scholarly journals Community Psychology at a Regional University: On Engaging Undergraduate Students in Applied Research

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie R McKibban ◽  
Crystal Nicole Steltenpohl
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Community Psychology ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Service Learning Projects

Engaging students in service learning projects grounded in community psychology values and practices when working in a rural, conservative area provides several challenges and opportunities for faculty members. The authors share processes and outcomes from three case examples taking place between 2010 and 2013: (1) running focus groups and survey development with a local YMCA branch that predominantly serves people of color in low income housing, (2) the development of a strategic plan for the implementation of an art crawl in the local downtown community, and (3) the development and execution of an asset map evaluating supportive resources and spaces available to the local LGBTQA community. The authors reflect on feedback from students and community partners. These case examples highlight the complexity of balancing students’ skillsets, work and other life obligations, and desire to use classroom knowledge in community settings. It also highlights the importance of preparing community partners for working on applied research. We provide recommendations based on each project’s challenges and successes for universities and communities of similar demographics. Working in rural, conservative settings provide their own challenges and opportunities, but are well worth it if implemented in an intentional way, and more research is needed to strengthen our understanding of how best to engage students from a variety of social and political backgrounds.

Sowing the Seeds of Social Justice through Service-Learning with American Indian Tribal Partners

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-21
Author(s):  
Angela A. Gonzales
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
American Indian ◽  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Learning Projects

As a form of community engagement pedagogy, service-learning aims to bridge theory with practice by combining learning goals and community service in ways that are mutually beneficial to students and community partners. However, if not done well, service-learning can have the opposite effect of reinforcing stereotypes, perpetuating social inequalities, and placing more of a burden on communities and organizations than providing a service. Based on the author's service-learning experience with community partners on the Hopi Reservation, this article considers some of the challenges and opportunities for developing meaningful and mutually beneficial service-learning projects with American Indian tribal partners.

Ethnographic Service Learning: An Approach for Transformational Learning

Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie A. Medeiros ◽  
Jennifer Guzmán
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Transformational Learning ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
The Social ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Transformational Experiences ◽  
Learning Projects

Trends in higher education pedagogy increasingly point to the importance of transformational experiences as the capstone of liberal arts education. Practitioners of ethnography, the quintessential transformational experience of the social sciences, are well-positioned to take the lead in designing courses and term projects that afford undergraduate students opportunities to fundamentally reshape their understanding of the social world and their own involvement within it. Furthermore, in the United States, colleges and universities have become proponents of service learning as a critical component of a holistic educational experience. In this article, we describe how service learning can be incorporated into training students in ethnographic field methods as a means to transformational learning and to give them skills they can use beyond the classroom in a longer trajectory of civic participation. We discuss strategies, opportunities, and challenges associated with incorporating service learning into courses and programs training students in ethnographic field methods and propose five key components for successful ethnographic service learning projects. We share student insights about the transformational value of their experiences as well as introduce some ethical concerns that arise in ethnographic service-learning projects.

scholarly journals Community Service-Learning: Why Can’t Canada Be More Like Mexico?

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-59
Author(s):  
Victoria Calvert ◽  
Halia Valladares Montemayor
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
National Level ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Volunteer Programs ◽  
The Government

  In Mexico, the community service strategy and requirements for undergraduate students are both longstanding and mandated by the Mexican Constitution. Students undertake a minimum of 480 hours of service during their undergraduate degrees, which are coordinated through their universities’ Social Service (SS) departments. Many Canadian universities and colleges offer community service through courses and volunteer programs; however, the practice and adoption levels vary widely. Student involvement with community partners, as represented through community service-learning (CSL) and volunteerism in Canada, are sponsored by many post-secondary institutions but are not driven by a national agenda. While, in Mexico, community service is documented at a departmental and institutional level for reporting to stakeholders and the government, in Canada, documentation of community service varies with the institutional mandate and is often sporadic or non-existent; the imperative for systematic student engagement and citizenship development has not been recognized at the national level. This research paper provides an overview of the community engagement practices in both countries, with the national patterns represented through a summative review of selected Canadian and Mexican universities. Suggestions for processes and practices for Canada are proposed based upon the Mexican model.

scholarly journals Ujamaa and Universal Design: Developing Sustainable Tactile Curricular Materials in Rural Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-136
Author(s):  
Alisha M. B. Braun ◽  
Betty Okwako-Riekkola
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
International Development ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Curricular Materials

Purpose: This article illustrates the power of collaboration in the spirit of Ujamaa to build curricular materials that can engage and support the learning of a diverse group of students in under-resourced environments. The authors reflect on their personal experience overseeing collaborative service learning projects with Tanzanian partners through a study abroad programme.Method: The service learning project took place in a rural primary school in northern Tanzania, characterised by large class sizes and the unavailability of teaching and learning materials.Tactile curricular materials were collaboratively developed by Tanzanian student teachers, practising teachers, and American undergraduate students. Locally available and recyclable materials were used, such as plastic water bottles, tubing, plastic bags and cardboard boxes.Results: Examples of curricular materials that were developed are presented, and lessons learned through the experience are shared.Conclusion: The use of locally available, recyclable materials enhanced sustainability. Having sustainable curricular materials that are accessible to a diverse range of students in under-resourced educational settings has the potential to foster learning for all. The underlying cultural concept of interconnectedness or Ujamaa strengthened the collaborative relationship between participating teachers and students, and can be drawn upon to enhance future service learning and international development efforts in education.

scholarly journals Improvement of laboratory skills of Chemical and Civil Engineering students using an interdisciplinary service-learning project for water quality and supply assessment in low-income homes

2019 ◽  
Vol 366 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Natalia Piol ◽  
Andrea Saralegui ◽  
Gabriela Orero ◽  
Susana Boeykens ◽  
Silvana Basack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Buenos Aires ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Social Concerns ◽  
National University ◽  
Service Learning Projects

ABSTRACT The University of Buenos Aires (UBA) develops the UBANEX program, focused on service-learning projects for students involving social, environmental and public health concerns. One of the proposals was a collaborative project between UBA and the National University of General Sarmiento. Based on the hypothesis that students’ voluntary involvement in social concerns improves their attitudes towards themselves and learning, the aim was to focus on the development of social and professional skills by implementing an interdisciplinary work for water quality and supply assessment in low-income homes from a southern district of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. Eighteen volunteers—Chemical and Civil Engineering students—were recruited during August–December 2016. Tasks were distributed according to their interests: survey making, sampling, lab analysis, infrastructure checking, etc. Volunteers were surveyed in social involvement, lab skills, data compilation and analysis, leading to a final report with recommendations for a proper water use. The survey results compiled their feedback: 72% admitted an update on water quality problems, 60% learned new lab techniques and were able to analyze results, 89% supported the University’s involvement in social concerns and 56% expanded their opinion about the professional field. The students confirmed their interest in participating in the next UBANEX project.

scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities of Community Service-Learning Perspectives from Community Partners Phaedra Hitchings, Chantelle Johnson, and Stan Tu’Inukuafe

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-281
Author(s):  
Phaedra Hitchings ◽  
Chantelle Johnson ◽  
Stan Tu’Inukuafe
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Sarah Buhler and Nancy Van Styvendale, two of the co-editors of this special issue, talk to Phaedra Hitchings, Chantelle Johnson, and Stan Tu’Inukuafe, who are three community-based educators and partners of university CSL projects in Saskatoon. The participants introduce and situate their connections to community service-learning and discuss the challenges and opportunities of community service-learning and partnering with universities from their perspectives.

scholarly journals Integrating Service Learning Projects into Civil Engineering Courses

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqi (Jackie) Zhang ◽  
Nathan Gartner ◽  
Oguz Gunes ◽  
John M. Ting
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Traffic Signal Control ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Heritage Foundation ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Course Objectives ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
The City ◽  
Learning Projects

Three service-learning projects of various content, workload, and community partnering were identified and implemented in two core and one elective undergraduate courses in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2005. This paper presents how these service learning projects were seamlessly integrated into existing courses without removing pertinent course materials and without a significant increase in time commitment. Details on the course contents, course structure, projects implemented, and how each project was used to address certain course objectives were presented as well. The selected projects were as follows: (1) Davidson Street Parking Lot Redesign for the City of Lowell; (2) Intersection Analysis – Traffic Signal Control for the City of Lowell; and (3) Preliminary Building Structural Evaluation for the Architectural Heritage Foundation in Lowell, MA. Over 80 undergraduate students ranging from freshmen to seniors participated in these community-based projects. Course objectives and ABET program outcomes were evaluated by a course-specific survey questionnaire. Students’ experience on the S-L project was assessed by a newly developed survey instrument. The survey demonstrated that service learning had several positive impacts on the students.

scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities in International Service Learning

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Lee ◽  
Devin R. Berg ◽  
Elizabeth Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Organization Analysis ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Engineers Without Borders

Service learning, and specifically the work of organizations such as Engineers Without Borders USA, have become popular with universities looking to provide their students with applied educational opportunities which blend technical skills with a broader social mission and help the institution demonstrate its global impact. However, questions remain regarding the truly realized outcomes for students, as well as the unintended consequences that may be experienced by the partnering communities. This paper describes early results results from a four-year, mixed-method study which collected data through a combination of interviews and focus groups with members of the Engineers Without Borders USA organization, analysis and coding of completed project documentation, and observations and notes collected during a field visit to a project site. We conclude from our early data that students who are able (given sufficient resources) to fully participate in these type of projects do see positive benefits. However, barriers may prevent all students from having this opportunity. Further, the nature of student service learning projects inherently creates challenges for the communities that partner on these projects. Ongoing revisions to the Engineers Without Borders USA operating procedures may remedy some of the deficiencies, while researchers, participants, and institutions should continue to critically evaluate the impacts and outcomes of their work.

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