Academic Partnerships: Social Determinants of Health Addressed though Service Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henny Breen ◽  
Melissa Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Associate Degree ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Community Organizations ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Academic Partnerships ◽  
Returning To School ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAim To evaluate the impact of service learning through academic partnerships Background Although there is an abundance of literature regarding service learning as a pedagogical strategy for teaching pre-licensure students, there is a gap in the literature in regarding Associate Degree nurses returning to school to earn a bachelor’s degree. Method A qualitative study which included student assignments and interviews, written feedback and focus groups with staff from community organizations was used to evaluate the Service-Learning Program. Results Five primary themes emerged from the data which included a deeper understanding of vulnerable populations, increased knowledge of challenges in access to care, improved leadership skills, improved awareness of community resources, and impact on nursing practice. Conclusion Community organizations recognized the expertise of the RN to BSN students and benefited from their work and at the same time, students recognized their expertise and leadership in ways they had not done before.

scholarly journals UTILIZING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TO INFORM COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR OLDER ADULTS: A SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S537-S538
Author(s):  
Amanda E Barnett ◽  
Sara Olinger
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Community Resources ◽  
Home Visitor ◽  
Aging Societies ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Engaging undergraduate students with aging-focused community resources is critical for preparing students to work with older adults and make positive contributions to aging societies. During the fall, 2018 semester, undergraduate students in a human development course on middle and late adulthood partnered with a county aging and disability resource center (ADRC) in Wisconsin to evaluate and update several of their existing programs and resources using empirical research. Upon completion of this project, students synthesized course material to meet all course learning objectives such as: (1) critically analyze physical, psychological, and sociological processes of aging across categories of difference (e.g. cultural, ethnic, class); (2) evaluate social policies and their multigenerational implications for midlife and older adults; and (3) construct a personal position on aging that integrates theory, research, and policy to demonstrate a sensitive and competent approach to working with midlife and older adults. Students researched, wrote reports, and presented to ADRC staff on the impact of social isolation on older adults, best practices for home visitor and transportation programs serving older adults, cognitive competency tools and best practices for utilizing memory assessments, grief supports and groups for family caregivers, and best practices for supporting veterans as they age. The outcome of these projects are research-based recommendations for any ADRC to consider when developing and implementing related programs. All stakeholders (students, professor, and ADRC staff) were satisfied with the process and outcomes of the project. Strengths and challenges of carrying out such a collaborative project will be reviewed.

scholarly journals “Into the Realm of the Politically Incorrect”: Intercultural Encounters in a Service-Learning Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christelle Palpacuer-Lee ◽  
Jessie Hutchison Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Narrative Methods ◽  
World Languages ◽  
Intercultural Encounters ◽  
Intercultural Mediators ◽  
The Impact

Now more than ever, teachers of world languages are encouraged to become intercultural mediators in their communities and classrooms. This study describes the impact of an innovative community-based teacher education program for developing participants' interculturality. Building on narrative methods of investigation, we explore the potential of community-based service-learning as a social space in which participants learn to recognize and mediate worldviews. The data come primarily from field observations and pre-service teachers’ journaled reflections. We illustrate our findings through a series of narratives that serve as a frame for locating cultural recognition and learning. 

Pacific Islanders in Higher Education: Exploring Heritage Language, Culture and Constructs within a Hybrid Service Learning Program

2016 ◽  
pp. 454-473
Author(s):  
Denise Uehara ◽  
Vidalino Raatior
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
American University ◽  
Language Identity ◽  
The Impact

This article describes how service learning experiences reflected multiple purposes within a larger framework where heritage and English languages intersect. We share results of an inquiry-based program evaluation focused on language, identity formation and experiences related to academic, social and professional interactions. Through the UH Hilo service-learning experience, students enhanced their cultural, linguistic and interpersonal skills while also providing needed services to placement organizations. Pacific Islander heritage language speakers attending an American university provide a critical lens into the complexities of language, culture, and identity when navigating higher education in a “foreign” setting. The concept of “other” applied to the increasing numbers of ESL speakers across the nation serves as a reminder for institutions of higher education to offer students helpful and supportive spaces. We share the benefits of a paid internship for both employer and intern; the challenges of heritage language influences in an English language setting; and the impact of service learning.

scholarly journals COMBINING VETERANS AND TEACHERS IN A UNIQUE SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

2014 ◽  
pp. 381-405
Author(s):  
Mahender Mandala ◽  
Mary Goldberg ◽  
Jonathan Pearlman
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Inquiry Based Learning ◽  
Math Teachers ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Two Populations

This paper describes the design-based service learning model utilized to provide an engaging STEM experience to local K-12 science and math teachers and U.S. military veterans returning from service and transitioning to secondary education. A critical factor that can contribute to increased student outcomes from a service-learning program is the level of preparation a teacher has as a mediator of knowledge and an active partner. Professional development activities directed towards in-service teachers could potentially alleviate this issue. Furthermore, such activities, when combined with well-developed inquiry-based learning pedagogy, could provide for increased engagement and understanding of STEM of students. Recent evidence shows that veterans may be more likely than the general population to be interested and well suited for a career in engineering. With more than two million veterans returning from service in the near future, the shortage in undergraduate engineering enrollment could be assuaged. The REVT format at Pitt has the potential to provide veterans with the support to experience STEM without the fear of failure, while allowing teachers to benefit from the field experience and leadership skills of veterans in the program. The juxtaposition of these two populations allows for co-mentoring opportunities, with each group benefiting from contrasting experiences.

scholarly journals Service learning as community development? Local resident perspectives of community-engaged educational travel

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel B. Habashy ◽  
Carter A. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Educational Service ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Local Resident ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
The Impact

There is strong body of literature exploring community member and resident perspectiveson tourism that has emerged from numerous locations across the globe. Yet, virtuallynone of this writing explores the role of repeat community-engaged service learning withlocal communities. What theory does exist on the topic indicates that increased rates ofcommunity member participation yield more positive viewpoints on community-programpartnerships. Engagement in this form of tourism development in communities may havean influence on participation in the community institutions that have the most ability toinfluence local development outcomes. This qualitative, ethnographic study fills this gapin the literature by analyzing community members’ emic perspectives of a recurringeducational service learning program to a lesser-developed region of Costa Rica.Surprisingly, community residents do not view educational service learning as a form oftourism, though they do see it as valuable for setting the stage for desired tourismdevelopment in the future. Findings also indicate community members’ involvement inkey institutions makes it more likely that they perceive the impact of students’ in thecommunity positively. As the first paper to analyze educational service-learning travelfrom a community development and resident perspective, this work will provide avaluable theoretical contribution relevant to those engaged in this form of travel acrossthe Global South.

scholarly journals The Development of Student's Understanding of Self, Inequality, and Service during a Critical International Service Learning Program in the Dominican Republict

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 110-113
Author(s):  
Jeremy Gombin-Sperling
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Intergroup Dialogue ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Critical Studies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Since January 2018, my colleague and I have co-led a two-week, three-credit critical international service learning course to Santiago de Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Our course is designed to question and complicate students’ relationship to service through the use of intergroup dialogue pedagogy and theory. Intergroup dialogue (IGD) encourages students to understand one another across their social identities (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, ability, nationality, ability, etc.) by engaging in conversations around social issues and power that allow us to unpack our relationship to systems of oppression and inequality (Zúñiga 2003). My proposed research is focused on the 2020 iteration of this program and will look more closely at the impact on student learning to see how, if it all, students' ideas around identity, the nature of inequality, and the purpose of service shift throughout their experience abroad. Through analysis of student reflection journals and multiple interviews with participants, I hope to gain insight into this question. This research will add to the growing field of critical studies of international service learning by assessing whether or not our program and its pedagogy is able to undo oppressive ideologies and/or strengthen existing ideologies built on collective solidarity that our students carry regarding identity, inequality and service.

scholarly journals Stepping out of the shadows: Allied health student and academic perceptions of the impact of a service-learning experience on student's work-readiness and employability.

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra Jones ◽  
Lindy McAllister ◽  
David Lyle
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Allied Health ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Work Readiness ◽  
Healthcare Outcomes ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Academic Perceptions ◽  
The Impact

Universities, health services and health students have a vested interest in the development of work-ready graduates to improve employment prospects, standards of practice and healthcare outcomes. Work integrated learning supports the transition of theoretical knowledge into professional practice, thus preparing students for their work following graduation. The positive impact of practice experiences on work-readiness and employability is largely assumed. This paper describes the impact of participation in a rural Australian service-learning program on student and academic perceptions of work-readiness and future employability. Qualitative data was gathered from allied health students who participated in inter-professional focus groups and allied health academics who participated in individual interviews. The findings indicate that students were challenged in transitioning from being observational or highly directed learners, described as [being in the] 'shadows' or 'shadowing', to semi-autonomous healthcare providers. Participants reported enhanced perceptions of future employability through 'real work' experiences and identified broader program implications for universities and students. Based on participant experiences, service-learning, a relatively new educational pedagogy in rural health education in Australia, may provide universities, health services, and students with an alternative to acute hospital placements in the development of work-ready attributes for new graduate allied health practitioners.

scholarly journals Cultural Immersion: A Trigger for Transformative Learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Oghenebruphiyo Gloria Onosu
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Cultural Immersion ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Immersion Experience ◽  
Global Service Learning ◽  
Study Abroad Program ◽  
The Impact

This study examines the cultural immersion experience of 26 students who participated in either a study abroad program (SAP) or global service learning program (GSL). Specifically, the study investigates the transformative learning before, during, and after cultural immersion and the impact it had on participants’ attitudes toward diverse others. The findings indicate that attitude change during and after the cultural immersion experience is a multi-dimensional and unique process that differs for individuals. Additionally, the results suggest that during cultural immersion, certain program factors and personal factors are essential for transformative learning to occur. These factors include intentionality in pre-immersion preparation, the intensity of cultural immersion, and willingness to engage in reflection during post-immersion.

The Impact of Community Service Learning on the Social Skills of Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Azmina Afzal ◽  
Nasreen Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

<p><em>Nowadays many high schools and universities are promoting community service-learning program by making it a part of the admission process; therefore, students participate in community service learning program to get admission in an institution of their choice. However, after completing the community service program, they see themselves as more socially responsible citizens. This qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of community service learning on the social skills of students. The study employed a qualitative method by randomly selecting twenty-five students for the focused group interviews from five different O- level schools situated in middle socio-economic locality. The results revealed that a community service-learning program has a positive impact on the social skills of O-level students.  Besides, students had also a positive learning experience. Findings of the study indicated that </em><em>the awareness to encourage community service in schools is grounded on the acceptance that it does not only give students extra credit points but serving others or one’s community also makes them better citizens. Based</em><em> on the advantages and positive experiences of students, the study recommends to include a more inclusive model of service-learning to a school curriculum.  </em></p>

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