Out Of The Ivory Tower/ Over To The Museum Center

“Service learning is one way to make somewhat dry topics come to life.” So says Donna Chrobot-Mason, assistant professor in the Center for Organizational Leadership, who has discovered a way to give “life” to her graduate Research

Methods course and at the same time provide students the opportunity of making contributions to the Cincinnati Museum Center and the community.

This means that instead of dealing with theoretical problems, students have the opportunity to see behind the scenes at the museum and help its staff assess various programs. Students are divided into groups that evaluate the effectiveness of three types of offerings: learning labs for public, private, and home-schooled students, professional/educator workshops, and lecture series. Their tasks are to observe the assigned programs, brainstorm about possible assessment tools, and draft, revise, and finalize evaluation instruments that will work for museum staff.

Peter DeDominici, the museum's director of education and special projects, recalls, “We had been looking for tools to help us, so this class came along at a very opportune time. The information produced by McMicken students will be invaluable in assessing our in-house and outreach school programs and our professional development for educators and various lecture series. We're pleased to collaborate with the class to help develop a positive experiential environment for students.”

The creativity and originality of museum offerings means that students learn more than just the “dry stuff” of how to evaluate programs. They also have free access to cultural and educational offerings such as “Russia's Nicholas and Alexandra,” “Seminar on the City featuring Briget Jones versus Sex and the City,” and “Centering on Families,” a series of parenting workshops.

All in all, it's what Chrobot-Mason calls “a win-win situation for everyone.” Daryl Smith, adjunct professor for the MA in the labor and employment relations program, who teaches another section of the course, summarizes the effectiveness of service learning efforts like this one: “The project at the museum is a perfect fit. It demonstrates to students that the things they're learning are not isolated in an ivory tower; rather they can have an impact on the real world.”