Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education

Complete Issue

David Yarbrough — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Best Practices of Online Teaching in Service-Learning

Anne Branscum — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

As the world is evolving, higher education is too. This includes online service-learning which in the past has been predominantly delivered in formats off-line or hybrid. This article describes some best practices to make the online service-learning experience beneficial for all who are involved and accessible to more students, including students who previously did not have access to service-learning courses due to the nature of the delivery and/or format of the course. Best practices to overcome some of the limitations that online courses present include high levels of instructor/facilitator involvement, creative collaborations, communication, and using different course material delivery methods. Although teaching online takes time, training, and practice, it is an investment to larger gains in student access and to keep up with trends and demands in the real world.

Using Service Learning in an Online Course on Grant Writing for Doctoral Students of Public Health

Yelena Tarasenko, Maria Olivas, Urkovia Andrews, Kara Holland — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Service-learning is a critical component of public health education, especially students of Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), designed for public health professionals. As an evidence-based approach to impactful teaching improving students’ learning outcomes, service-learning enables future public health practitioners to engage in the learning and reflective practices developing skills needed to be leaders of social change within their communities. E-service learning has been gaining popularity among faculty and students. This study describes a grant writing course for DrPH students of various concentrations delivered online. We draw attention to the growing need to incorporate service-learning into the public health curriculum to promote social change, address local health disparities, improve students’ learning experiences and outcomes, and stay relevant with the educational landscape.

“eService-Learning is not just a class – it is a calling.” (Strait & Nordyke, Eds., 2015, p. 2)

Cross-Institutional Service-Learning in Orthopedics Curriculum in Traditional Chinese Medicine Education: APRS Service-Learning Model

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

This article discusses how a new APRS service-learning model was implemented in a new service-learning project in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) orthopedics curriculums at three Hong Kong institutions. The APRS model adopting flipped learning approach consists of four cyclic stages, including Application, Practice, Reflection and Self-regulated learning. Qualitative and quantitative findings in this study reveal that TCM students gained confidence in applying discipline knowledge/skills and improved in various areas, including cross-cultural competence, communication, problem-solving and collaboration. Drawing evidence from this study, possible factors contributing to positive impacts on student learning in the APRS model are the strong connectivity (including clear alignment with programme, profession, institutional missions and traditional Chinese philosophy xiushen), reinforced motivation (student autonomy and buy in) and structured organisation (strong network among participating parties and use of a centralised electronic platform). The APRS service-learning model is a culture-based approach helping students reconnect Confucian xiushen to the discipline knowledge and the real-life application in the Hong Kong context. This model may also be applicable to other Asian contexts where the Confucian culture prevails.

Anatomical Outreach is Within Reach: Contemporary and Diverse Approaches

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Community outreach and service-learning are common components of medical and health profession programs. Outreach programs can provide diverse service-learning opportunities for students to work collaboratively with their communities. Many educational accrediting bodies require service-learning activities for students. The discipline of anatomy is uniquely suited for outreach as it engages students with the community and provides relevant, health-related educational materials and information. Anatomy is often a general interest to many and can aid in the promotion of students pursuing health professions careers. The objective of this work is to describe three unique anatomical outreach programs that integrate components of community service, service-learning, and/or pathway program initiatives in innovative ways. These programs are presented to inspire and/or be adapted in other medical or health professions programs. Variety in these programs range from duration, target audience age, resource and financial requirements, and necessary collaborations. The authors provide tips for success and potential pitfalls to consider. These three examples serve as successful, contemporary, and diverse approaches to anatomical outreach that can be implemented into medical or health professions education programs.

Keywords: outreach; service-learning; pathway program; community

Physical Therapy Student Learning Perspectives in a Volunteer Interprofessional Interuniversity Service-Learning Opportunity

Roberto Cantu, Tamara Buck, Stacey J Hoffman — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Interdisciplinary service-learning (IDSL) has become a staple of healthcare education over the last two decades as a mechanism of training students to provide cohesive, team-based health care in a complicated and sometimes fragmented health care system. This case study describes the perceived learning of doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students from Brenau University who attended a week-long interdisciplinary, interuniversity service-learning trip in rural Georgia. Qualitative data from two consecutive year teams (n = 26) were collected via surveys and focus groups and thematically analyzed for motivation to attend the trip and perceived learning. Intrinsic motivation to “give back” and desire to hone professional skills were the primary drivers for desiring to attend the trip. Three themes of perceived learning that emerged were 1) impact on core values, 2) perceived improvement in para-clinical (soft) skills including interdisciplinary fluency and cultural competence, and 3) improvement of clinical (hard) skills. The dominant theme was the impact the trip had on students’ core values. The learning occurred predominantly in Bloom’s affective domain and aligned with the physical therapy profession’s Core Values and Code of Ethics documents.

Key Words: service-learning, interprofessional learning, healthcare collaboration, Bloom’s taxonomy

Service Learnings Effectiveness at Improving Doctor of Physical Therapy Graduate Students’ Professional Skills

Stephen Wayne Elam — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Service-learning in graduate education is commonly utilized but has limited studies on its effectiveness. Can service-learning be implemented in graduate education in a way that enhances the experience for the students? Most service-learning research has focused on service-learning at an undergraduate level in nursing, social work, public health, and occupational health (Lu & Lambright, 2010). This study replicates Lu and Lambright’s study with Doctor of Physical Therapy program students to expand research on the impact of service-learning experiences on professional skills in graduate students. Our findings suggest how integrated the project was into the curriculum and how much influence students have over how their project progressed was significant and positively associated with improved professional skills.

Unveiling the Transformative Power of Service-Learning: Student-Led Mental Health Roundtable Discussions as Catalysts for Ongoing Civic Engagement

April N. Terry, Ziwei Qi — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

This current study measured the impact of a one-time semester-long course-based civic engagement activity on student learning and participant impact, particularly participants' willingness to engage in community dialogue and promote awareness of social justice issues within their communities. The service-learning project involved on-campus and online students from three criminal justice courses and a hybrid format event titled "Finding Common Ground: Social Justice Issues Surrounding Mental Health & Mental Illness & Disorders" at a Midwestern teaching institution.The two-hour event included roundtable discussions to promote open dialogue about mental health and mental health illness and disorders. Learning and self-impact were measured via self-constructed questions and the Civic Engagement Short Scale Plus (CES²⁺). Results indicated increased endorsement for community engagement and positive qualitative feedback on self-empowerment. The findings provide insights into the potential benefits of service-learning activities, such as mental health community roundtables, for fostering community dialogue, personal growth, and social justice activism. The insights gained from the current study can inform future planning and enhancement of civic engagement initiatives while also contributing to developing community-based education and outreach strategies.

The Impact of an International Service-Learning Experience on University Students’ Community Service Attitudes

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

In April 2023, a group of 1 administrator, 5 faculty, and 20 students from X University traveled to the Dominican Republic to participate in an interdisciplinary service-learning project lasting six days. Disciplines involved included pharmacy (2 faculty members and 9 students), physical therapy/kinesiology (1 faculty member and 5 students), social work (1 faculty member and 4 students), and political science (1 faculty member and 2 students). The home base for the group while in the Dominican Republic was X Children’s Center, a nonprofit Christian organization tasked with feeding, educating, and providing limited medical care to approximately 125 children living in the barrio of Cienfuegos. During the service-learning experience, students engaged in various service and learning activities tied to their programs of study. Students and faculty completed the Community Service Attitude Scale (CSAS) before and after the service-learning experience (Schwartz & Howard, 1977). A total of 14 students (70%) submitted both a pre- and post-trip CSAS survey. There was a significant improvement in scores for 21 out of 25 items on the CSAS. This international interdisciplinary service-learning program positively impacted students’ attitudes toward community service including awareness of global needs.

Service-Learning methodology to develop Bachelor’s Thesis in Information and Computer Science Degrees

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Service-Learning (SL) is a powerful methodology to acquire competences and values in Higher Education. However, there is still no widespread use in Information and Computer Science (ICS) degrees where most of the subjects are focused on the development of theoretical and practical contents purely related to technical competences. In this paper, we show the structure of a SL methodology to develop Bachelor’s Thesis: 1) definition of proposals considering all the competencies of the Bachelor’s Thesis subject and the entities needs; 2) development of applications using agile methodologies, and 3) assessment of the SL experience from students, entity and professor. We present an experience developed in 2020-2021 academic year with two entities devoted to disfavoured people. The results show both the high technical and professional quality of the projects and the high satisfaction of entities and students. We hope that the development of applications with the collaboration of non-profit entities allows the acquisition of both specific and transversal competencies on ICS degrees at the same time enhancing the development of useful professional ones.

Institutionalizing Service-Learning to Address Urban Campus Food Justice

Jenney Hall — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

A First-Year Seminar course was designed using high-impact practices supporting food justice at a university serving mainly urban, minority, Hispanic, and first-generation students. The course was initially taught using participatory experiential learning but without service-learning. After an urban farm was added to campus to support the institutionalization of a garden-based service-learning program, the course was redesigned to add a service-learning component. Students were required to work at the farm composting, cultivating, and harvesting food for distribution to fellow food-insecure students for a minimum of ten hours throughout the semester. Service-learning students, as opposed to participatory experiential learning students, reported overall greater satisfaction with the course and its activities, had a 3% higher grade point average and a 9% lower drop, fail, and withdrawal rate. Service-learning students expressed a connection to campus community, a sense of feeling cared for, greater awareness of food justice issues and the ability to work toward community-based solutions and grow their critical consciousness. The added service-learning component significantly improved course outcomes and provided much needed assistance in the development of a new garden-based program.

Welcome to the 18th edition

David Yarbrough — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800