Applications
of Service-Learning
Marketing students create
and implement a marketing plan for a non-profit organization.
Accounting students
support non-profits in grant research and monitoring, processing
payroll related duties, and by assisting in daily accounting
practices.
Computer Information Systems students
work with local non-profits by mapping networks, recommending
security procedures, setting up active directories, and
creating and administering various user and group accounts.
Students can also configure and implement Microsoft Windows
applications using Remote Installation Services.
English
as a Second Language students
practice their English skills by working with senior
citizens; tutoring and mentoring elementary school
students; participating in group community activities.
Education students
research, create, and provide free take-home brochures,
book marks, and magnets on teaching techniques for
a working parent, scholarships, programs for students
with special needs and public assistance information.
The information will then be furnished to low-income
families at social service agencies and public schools.
History students
complete oral histories with senior citizens, create
booklet, and hold event to celebrate the participants.
Intro
to Computers students help teach
at a local technology center.
English Composition students
help a non-profit write manuals/brochures; organize writing
contest on civic responsibility for high school students;
choose an issue, serve, and do all their writing about
their service…
Psychology students work
with a victim service program to provide crisis intervention
to crime victims by way of phone or on-site contact.
They become court advocates for domestic violence victims,
and facilitate groups for at-risk youth in the school system. Applications of Service-Learning
Faculty Summaries
Kendall/Homestead
Karin Alderfer – REA0003 (College Preparatory Reading III)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 20-hour assignment. Students tutor elementary school children with reading difficulties. Students appreciate the value of reading in school achievement. They reinforce comprehension skills as well as word attack (phonics) skills. Twenty bonus points are given for a summary paper describing their experiences as well as what they learned in the project. In addition, they are given 5 points for attending a reflection session. Students feel appreciated for giving to others who are in need of academic help. Some students have decided to become teachers after their tutoring experience. Also, they express increased self-esteem and a feeling of being needed and appreciated. Others say they have learned how to help their children become better readers.
Suzanne Austin – MAT0020 (Integrated College Mathematics)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 10-hour assignment as part of a thirty-two laboratory requirement and twenty (20) additional points towards the course grade. Mentor Pairs project provides students with the opportunity to increase their confidence, learn skills that make them more successful (in mathematics), increase involvement in classroom interactions, promote successful test-taking, and increase the likelihood of passing the course. In this high-risk course, the learning objectives that are enhanced/met are those selected, and agreed upon, by the Mentor Pair. In addition to regular (discussion) meetings with the instructor as a group, each member of the Mentor Pair must submit a Reflection Piece, entitled “WHAT? SO WHAT? NOW WHAT?” In three short paragraphs the student must describe what the tutorial sessions were like, comment on how this service-learning experience impacted their learning of mathematics, and their personal growth and development. In mentoring your partner (meeting the needs of your partner), you are being more responsible “right at home”. Sometimes real community needs are as far away as the student sitting right next to you. Participants become much more active in the learning process sooner as they become involved and take ownership in the development of their knowledge. As a result, there is a better understanding of the learning experience. The Mentor Pairs project brings to light so many of the qualities that are pertinent in the workforce. It is interesting to note how hesitant students are to work in groups, and how intolerant they are of each other until it is their turn to be “understood”.
Adelaida Ballester - MAT 0024 (College Preparatory Introduction to Algebra)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 10-hour assignment. Students are divided into “mentor pairs” and required to meet as a form of peer-tutoring as well as get together with their instructor at least once before each unit test. Pairs support each other, keep each other on task and practice, all of which helps them learn mathematics. At the completion of the project, each member of the pair is required to write a reflection piece that evaluates the tutorial sessions, denoting how their experiences impacted on the learning of mathematics and on their personal growth. The members of each pair will be awarded bonus points if they have completed and met all of the requirements including having a “c” average before the final exam. Peer-tutoring is an activity that fosters the need for people to help each other. Some pairs have formed a strong bond with their partner and are planning to register for the next math course together so as to continue this support system!
Marta Bret - EAP 1500 (Speech/Listening Level 5)
Service-learning is offered as a required 16-hour assignment, 11 in a community service agency of choice, 5 in the Speech Lab. As a result of their experience, students: use grammatical structures consistent with levels 1-5; speak with sufficient accuracy and fluency to ensure comprehension with intelligible pronunciation, stress and intonation; demonstrate the ability to deliver presentations and explain and support opinions; speak extemporaneously on diverse topics; correct their own mistakes; adjust their listening strategies to the task at hand. Reflection techniques include informal updates in groups and in front of the class about their service-learning experiences as well as class discussions about problems being experienced and extending the particular experience to more general situations in different societies and cultures. A class presentation on their service-learning experience is used as the final exam. The presentation is graded on (1) grammar, pronunciation, organization, fluency of English (2) eye contact (3) visual aids from the service-learning experience (4) understanding and responding to questions with correct grammar, pronunciation, and fluency. In the presentation, the student addresses comparisons between methods in the student’s native country and the U.S. of addressing the social problem experienced through his/her service-learning. S/he also talks about the role of volunteerism in addressing that problem, and gives her/his opinion on its causes and the best methods of resolving it. The student also speaks about different societal groups encountered in the course of the service-learning experience and his/her reactions to them.
Miriam del Campo - BSC1008 (Introduction to Biology)
Service-learning is offered as a required 10-hour assignment. Students submit a portfolio documenting research, activity, and reflection. Projects vary and may include anything from animal ethics and care, environmental awareness and restoration, teaching-learning, to community services. During reflection, students analyze the pros and cons of the service-learning experience as well as the benefits derived.
The portfolio, which includes three assignments and the timesheet and evaluations, is graded. A literature search of the topic proposed, planning, conducting, and documenting the actual experience and reflecting about the project are all components of this assessed document. Civic responsibility toward others in our community including not only people, but Nature as well is an underlying theme of the project. Students find a segment of our community or the ecosystem at a local, national, or global level and use their talents and time to improve this area.
Dr. H. Eliason- EDG2701 (Teaching Diverse Populations) and
EDF1005 (Introduction to Education)
Service-learning is offered as a mandatory 15-hour assignment. Students are involved in schools and /or a setting supporting diversity. Class discussion, reaction papers, and journals are used for reflection activities. Benefits include reinforcement of students’ decision to become or abort their decision to be an educator, changed perceptions of cultures and ethnicities, and a refocus of priorities.
Coral Horton - EEX2000 (Survey Exceptional Education)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 10-hour assignment. The focus of the service-learning project is for students to contribute at an agency or educational institution that has disabled or exceptional clients. They are given the opportunity to either observe or work directly with the children or adults who are physically or emotionally challenged. A class presentation and paper are used to summarize their experience and reactions that comprise from 1/16 – 1/4 of their final grade.
Carolina Hospital - ENC1102 (English Composition 2)
Service-learning is offered as a mandatory 10-hour assignment. Additional hours, up to 20, are encouraged for extra credit. Students will choose from the Master List provided by MDC’s service learning office. In addition to the service hours, students are required to write a persuasive essay on an issue related to the experience as well as an oral presentation where they discuss their reactions to their experience. This allows the student to practice the skills of argumentation discussed in class in addition to reflecting on their service learning experience. In addition to their formal persuasive essay, students are asked to write an informal journal where they explore their expectations for the project before they begin. Civic responsibility is discussed by a guest from the MDC service learning office, as well as by informal discussions in class at the beginning and end of the course. Students acquire leadership skills while they learn about their community through first-hand experience. Sometimes they also acquire experience in their future professional fields.
David Johnson - PPE1005 (Psychology of Personal Effectiveness)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 24-hour assignment. Students are encouraged to serve at the Gelber Adult Day Care Center, the Social Science Department agency partner. In addition to encouraging students to relate their service experience to daily class dialogue, students write a five-page paper about their experience linking their service with the concepts covered in the course. Course learning objectives include concepts such as pro-activity, communication skills, conflict resolution, time management, career exploration, and job satisfaction. Students can earn up to 25 points (1/2 letter grade) for successfully completing all hours, the reflective paper, and required paperwork. Projects are evaluated on the basis of successfully linking experience with course objectives. In addition to enriched and enhanced understanding of course concepts, these service experiences help students improve self-esteem, gain greater understanding and appreciation of individual differences, broaden their awareness of careers and responsibilities, and become more effective citizens and human beings.
Sharon Johnson - ISS 1120 (Social Environment), ISS1161 (Individual in Society), SYG 2000 (Introduction to Sociology), SYG 2010 (Social Problems), and
SYG 2430 (Marriage and Family)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 20-hour assignment. Students document their learning by submitting a five-page reflection paper that includes discussion of how the experience related to particular concepts from their social science courses. The paper should also include an evaluation of the service experience in terms of its academic and personal benefits. Students are able to see examples of course concepts which are included in all these social science courses such as norms, values, groups, cultures, sub-cultures, social classes, social institutions (education, family, government), ethnic and racial groups, social interaction, social movements, etc. Students gain a deeper understanding of how societies operate and the important role they can play in making a better society. Students gain self-esteem, have an opportunity to explore various careers, as well as a sense of making a difference in other people’s lives.
Marie Knepper - SPC1026 Fundamentals of Speech Communication and
SPC2600 Introduction to Public Speaking
Service-learning is offered as an optional 20-hour project in. Extra credit consisted of up to 30 points per person, provided they completed the required hours as well as a reflection paper summarizing the experience. Students are realizing the importance of speech communication skills (interpersonal, intercultural, public speaking, and group skills) in all aspects of life; the overall goal was to relate students’ diverse experiences to either speech communication or public speaking. Pre-reflection included the training session with Ossie Hanauer and a period of “sharing” of expectations about the experience (before it happened); post reflection included 1) a class discussion about the experience, which would draw non-participants into the process, and 2) written reflection sheets whose prototype was received from the Center for Community Development (Agency Evaluation). This was a very positive experience for my students. It gave them another perspective on communication, one they would not ordinarily experience in the classroom.
Annmarie Masi - EDG2701 (Teaching Diverse Populations) and EDF1005
(Introduction to Education)
Service-learning is offered as a mandatory 15-hour assignment. Students are required to keep a journal about the experience and present to the class about their experience. Reflection techniques used include journals, show and tell about the experience, class discussions, and presentations. As a result of the service-learning project, students learn about becoming a teacher and provide a service to others.
Alberto Meza – ARH1000 (Art Appreciation)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 40-hour assignment. Students were involved in the planning, design, and execution of a multimedia production, involving construction of large puppets, paintings, music, and dance/art performance. Students had a hands-on experience in collaborating on a multimedia art project, involving the visual and performing arts. Students were divided into groups, and each group reported to the class at large what the experience meant to them. Groups designated a historian who jotted down highlights of what the reflection was all about. The historian relied on these notes to report to the class at large. The evaluation was based upon a journal/portfolio. The grade was completed in three stages: 1) documentation (research about the project); 2) planning (ideas, insights, etc.); 3) outcome (what was accomplished, executed, etc.) When students worked on the large mural of the 9/11 attacks, their experience of civic responsibility was related as to how one defends a nation. What are the parameters of civic rights and liberties, in face of an imminent attack on America? Students learned additional skills, such as working in groups, planning, development and implementation of a large communal art project as well as issues relating to budgetary constraints, measuring and displaying materials for large areas, etc. Students involved in service-learning in the arts soon learned that the commitment to create art has implications that are communal in nature. Art, although very singular in nature, becomes a common, group activity, in which the individual surrenders his her “artistic ego” for the common good.
Merlene Purkiss - ENC 0002 (College Preparatory Writing I)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 10-hour assignment. Students’ skills are reinforced since they have to teach what they have learned in class. They also develop more motivation and self-confidence. Students are briefed beforehand about giving back to their communities. They are also told that service-learning can serve as future reference for their resumes. Students are asked to inform their classmates about their experiences. They are asked to write about their experiences. (What it feels like to give back to your community? What have you learned from service-learning?) Students are asked to write about things they can do to help change their environment. They have become more diligent in terms of their study habits, and they are paying more attention to details, particularly following directions. Service-learning is certainly a wonderful experience for students. It helps students to master the skills they are learning in the classroom; it helps them to be better students in terms of their values. For those students who aspire to be teachers, it definitely helps to motivate them to fulfill their dreams!
Millie Roqueta - DEP2000 (Human Growth and Development)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 20-hour assignment where students participate at the Gelber Adult Day Care Center. Students learn many aspects of aging including: what it is like to grow old in the United States today; what sorts of physical changes occur in old age; how the senses are affected by aging; what the general state of health is for older people and what disorders they are susceptible to; whether wellness and sexuality can be maintained in old age; how long people can expect to live, and why they die; how well older people function intellectually; whether people lose their memories in old age; how personality develops during late adulthood; how people deal with aging; how older people live and what difficulties they face; what it is like to retire; how marriages in late adulthood fare; what happens when an elderly spouse dies; the sorts of relationships that are important in late adulthood; what death is and what it means at different stages of the lifespan; the ways in which people face the prospect of their own death; how survivors react to and cope with death.
Students complete a reflection assignment in which they choose from three options: 1) a journal about their experiences; 2) a narrative essay about their experiences; or 3) make a presentation to the class regarding their service-learning experience. The writing assignments and the presentation must be tied to the learning objectives for the last part of the course (see above), which is development throughout old age. In-class reflection exercises have included a free-association brainstorming session and a critical incident session. Students earn 20 points for 20 hours service and their reflection assignment.
Kimberly Smith - REA0003 (College Preparatory Reading III)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 15-hour assignment where students tutor elementary school students in the area of reading. Students enhance their literal and critical reading comprehension by teaching and explaining it to the tutees. Students who participate in service-learning are required to document their discovery in a journal. The student compares and contrasts the skills discussed in class and the skills taught to the tutees. They also describe a significant event and the results that took place during service learning through a reflective journal. The students are able to make a difference in the community by assisting struggling beginning readers at various schools. Most importantly, the participants are able to reinforce reading skills that they are learning in class.
Sharon Thomas - ISS 2270 (Multicultural Communication)
Service-learning was offered as an optional 20-hour assignment. Students participated in an environment (agency or school) that served a multicultural and multi gender population. Contributing to the objectives & mission of the agency was required. As a result of their service-learning experience, students: demonstrate an understanding of diversity consciousness; develop skills for communication in diverse environments; practice critical thinking as connections are made between domains of experience and knowledge. Reflection papers included: a description of the diversity of the population they served as well as their service; an analysis of how their service met the course objectives; and an evaluation of the entire service-learning component. Additionally, during one class period students described (to the class) what their service-learning entailed. Students earned up to 50 points for the service itself and up to 50 points for the reflective paper. This equated to one quarter of their final grade. The service-learning experience itself appears to have engendered a motivation for students to accept (and/or to even) believe that they had a sense civic responsibility which seemed to have spilled over to students who did not choose this option. The most significant benefit for those who chose the service-learning option was one of the personal satisfaction. By their own report students thought they had made worthwhile contributions to others that made them feel good. Service-learning contributed to a more meaningful lecture & class discussion as students could see concepts in action in the real world.
Nancy Yi (REA0002 – College Preparatory Reading II)
Service-learning is offered as an optional 15-hour assignment where students tutor elementary school students, the elderly, sick or disabled in the area of reading in a four-week timeframe. Some of the objectives that are met through their service-learning include: enhancing and expanding their vocabulary; improvement in fluency in oral reading; practice in locating main ideas, topic sentences, supporting details; and enhancing critical thinking skills which can assist them with critical reading skills. Students discuss with their instructor how they are applying the skills they are learning in class with their service-learning experience. Students write an reflection essay which details their first impressions of the project, their expectations, the benefits/drawbacks of the project, what they learned, how they applied the skills learned in class, how the experience related to the course objectives, their recommendation of the experience, and how/if the experience effected their life goals.
Participating students are given 15 extra credit points for the completion of 15 hours of contact time and submission of the reflection essay. The can also obtain 5 additional points for attending a reflection meeting. Through the experience of service-learning, students walk away with a greater understanding of civic responsibility that is discussed during the initial presentation of service-learning and revisited throughout the semester through conversations with the students. This is also addressed in the reflection meetings and in their essays.
Developmental students definitely benefit from this experience because they can practice their reading in a non-threatening environment. Since they work with younger students or with the elderly, they can read with more confidence. The tutoring experience also enhances their own learning and understanding of various reading skills. Not only do they help themselves with the objectives of the course but they give assistance to others who also benefit from the experience. Service-learning is a positive experience for the students. Most of them do more than the 15 hours required for this optional program. Their reflection comments demonstrate the learning value of this approach since they all state their understanding of the reading skills taught in class was enhanced.
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