College.

Secondly, the Learning For Life Program is unique in the options it provides for its participants. Learning For Life takes a new approach to literacy, creating a definition that almost has no boundaries. Our program is about learning, on many different levels and in many different ways. While most of our partnerships concentrate on computer literacy (which is revolutionary in itself as a new form of literacy), many of our partnerships work on other projects such as developing film, handwriting skills, reading skills, philosophy, webpage building, and typing skills. There are no limits to what students and staff can learn and teach. This is a very unique approach for a tutoring program, as most programs are restricted to tutoring in certain subjects. Learning For Life is flexible, which in turn, strengthens its chances for sustainability as it can change with the times.

Finally, and most importantly, Learning For Life is unique in the way that it stresses "learning partnerships." In most tutoring programs such as Chester Tutorial or Chinatown Tutorial, there exists a hierarchy in the tutoring relationship. One member of the partnership is responsible for relaying and teaching information while the other member is responsible for absorbing and learning the information. In many cases, there is only one teacher or tutor for multiple learners. Yet Learning For Life has taken a different approach. Students and staff members are both learners and tutors. What is important about our program is the "partnership," not the roles of tutor and learner. Staff members learn from students and students learn from staff members. Therefore, students and staff members not only learn a new math problem or a film developing technique in a partnership session, but also learn about each others' lives, families, and even themselves. Learning For Life is unique in that these partnerships are the focal point of the program and by emphasizing these partnerships, many boundaries, economic, racial, social, age, and gender boundaries are crossed. With a sense of equality comes a sense of respect.

Learning For Life is unique in many ways and it is this originality that makes it such an effective and innovative program.

EVALUATION

After speaking with Pat James about the importance of program evaluation, we decided that we would like to do more research on program evaluation before we commit to a particular method. Pat James suggested that we do research into the PAR method, a method that stresses qualitative evaluation rather than quantitative evaluation. We also plan to speak with Lisa Smulyan who has used the PAR method in some of her work. Pat suggested that Lisa might also have resources to help aid our research.