EXPANDING AND PRESERVING HIGH-IMPACT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR DIVERSE STUDENTS, INSTITUTIONS, AND COMMUNITIES

This proposal establishes and expands tax-based service-learning curriculum across partnering institutions while building faculty capacity to sustain curriculum changes and builds institutional linkages by recruiting underrepresented students to Family and Consumer Sciences FCS) doctoral and master's programs, which are not available at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCAT). A tax-based service-learning curriculum will be developed, implemented, assessed, and revised at both institutions and will be shared with other institutions. The project will fund one doctoral student annually to support these objectives and connect many more students to accessible doctoral and master's degree programs at UGA.The target audience for this project is four-year students in FCS degree programs. Secondary audiences also benefit, including low-income community members in rural and high-poverty areas who receive services through VITA-based service-learning. The UGA VITA program has an estimated annual economic impact of $3.5 million in rural and high-poverty areas.Target ObjectivesTarget Objective 1: Enhance student learning and academic success by training faculty and supporting the establishment of a robust and sustainable tax-based service-learning program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.1A. Develop a self-sustaining VITA program at NCAT by training faculty.1B. Collaborate with NCAT faculty to develop comprehensive uniform learning objectives, learning activities, learning outcomes, and learning assessments for tax-based service-learning programs to evaluate student development and growth.Target Objective 2: Strengthen institutional capacities to recruit and retain North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University's students to doctoral and master's degree programs in FCS at the University of Georgia.2A. Collaborate and expand linkages between North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to increase the number of underrepresented undergraduate students continuing to graduate programs in FCS.2B. Expand the perceived career opportunities in the Human Sciences discipline, such as Cooperative Extension and personal financial planning.