Service-Learning in Science and Technology : Project Design for Service to the Community Jan Shoemaker, Academic Coordinator of Service-Learning [email protected]

Service-Learning in Science and Technology :

Project Design for Service to the CommunityJan Shoemaker,Academic Coordinator of Service-Learning [email protected]

© LSU Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership

Questions for Discussion1. Do scientists have responsibilities to their

communities? If so, what are they?2. Why do so few students think of those

responsibilities?3. Under what circumstances could service to the

community actually be a disservice?4. What does dissemination of knowledge mean?5. Why are so few science grads choosing to work

in research Universities?


Service-Learning Definition A credit bearing educational experience… in which students participate in an

organized service activity… that meets identified community needs… and reflect on course content… with a broader appreciation of of the

discipline… and an enhanced sense of civic

responsibility.-Bringle and Hatcher 96


Service-Learning Examples ISDS student teams design, code,

test, document, and implement a software development project for a non-profit agency.


Architecture students work with MidCity Redevelopment Alliance and Sweet Olive Cemetery, Inc. to assist community members in developing a strategic vision and then prepare a preliminary development plan and a web site for community organizations to facilitate community development and communication.


ELRC students develop computer-based instructional materials for Scotlandville Elementary teachers.


Veterinary Clinical Sciences students contact practicing veterinarians and ask if there is a problem they have encountered with a surgical case or procedure that they need help with. The student presents the problem to his/her mentor, researches the problem, and writes a solution with appropriate references, after presenting and discussing the solution with mentor and classmates.


Interior design, English, and landscape architecture students work for Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center to design floor plans for exhibit layout, demonstration garden with native plants, interpretive text and graphics for trail stations, interaactive nature exhibits, and scripts for audiotapes


Oceanography students collaborate with Baton Rouge Zoo and Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center in planning, instruction, stocking, maintenance, and focus-group testing of living educational displays and associated educational tools of living fish habitats.


Civil engineering students coach area high school students for a pasta bridge competition, then run and judge the competition.


Microbiology students work with elementary students to design and construct environmentally complementary playgrounds and butterfly gardens. They also design and construct animal environments for Mike the Tiger and the Southern mascot.


Civil engineering students work with civic organizations to develop solutions to traffic flow problems that have contributed to deterioration of a community. The solutions are presented at public meetings and recommendations are made to traffic planners.


Civil engineering students provide assessment of earthquake vulnerability, assistance in upgrading building codes, education and research, and economic retrofit prioritization to local governmental agencies. They also help to disseminate information such as changes in codes.


Biology students develop and provide in-service workshops in human genetics for pre-college biology teachers.


Chemistry students take paint samples in a neighborhood and then test them in the lab to determine the prevalence of lead metal in house paint. Information is provided to health authorities as well as to homeowners.


Mechanical engineering students work with public schools to provide resources to support hands-on learning of sciences. Examples: tools and activity packets to investigate and demonstrate wind energy, and the impacts of wind on the energy consumption of air travel.


Student Learning Outcomes Academic: discipline specific and/or

general education Career Civic Personal Ethical Social


Principles of Good Practice

Adapted from Jeffrey Howard. PRAXIS I: A Faculty Casebook on community Service-Learning

Assigns academic credit for quality of learning, not quantity of service

Maintains academic rigor Sets goals for synthesizing theory and

practice Establishes criteria for selection of

service sites


Plans educationally sound reflection assignments.

Teaches skills for gleaning learning from experience

Redirects faculty role, from dissemination of information to facilitating learning

Allows more variation in student outcomes Cultivates corporate learning, commitment

to community, and civic responsibility


A Question of Rigor Definition is Important (Palmer

Parker 1998)Rigor arises from a willingness to

disagree, to engage in honest questioning, to challenge current thought, and in acknowledgement of what one does not know


CAEL RecommendationsExperiential education programs which abide by these standards can be confident of the quality oftheir assessment practices. The Principles includeover 100 statements and commentary on each. They include the following:

1.Students should be required to differentiate clearly between learning andexperience. College credit is not appropriate for an experience alone.


2

Prior to the experience itself, students should develop a learning plan that

specifies the principle tasks to be performed, learning objectives, how learning objectives will be pursued, and the evidence required to document the learning.


3

There should be formative evaluation oflearning. Students should be encouraged to negotiate new learning objectives if theirexperiences so indicate.


4

Care should be taken to discriminate whether particular documentation describes learning, or provides evidence of learning.


5

Assessment itself should be a useful learning experience.


Group Discussion

In your groups, brainstorm at least three potential projects that might serve the community and connect with research interests of group members.Begin by choosing someone to facilitate, then someone to present your list to the larger group.

Documents

Service-Learning in Science and Technology : Project Design for Service to the Community Jan Shoemaker, Academic Coordinator of Service-Learning [email protected]