Integrating Service Learning With Systemic Change

This chapter examines the redesign of the Petey Greene Program (the PGP), which prepares undergraduate and graduate student volunteers at 30 higher education institutions to tutor people in prison. Through a redesign process, the PGP shifted from a service learning organization that only supplements existing prison education programs with volunteer tutors to one that also pursues systemic improvement in educational access for justice-impacted people and facilitates volunteer activism. The chapter explores how service learning programs may perpetuate unjust systems if they are not integrated into systemic change initiatives and offers a guide for using service learning programs as a platform for pursuing systemic change. The case study illustrates how higher education institutions can partner with external organizations to educate justice-oriented citizens who understand and address the structural root causes of injustice.

A Post-Secondary Writing Bridge Program for Incarcerated Learners

This chapter discusses a College Bridge Writing Program piloted by the Petey Greene Program inside the Washington D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) Jail. The program is designed to foster racial and social justice by addressing some of the barriers that prevent incarcerated students from accessing higher education, from succeeding in college-level courses, and more generally, from finding meaningful employment. After providing an overview of the structure and the objectives of the course, the author focuses on the challenges posed by the pandemic and on two of the main features that contributed to the success of the program – the use of learning technology and the role of volunteer tutors, who provided one-on-one support to incarcerated students.

Build Back Better': Building School-Community Partnerships for Vulnerable Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many students around the world. The Indonesian government responded with school closures and the transition into distance learning. However, the Ministry of Communication and Information announced that there were 12,548 villages which did not have internet access and that electronic devices were unavailable for students from less well-off families. This study aimed to employ a non-empirical research methodology to highlight the importance of carrying out non-technological educational strategies by forming partnerships between schools and communities in vulnerable communities. The model of school-community partnership was carried out by forming small study groups in a neighborhood. Learning was assisted by teachers and volunteer tutors. This learning innovation was formed to provide equal opportunities for vulnerable students who were unable to perform online learning. Through such approaches we can rebuild education for those who were left behind as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: community engagement, COVID-19, school partnership, vulnerable student

A model to identify mathematics topics in MXit lingo to provide tutors quick access to supporting documentation

Dr MathTM is a mobile, online tutoring system where learners can use MXitTM on their mobile phones to receive help with their mathematics homework from volunteer tutors. These conversations between learners and Dr Math are held in MXit lingo. MXit lingo is a heavily abbreviated, English-like language that is evolving between users of mobile phones that communicate using MXit. The Dr Math project has been running since January 2007 and uses volunteer tutors who are mostly university students who readily understand and use MXit lingo. However, due to the large number of simultaneous conversations that the tutors are often involved in and the diversity of topics discussed, it would often be beneficial to provide assistance regarding the mathematics topic to the tutors. This article explains how the μ model identifies the mathematics topic in the conversation. The model identifies appropriate mathematics topics in just over 75% of conversations in a corpus of conversations identified to be about mathematics topics in the school curriculum.