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REFLECTION FAQS
Impact of Reflection on Course
10. What is the potential impact of structured reflection on a course?
The previous section discussed the need for an ongoing, structured process of reflection that connects service to coursework, challenges students while providing guidance and support, is contextual, and fosters communication between stakeholders. An effective reflection process with these characteristics could result in radical changes in a course.
If several reflective assignments are used before, during and after the service experience, faculty must identify ways of incorporating these assignments into the course. Students may not see the relevance of service-learning or reflection if the assignments are not coherently integrated. In order to effectively combine service, reflection and assignments, faculty should consider the following:
- Integration can be challenging if students are working on diverse projects with various community agencies.
- Faculty should create adequate opportunities for small group and large group interaction to help students consider various perspectives and appreciate diverse experiences.
- Another issue in integrating reflection relates to monitoring reflection and providing feedback in a timely manner. If several reflective assignments are warranted, faculty should consider the amount of time this will entail and how that additional time and effort will be negotiated and assessed. Faculty may need to assign significant weight to reflective assignments in order to motivate students to spend adequate time and effort on such activities.
- Finally, faculty must recognize that the process of integrating reflection is imperative given that service-learning involves dynamic real-world situations. This requires students to assume a higher level of responsibility and accountability for thier work and to recognize that the ramifications for failure will impact others. Further, individual student characteristics such as intellectual development will affect a students performance as well as the quality of reflection. Faculty may have to assign additional questions or redesign assignments that respect the developmental levels of students.
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