Lessons from the Field: Weaving Service-Learning and Peer Advocacy into Developmental Education Courses
Engaging Students, Engaging Faculty
through Connect2Complete at Broward College
by
Elena Rae Schultz
Director, Service-Learning
Broward College
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
August 2014
Connect2Complete, a program of Campus Compact funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supports vulnerable community
college students in achieving academic success and credential completion while they actively engage with their peers, their college, and
their broader community.
www.compact.org
Engaging Students, Engaging Faculty through
Connect2Complete at Broward College
by Elena Rae Schultz
__________________________________________________________________________________
Abstract
Making a smooth transition to college can be an overwhelming experience. Campus Compact’s
Connect2Complete (C2C) initiative can ease this transition through intentional and purposeful intervention
strategies that increase rates of success and persistence among underprepared, low-income students in
community colleges. The Connect2Complete pilot at Broward College promoted a caring and nurturing institutional environment in which faculty utilized peer-to-peer advocacy and peer-assisted service-learning to
support student success. Broward’s C2C pilot engaged students as they defined goals, practiced making wise
choices, improved classroom communication skills, and made connections with experienced students, staff,
faculty and the community.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Campus Compact’s Connect2Complete program (C2C) is a national initiative that utilizes intentional
and purposeful intervention strategies to improve success and increase persistence toward graduation
for underprepared, low-income students in community colleges. C2C combines peer-to-peer advocacy
with peer-assisted service-learning opportunities to support the underprepared student’s educational
and career goals. C2C addresses the needs of these students by supporting and facilitating a better
understanding of college experiences and processes.
Broward at a Glance
FY 2013
General Environment:
Urban
Total Enrollment:
62,423
Full-Time Enrollment:
12,776
Part-Time Enrollment:
49,647
Average Student Age:
26
Receiving NeedBased Financial Aid:
56%
Referred to at Least
One Developmental
Education Course:
68%
Courtesy of Broward College
Campus Compact
With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Broward
College and eight other community colleges in Florida, Ohio, and
Washington operated ambitious C2C pilot programs between
January 2012 and June 2014. The nine colleges developed individual
pilots that reflected their campus cultures and their student populations. Over the course of these C2C pilots, the colleges engaged
more than 6,500 low-income, underprepared students.
C2C in the Broward Context
Making a smooth transition to college can be an overwhelming
experience. For this reason, the Connect2Complete pilot at
Broward College (C2C@BC) supported students in making effective
transitions and in developing the skills needed for academic and
personal success. Initially, C2C@BC was an extension of Broward’s
existing peer-mentoring program, with its two primary objectives:
addressing inadequate academic skills, as identified in the Broward
College Student Success Pipeline study, and increasing student
engagement through service-learning.
Broward’s pipeline study tracked students from their enrollments
to the achievement of their goals. The purpose of the study was
“to develop strategies and interventions to address the gaps or
‘leakage points’ in the pipeline where a student leaves the College
prior to completing…goals.” C2C@BC built on the pipeline study
by promoting a caring and nurturing institutional environment
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through peer support and by engaging students as they defined their academic and career goals,
practiced making wise choices for success, improved their classroom communication skills, and made
connections with other Broward students, as well as staff and faculty.
Broward’s offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs administered C2C@BC collaboratively, forging
explicit links between curricular content and student success and development. Broward’s Student
Affairs staff provided ongoing student-success workshops and activities, peer-advocate training, and
additional, co-curricular service-learning opportunities that reinforced C2C@BC as a community
of learners. The collaboration between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, the interplay between
co-curricular and curricular options, the sharing of resources, and the consistency in peer-advocate
training all facilitated the engagement of C2C students in the greater Broward College community.
In 2013, Florida legislation, which altered the state’s developmental education requirements, necessitated
a transition in Broward’s C2C program. This new legislation phases out a requirement that students
graduating from Florida public high schools take placement tests and complete developmental coursework as indicated. As the legislation takes full effect, many more students are enrolling directly into
college- level coursework—and bypassing the developmental education classes around which Broward
had envisioned and launched its C2C pilot.
To facilitate C2C’s transition from developmental education to college-level coursework, Broward
built on Campus Compact’s C2C faculty fellowships, a program of support for faculty implementing
the course-based C2C model. Faculty fellows participated in educational offerings from Campus
Compact, such as a two-day institute on peer advocacy and service-learning in the classroom and
an ongoing, web-based discussion forum with faculty fellows from C2C’s eight other pilot campuses.
To enhance the fellowship program, Broward identified interested faculty from multiple disciplines,
increased the number of fellowships from two to ten, offered new professional development opportunities, and supported the development of course-based, peer-assisted service-learning projects.
C2C@BC faculty fellows received stipends and additional resources, including workshops, conferences,
and web resources. College-level courses supported were Composition I, Intermediate Algebra, and
Pre-Statistics, with additional entry-level courses added as appropriate.
Engaging Students
…I knew nothing about what was happening on campus. I felt lost. “What am I doing in college?
I’m a first-time freshman, fresh out of the Army. I have no idea what’s going on here.” With the
peer-mentoring program, I have knowledge, friends, experiences. I feel stable: I know more about
the campus. I am more confident. I’ve learned leadership. I have a support network.
—Garry, a C2C@BC student
Broward engaged its C2C students in a community of learners through two models:
• a co-curricular model that linked individual mentoring with extracurricular group activities and
• a course-based, or curricular, model in which peer advocates were assigned to specific courses.
In both models, experienced, successful students were recruited as peer advocates (PAs) and matched
with student mentees who were new to the College. PAs were trained in Broward’s student-success initiatives,
oriented to College resources, and familiarized with important student-engagement strategies. PAs
provided a support network for mentees, working directly with them to smooth their transitions to
college and providing guidance and direction one-on-one, in small groups, and in classroom settings.
Working with their peer advocates, C2C@BC students learned to address issues in a timely fashion
and to explore effective ways of interfacing with faculty and staff.
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Because I am a shy person, the peer-mentoring program has helped me be more confident in
myself. I gained friendships. If you have the opportunity to get assigned a peer mentor, take the
opportunity. Because if you have a good mentor like I have, she would definitely be there for you.
—Denise, C2C@BC student
Mentees met regularly with their peer advocates. Together, they attended workshops and C2C@BC
community activities, participated in service-learning projects, and received recognition in end-ofsemester ceremonies. C2C@BC peer advocates and mentees built constructive, supportive relationships
that engaged students in activities promoting critical thinking and academic success. C2C@BC
involved all of its participants in a community of learners in which new students worked with experienced students to gain perspectives on the College and its processes. C2C@BC students expressed
feelings of belonging, support, and encouragement.
Peers Inspiring Peers
Peers are “the single most potent source of influence,” affecting virtually every aspect of development—
cognitive, affective, psychological, and behavioral. (Astin 1993b) C2C@BC participants, both students
and peer advocates, are exceptional examples of how student achievements are influenced by peer
interactions.
Broward College is a proud member institution of Achieving the Dream (AtD), which emphasizes
the importance of purposeful and frequent interventions by on-staff “success specialists.” These AtD
relationships, which are largely focused on degree completion, differ from C2C’s model of peer advocacy. Broward’s PAs were more focused on the overall student experience and on student engagement
in general. C2C peer advocates used their interactions as a road map, encouraging mentees to develop
self-confidence in navigating the educational system and in moving toward their goals.
Throughout the C2C pilot, peer advocates emphasized Broward’s six “Finish What You Start”
principles:
• Define yourself.
• Create an education plan.
• Get financial aid.
• Register early.
• Maintain your GPA.
• Attend and finish all classes.
Peer-advocate training defined mentorship and covered effective mentoring techniques—active
listening skills, effective interpersonal communication, goal setting, and diversity awareness—as well
as project-management and leadership skills related to service-learning. This training prepared the
peer advocates as leaders for service-learning projects and provided them with the knowledge base to
develop effective and engaged teams.
As C2C@BC peer advocates worked with their mentees, they built on trust established during the
semester to address the challenges presented. Teamwork, cooperation, communication, creativity, critical
thinking, and problem solving were the essential skills engendered as the students and their PAs
engaged in service-learning. They brainstormed ways to apply the lessons of service-learning to their
academic endeavors—such as using college resources early, identifying collaborations, being aware of
potential barriers, and communicating regularly with essential staff and faculty. In addition, C2C@BC
students were encouraged to expand their networks by joining student organizations and participating
in campus activities.
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According to Assistant Professor Quakish Liner, the Connect2Complete program at Broward College
has created leaders:
I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of this program for three semesters, and in each semester, I’ve
noticed the strength of the peer advocates. My developmental classes are more prepared because
we have a peer advocate embedded into our classroom. The peer advocates help to reinforce the
skills that are covered within the classroom and in our online lab.
The peer advocates at Broward College engage in a plethora of activities that lead the C2C mentees
into becoming campus leaders. These activities help the mentees become responsible and vision
driven. The peer advocates have mentioned that this experience has made them more responsible
due to someone relying on them for support and information. It has also increased their confidence level and given roots to many of them [who may have] felt as if they didn’t belong at
Broward College. Many of the peer advocates have explained that they have gone from a place of
apathy to a place of empathy and are much more concerned about the well-being, success, and
motivation of others.
During each semester, C2C students and PAs participated in several activities designed to increase
student engagement, including the Broward College “Ropes and Challenge Course”—a distinctive
team-building program that involves games, group-initiative problems, low- and high-challenge
course elements, water sports, and other rigorous physical activities.
Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Broward
In “Seven Principles of Good Practice for Undergraduate Education” (Chickering & Gamson 1987),
the authors identify seven effective educational practices that directly influence student learning and
the quality of the educational experiences:
• student–faculty contact,
• cooperation among students,
• active learning,
• prompt feedback,
• time on task,
• high expectations, and
• respect for diverse talents and ways of learning.
Active and collaborative learning, including service-learning, asks students to reflect on course content
and to apply it in diverse venues. Service-learning is endorsed by the American Association of Colleges
and Universities as a high-impact practice. Service-learning encourages students to reflect on and to
deepen learning, to develop an understanding of diversity and pluralism, to commit to their educational
and career goals, to explore and analyze community issues, and to discover the relevance of learning
through real-world application. Through active and collaborative learning, students substantially increase
the time invested in learning activities (Guskin 1997) by building connections and developing critical
thinking skills.
At Broward, the academic service-learning pedagogy is defined as “a course-based teaching and learning
approach that integrates traditional study with community service to enrich learning, teach civic
responsibility, and strengthen communities. Through research on relevant issues and guided reflection
activities students forge practical lifelong connections.”
According to Associate Professor Amoy Reid, service-learning has been beneficial for developmental
reading students in many ways:
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First, it enriched the student learning of course material, bringing life to the textbook. The reading
students were able to foster text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections because of
their service-learning experience. Good readers draw on prior knowledge and experience to help
them understand what they are reading and are thus able to use that knowledge to make connections. Because of their exposure, [students] were able to better understand many of the topics
discussed in the textbook and in the course. Schema theory explains how our past experiences,
knowledge, emotions, and understandings affect what and how we learn (Harvey & Goudvis
2000). This was evident with what occurred with the reading students. The students began their
experience by watching the [2012 documentary], A Place at the Table. This allowed them to see
a clear picture of what is going on in the United States regarding hunger. Hunger became real to
them. Students read and analyzed articles from a [New York Times] “Room for Debate” to
enhance their critical thinking skills. The service-learning activities and reflections fostered critical
thinking and interpersonal communication as the students worked together to create flyers
promoting healthy eating on campus, as well as soliciting canned goods for a food drive. Using
cooperative learning, students worked collaboratively on their service-learning projects. Finally,
it broadened the students’ perspectives of diversity issues. The service-learning project was guided
not only by their instructor but also by the C2C mentor assigned to the classroom.
“IT MATTERS!” is Broward’s service-learning and community-engagement initiative. The five thematic
areas of this initiative—money, health, environment, careers, and education—address factors associated
with the current economic recovery and the needs of the local community. “IT MATTERS!” explores
ways in which community agencies and projects can address issues on behalf of different populations
and from diverse perspectives. Through this ongoing program, students use service-learning to practice
critical thinking and to evaluate community issues from multiple perspectives.
In relating “IT MATTERS!” with C2C@BC, Broward faculty, staff, and community partners focused
on financial literacy, budgeting, health and nutrition, student-success skills, college prep, career
exploration, and job skills. C2C@BC incorporated the various domains interconnected in effective
student learning: the academic (experiential learning, reflective activities, critical thinking), the institutional (leadership, mentoring positions, ethical issues, and behavioral issues), the student (affective
learning, identity development), and the social (personal and group relationships, interpersonal skills,
and diversity awareness) domains. C2C@BC peer advocates facilitated and guided C2C students in
related service-learning opportunities. Service-learning projects provided leadership opportunities
and skill enhancements for C2C@BC students and for peer advocates.
Engaging Faculty
C2C@BC faculty incorporated service-learning in their courses to address specific student needs and
to provide opportunities for the critical evaluation of academic content in the context of a real-time
service project or community issue. Service-learning projects were selected to minimize possible barriers,
such as transportation, and to promote student engagement on campus, often involving faculty directly,
as well as student organizations.
Numerous studies demonstrate the effectiveness of student–faculty interaction in promoting student
success (Astin 1993b; Kuh et al. 1991; Pascarella & Terenzini 1991; Tinto 1993). Active experiences,
such as service-learning, increase student–faculty contact and student-to-student collaboration.
C2C@BC reflects this research, and student interactions with faculty have increased in number and
in depth. Assistant Professor Carole Comarcho provides a compelling observation:
My experience with C2C grant has been life changing. My passion is to see students succeed in
college. It did not occur to me that giving back through the C2C grant could inspire students so
much. The service-learning projects have led to a deeper, richer experience in the classroom. If
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faculty members want to get involved in service-learning, there are some pitfalls that they should
know about. Be prepared for students to open up about things you may not have been privy to
without the C2C service-learning experience. Students feel more comfortable about opening up
themselves, and, boy, do they have some stories to tell. One of my students told the class that
her mother sent her early in the morning to the swimming pool in her apartment complex to get
water for bathing because their water had been disconnected. This is just one of many stories—so,
be ready. …Also, be prepared for students to want to do more service-learning initiatives. Once
you whet their appetites, they want to do other things. You may not have the opportunity to
accomplish more than one project in your class, but you also do not want to stifle their newfound
service-learning drive. At Broward College, there are always co-curricular opportunities offered
through Student Life, so if you direct them there, they can continue to give back. So, as faculty, be
prepared to learn from the service-learning experience as much as you learn from your students.
To address Florida’s legislative changes, C2C-experienced developmental education faculty were
recruited to integrate C2C@BC programming in college-level courses. Assistant Professor Dean
Harley had developed a community-garden service-learning project for his developmental math
courses, and subsequently, he adapted the project for his college-credit-level intermediate algebra
classes. Harley’s project illustrates how service-learning can address multiple, effective, student-learning
domains. Students utilized course concepts to develop a project budget, to calculate plants and materials
required for the space allocated, and to determine the garden’s potential yield. Students learned about
procedures for on-campus projects, team building, and communications, and they developed relationships
that supported their success in in Professor Harley’s course that can sustain them as they continue
their educations. As Harley describes it:
Raised vegetable beds are planted, maintained, and harvested by students. The yield of the garden
is donated to the Jubilee Food Bank in Hollywood, Florida, where it is prepared and served to
those in our community who are less fortunate. To date we have donated carrots, radishes, green
beans, and collard greens. These vegetables are easily grown and maintained in our sun-soaked,
sandy-loamed part of the world.
After the students visit the garden, they write reflections about their experiences and share them
with their classmates via the “BC Online” course-discussion forums. The feeling of being part of a
group that works together with a common goal is a mainstay of the reflections that are submitted.
Another common reflection topic is that, when many people do small acts of kindness, great
things can be accomplished.
During the community garden project, I observed how students bond with one another in an
academic capacity. This bonding allows students to collaborate inside as well as outside of classroom. Study groups are formed and student success has increased in the C2C service-learning classes.
Other success stories include students who have taken beginning algebra and are now enrolled in
calculus here at Broward College.
Conclusion
Broward College’s mission is to ensure student success by developing informed and creative students
capable of contributing to a knowledge- and service-based global society. The Broward College strategic
plan emphasizes increased success rates for students placed in the College’s preparatory curricula, and
the College has adopted a strategic priority to “establish a coordinated program to meet the needs of
college-prep students college-wide.” As a proud “Achieving the Dream” institution, Broward College is
strongly committed to developmental education and to the success of underprepared students.
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Connect2Complete intervention strategies utilized peer-to-peer advocacy and peer-assisted servicelearning to address the needs of underprepared, low-income students. Broward’s C2C program is
built on a close collaboration between Student Affairs (for co-curricular interventions) and Academic
Affairs (for curricular interventions) to meet the needs of Broward College students, both new and experienced. In the final semester of implementation, Broward adjusted its C2C programming to address
changing requirements for developmental education in Florida, while continuing to serve the needs of
C2C target populations. C2C’s focus on peer advocacy encouraged students to work collaboratively
toward success and completion. Over the course of the C2C@BC pilot, several students maintained
their involvements in the program, beginning as mentees, subsequently serving as peer advocates, and,
ultimately, graduating. The experience has proven transformational. In the words of Alicia SmithWroble, coordinator of student-success programs at Broward’s North Campus:
These are relationships that first start out as academic, but become true, paired relationships—where
the students end up going to each other for inspiration and information. Making sure that educational
plans are being done, making sure the students are being introduced to everything around the campus
so they can navigate the system. “I’m an advocate, let me introduce you around to the people on campus
who have helped me,” or “These are the events on campus that I enjoy attending. …Come with me.”
Eventually they can become advocates for the next generation of students coming in…providing a
new group of students the support, the knowledge, the experience to be successful and graduate. That
is our hope for each one.
References
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Association, New Orleans, LA.
Astin, A. W. (1993b). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited (1st Ed.). San Francisco:
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Guskin, A. E. (1997). Learning more, spending less. About Campus, 2(3): 4–9.
Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehensively for understanding and
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of student and institutional characteristics. Research in Higher Education 43(5) October 2002.
Kuh, G. D., Schuh, J. H. & Whitt, E. J., et al. (1991). Involving colleges: Successful approaches to fostering
student learning and personal development outside the classroom. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
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student engagement. Change. 33 (3).
Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H. & Whitt, E. J. (2005b). Student success in college: Creating conditions
that matter. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kuh, G. D. (2007). How to help students achieve. Chronicle of Higher Education. 53 (41).
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Kuh, G. D. (2008). High‐impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why
they matter. American Association for Colleges and Universities.
Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty
years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research
(Vol. 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. 2nd ed. Chicago,
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__________________________________________________________________________________
Elena Rae Schultz is director of the Connect2Complete program and overall director of service-learning
for Broward College. She co-chairs the Broward County Children’s Services Council Prosperity Committee
and serves as an advisor for community-action programs that provide leadership and project-management
training for youth. Schultz is a Florida Campus Compact Certified Scholar and a recipient of the 2012
Florida Campus Compact Community Engagement Educator Award. In recognition of her leadership
in community programs that demonstrate the cascading effects of collaborative efforts from instructors,
professors, students, and external participants, Schultz has received the 2014 Excellence in Innovation
through Community Collaboration award from the Kynamatrix Research Network. Schultz has a BS in
computer information sciences from Barry University and an MS in computer science from Nova Southeastern University.
Copyright © 2014 by Elena Rae Schultz. The author has assigned to Campus Compact the exclusive right to publish and distribute her text in print
and on the Internet, to archive it, and to make it permanently retrievable. Users may quote from, reference, print, or link to this work for the purposes
of teaching and/or individual research. Any other use, including commercial reuse, mounting on other systems, or other forms of redistribution,
requires permission of the author.
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Connect2Complete
As institutions of higher education serve large populations of underprepared and vulnerable students
and simultaneously experience decreased budgets, they seek innovative and cost-effective ways to
increase graduation rates while ensuring the quality of student learning. Connect2Complete (C2C),
developed by Campus Compact with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a new
model for true student success. Through the C2C strategy of peer advocacy and peer-assisted
service-learning, C2C supports vulnerable students in achieving academic success and credential
completion while they actively engage with their peers, their college, and their broader community.
These strategies encourage academic development, social integration, personal develop-ment, and
civic consciousness—all key factors for student persistence.
In August 2011, Campus Compact selected nine community colleges in Florida, Ohio, and Washington,
along with the Compact’s related state affiliates, to operate ambitious C2C pilot programs between
January 2012 and June 2014. These programs engaged more than 6,500 low-income, underprepared
students who enrolled in developmental education courses designed to get them ready for collegelevel coursework. Beyond the pilot phase, the C2C model has garnered interest from and is being
implemented by four-year colleges and universities.
Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents who are
committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. As the only national higher education
association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, Campus Compact promotes public
and community service that develops students’ citizenship skills, helps campuses forge effective community
partnerships, and provides resources and training for faculty seeking to integrate civic and communitybased learning into the curriculum.
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