Clark: From paper to media

[Chris Clark]

Ben Wilson of the Center for Social Concerns was looking for ways to improve the pedagogy of Notre Dame’s Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP). The final assignment was one area Ben identified for potential development. He was not sure that requiring a written paper was the most effective or efficient way for a large group of students to share experiential learning.

Ben discovered that Chris Clark at the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning was promoting the idea of students producing media as an alternative to writing. The center was also providing workshops to help faculty learn about the power of storytelling as tool for teaching and learning.

Ben found the idea of telling stories with media very appealing, so he consulted with Chris and they developed a “story production” assignment that allowed students to produce either a photo essay or an edited audio interview. Together they crafted learning goals, a rubric, milestones, and clear instructions. Chris produced an introductory video, created web pages, found media tutorials, helped Ben learn about photo releases, and provided orientations for the facilitators who would work remotely with students.

During the summer of 2017, hundreds of Notre Dame students developed stories about volunteers and clients at a diverse group of nonprofit organizations. Each student posted an audio file or slideshow online in an electronic portfolio, where they were also sharing a written journal about their service learning experience. The stories were shared with the sites where they worked, as well as local alumni clubs that helped sponsor the SSLP.

In the end, the students had created moving stories which they could show family and friends as a way to help them understand their summer service experience. The Center for Social Concerns also had a ready-made collection of media which they could use to celebrate the SSLP and help future students get a sense of what it is all about.

Chris Clark

Assistant Director

Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning

University of Notre Dame