Group Service Learning Project: “Learning in Action”

Worth: Up to 450 points per group member

              Breakdown of points:

              1) Mission Statement:                                          25 points possible (Group)

              2) Progress Report Presentations:              50 points possible (Group/Ind.)

              3) Service Learning Project:                            325 points possible (Group)

              4) Individual Group Reflection:                            50 points possible (Individual)

Overview of Project:

Throughout the semester, you have been learning about the dynamics and nature of small group communication – now it is time to put your skills into action and to make a difference in your community! J

Your project will require you as a group to volunteer your time on a project (11-12 hours per group member) either at Gavilan or in the community where you can make a positive and significant impact. Non-profit organizations, on-campus organizations and clubs, and/or local interest groups are great places to start. Some examples from previous groups have included raising money for a local animal shelter, helping the homeless, and starting recycling programs on campus. This project requires the skills and the contributions of all group members and must be an ongoing project throughout the rest of the semester. Choose your task and set group goals carefully, as you want this to be a rewarding experience for everyone involved!

This project will help you to build your resume, gain experience with partnerships and fundraising, and will help you utilize your savvy small group communication skills!

Groups will be required to:

• Determine the group’s project and have it approved by the instructor
• Create a name, slogan, and logo to represent the group’s efforts
• Establish a Mission Statement and clearly defined goals (including short and long term goals)
• Determine weekly times and meeting places outside of class
• Establish norms/rules (explicit)
• Present progress report presentations communicating information and accomplishments to other groups (all group members will participate in each progress report presentation)
• Complete your project binder that includes the summation of the group’s work
• There must be equal participation by group members and I will monitor the participation

Group Roles

• Select a Leader (choose someone who is committed to the task and has the ability to facilitate without controlling group members. Both task and social skills are important qualities in a strong leader). The leader is responsible for:

* Facilitating meetings

* Contacting any group members who miss a meeting

* Ensuring that all work is done in a timely fashion

• Select a Recorder

* Take notes at each meeting

* Create minutes. The minutes of one meeting should be reviewed by all

   group members at the next meeting for accuracy. The grades of all

   group members will be impacted by the quality of the minutes.

• Select a Treasurer/Accounts Manager – 2 people

* Keeps track of expenses/saves receipts

* Itemized tracking of funds raised

* Highly dependable with money

Your group will be required to turn in a project binder on a specified due date (see Syllabus). This binder must include:

• Mission Statement and goals
• List of Objectives
• Evidence that the goal was achieved
• List of volunteer group hours (per individual group member) and approval signatures
• Supporting materials (pictures, agendas, minutes, receipts, etc.)
• Letters of thanks

Service Learning Project Points Breakdown:

Project Design/Success:   100 points

Agenda/Minutes:      50 points

Equal Participation:   75 points

Project Binder:      100 points

TOTAL:         325 Points

EXTRA CREDIT OPTION: You can earn up to 15 points extra credit per group member on your Group Project by creating a digital Service Project Binder including your Progress Report Presentations. This means that in addition to turning in your hard copy Project Binder, you would turn in a disk/CD containing all of your Project Binder materials.

1) Mission Statement: Group Name, Goals, Logo

Worth: up to 25 points per group member

The definition of a mission statement is, “a summary describing the aims, values, and overall plan of an organization or individual” (www.dictionary.com).

As a group, you will design and create a mission statement that includes your group name, goals, and logo.

Group Name: Describes the group (may be an acronym)

Goals: Purpose and mission statement (it should be a few sentences)

Logo: Visual symbol which identifies the group

Your mission statement must show originality, be descriptive of your group, and be developed through consensus and energetic participation. Your mission statement should be simple. Remember that you want tour mission statement to catch the attention of others, and it is used on stationary, flyers, and other visual materials to represent a product, group, or individual.

Mission Statement Point Breakdown:

Includes Group Name/Goals/Logo:   20 points

Creativity/Originality:         5 points

TOTAL:               25 points

2) Progress Report Presentations

Worth: up to 50 points per group member

Once your group has established a mission statement, goals, and objectives, your group will have the opportunity to present its ideas to the entire class. Throughout the rest of the semester (see Syllabus), your group will deliver a 10-15 minute presentation describing the group’s project, goals, progress, and eliciting ideas from the class as a whole if there are problems and/or questions that the group needs assistance with.

Your group will be graded on your demonstration of knowledge of the group’s progress, organization of ideas, engaging the audience, and the delivery of the presentation. Visual aids are required for each of your presentation to help the class see and hear your group progress.

I highly recommend that you practice your presentations in advance.

Progress Report Presentation Points Breakdown:

Completion:                            20 points

Visual Aids:                            10 points

Delivery:                            20 points

TOTAL:                            50 points

4) Individual Group Reflection Paper

Worth: up to 50 points per group member

During the course of the semester, while working in your group on the project, you should be analyzing your group’s effectiveness. Note your members’ behaviors after each group meeting in order to recall specific examples for inclusion in your paper. An Individual Reflection Paper is required of every member and the grade assigned does not affect the grades of other members.

The authors of your textbook discuss the importance of “balance” in small group work. Did your group achieve balance throughout your group project experience? In order to address this question, you will be writing a reflective paper about your group experiences within the framework of textbook concepts and readings.

Your Individual Reflection Paper should be 4-5 pages in length, TYPED, and double-spaced. The paper should be well-organized in essay format and free from typographical errors. Please remember to proofread your work!

• Group Development
• Using the 4 Phases of Development from the textbook, describe the development of your group. How useful were these stages or phases in accurately describing group development?
• Norms and Roles
• Identity your group’s explicit and implicit norms. Discuss any deviation from these norms.
• Discuss the distribution of task, maintenance, and self-centered roles.
• Leadership
• Did your group simply appoint a leader, or did a leader begin to emerge?
• Using one of the leadership theories/types from your textbook, describe and analyze the leadership in your group.
• Conflict and Participation
• Was there equal participation by all group members?
• What types of conflicts emerged and how did your group work through the conflicts?
• Group Outcome
• Discuss how effectively or ineffectively the group performed together.
• If you could have changed anything along the way, what would you have done to improve group performance?

Agenda/Minutes Helpful Hints

Working in a group is very difficult if members are unclear about the purpose of each meeting or if members forget what has been accomplished at previous meetings. Thus, it is wise for everyone to design agendas and to ensure that minutes of meetings are taken.

Agendas:

As a group, you will be evaluated on the basis of your agenda and minutes. Prior to each meeting, one group must set forth an agenda. Each group member is required to submit at least two agendas throughout the semester. Each agenda should clearly state:

• Purpose of the meeting
• Date, time, and place of the meeting
• Discussion and action items
• Names of group members expected to provide specific forms of information
• Few, if any spelling and grammatical errors

Minutes:

During the meeting, the recorder should be prepared to take minutes. When the meeting is over, the recorder should revise his/her notes and make copies for each group member. Each group member is responsible for checking the minutes for accuracy. The meetings should include:

• Date and time of meeting
• Names of those in attendance
• Summary of the discussion and decisions made (including the names of group members who agreed to complete specific individual responsibilities)
• Full sentences and paragraphs
• Few, if any spelling and grammatical errors

At least 10 group meetings should take place throughout the nine week period. I anticipate that you will have prepared at least 10 sets of agenda and minutes by the end of the project from which I will collect on the due date and the grade given will be applicable to all group members.