Fostering Civic Identity in Architectural Technology Students through the Evaluation of Critical Reflection in Service Learning Coursework

Abstract

This case study follows a semester long, commercial construction course in architectural technology. Students worked both individually and as a class to transform an existing residential structure into a mixed use building for a predominantly commercial use. The semester project was an existing house in a local, urban neighborhood, which is owned by the community partner. The non-profit organization wished to repurpose the house to a mixed-use commercial building, which would house art gallery space on the main level, as well as both short term and long term residences on the second floor. Students spent the entire semester to work through the design process, from field verification, to project programming, all the way through to construction documents, to create a code compliant and aesthetically pleasing building design solution. The authors seek to document from both the student and professor’s perspective, the progress in students’ civic identity, through artifacts collected which centered on values, attitudes, and/or beliefs. The student’s perspective will focus on her personal involvement, architectural technology related project deliverables and perceived academic outcomes, while the professor’s perspective will focus on the development of the students’ increased civic identity through the use of meaningful reflection. Lastly, the authors will conclude by extrapolating this experience to other disciplines and applications.