“Tips for Developing and Maintaining CBL Partnerships in a Virtual Environment” was the session I watched by Jodie Parys from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. CBL is community-based learning, and the goals for this session were to learn strategies to modify face-to-face CBL partnerships into virtual and hybrid offerings and consider the needs of stakeholders. Parys defined community-based learning as “an international pedagogical strategy to integrate student learning in academic courses with community engagement.” Service-learning falls under the CBL umbrella along with community-based research. Parys also defined online instruction, remote instruction, and hybrid courses using standard definitions. Parys focused on how to “pivot” CBL partnerships to fit hybrid, remote, and online courses using the acronym PIVOT:
- Partnerships
- Innovative
- Vigilance
- Options
- Technology
Relationship building and communication are critical components of partnerships. Parys explained that hyperlocal and global partners must be considered, and partners must mutually define goals. To be innovative, Parys spoke about revisiting original partnership goals, think outside the box, add new partners, and learn from how others adapt. Technology can help by bringing in virtual partners to expand. Vigilance is important as COVID protocols change. Again, communication was emphasized to ensure expectations are clear. For options, student choice and voice and risk assessment are valuable options. Navigating disruptions and quarantines were mentioned as important considerations. The last letter, T was for training, and Parys spoke about faculty development, learning technology centers, and trial and error. Campus Compact was mentioned as a resource that I didn’t know about. Parys shared a case study of the Spanish for Medical Professionals course they teach. They shifted the partnership to 100% document translation. Students created new documents, translated the website, and produced promotional materials. Parys then shared examples of other CBL PIVOTS. While time and partnerships are needed, the impact of CBL was emphasized by Parys. Students often obtain a sense of purpose and connection through these projects. The connections, continuity, and impact helped learners feel part of their community and active partners. Parys asked: are you serving your students’ needs. This was a fun session with an appropriate and easy-to-remember acronym! How can we do CBL with international partners in BIT 295?
