bearingeducational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity thatmeets identified community needs, and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gainfurther understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and anenhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility” (p. 112). Service-learning has beenadopted into higher education curricula for many of its proven benefits, including improvedstudent civic engagement [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], critical thinking [8], and interpersonal skillslike communication skills [9], [10] and collaboration skills [11], [12], [13]. Based on this well-accepted definition, in spring of 2017, we designed and launched theHunger-Free Texas
development to come together moreregularly, to form more cross-program and cross-discipline collaborations and be increasinglyreflective of the work that we do with local and global partners. We have noticed that thisthoughtful reflection has begun to transform our mindset as we have prioritized the importanceof sustainable benefit to communities. That mindset change is exemplified in our vocabulary –the words we use to honestly describe our efforts to others or ourselves. Specifically, the wordsthat describe the attitudes we bring, the relationships we form, how we work together, theoutcomes we experience and finally, the resultant feelings of the community, have allexperienced a shift from left to right in Figure 1.When the focus of service
opportunities for the engineering and artstudents to learn to apply their discipline knowledge in real-world applications, practicecollaboration, develop mentoring skills, critically reflect upon their learning, and integrate sound,technology and visual graphics into interactive two-dimensional compositions. For the FSFclients, it is an opportunity for them to work directly with university students on the universitycampus and to engage in experiential learning by making and designing a two-dimensionalcomposition that extends the boundaries of traditional design and imagination. The initiation ofthis idea started more than two years ago and has been shaped by many discussions between theauthors and one author’s participation in the WCU Faculty Institute
emphasis. Students arerequired to (i) engage in 16 hours of community-based learning experiences and (ii) performcritical reflection and evaluation of their experiences. A primary goal of the ELSJ requirement isto foster a disciplined sensibility toward power and privilege, an understanding of the causes ofhuman suffering, and a sense of personal and civic responsibility for cultural change.The specific learning objectives of an ELSJ class are as follows:ELSJ LO1. Recognize the benefits of life-long responsible citizenship and civic engagement inpersonal and professional activities (Civic Life);ELSJ LO2. Interact appropriately, sensitively and self-critically with people in the communities inwhich they work and appreciate the formal and informal
is characterised by the use of realworld problems as a context for students to learn critical thinking skills and problem solvingskills and to acquire knowledge of the essential concepts of the course.” In fact, it has beenshown that learning to apply theoretical principles is much better done when given real problemsand hands-on activities in projects [2].Overall, PBL has been described as ‘reflecting the way people learn in real life’[11] and lendsitself as a teaching strategy that leads students to ‘learn to learn’ and encourages students todevelop critical thinking and problem solving skills that they can carry for life [12]. The goals ofPBL include fostering active learning, interpersonal and collaborative skills, open inquiry
that 15% of volunteers did so in orderto prepare for a new career or maintain specific career skills. Similarly, Gage and Thapa’s [36]study of volunteer motivations found that college students were more interested in volunteeringto further their career paths than non-student volunteers.Mentoring in STEM FieldsResearch on STEM school-based mentoring programs has focused primarily on the impact ofprogramming on participating students and teachers [37], [38], [39]. However, recent studieshave examined the role of mentors and the benefits they receive as mentors. As an example,Nelson and colleagues [11] studied how STEM undergraduate mentors reflected on theirexperiences working with K-8 low-SES youth. These undergraduates noted that the
programs, especially as they are scaled, is critical to demonstrating impact to help makethe case to faculty and administrators on the benefits and potential in engineering. Data can takemany forms including evaluations of student products, interviews and observations and feedbackfrom alumni reflecting back on their experience after graduation. Self-reported studentevaluation and reflections on learning are other forms of data captured in many classrooms.This paper examines student evaluation and self-reported learning over 23 years as onecommunity-engagement program has grown significantly. Where there are clearly limits to theself-reported data, it does offer an insight into the student experience. The paper analyzes thestudent evaluation data
your own business. The next set of 47 questions asked students to show their level ofagreement (on a 7-point Likert scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”) withstatements that measure three realms and eight dimensions (see Table 2 below for an explanationof each).Finally, students were asked about their experiences with volunteering and a set of demographicquestions (gender, engineering major, year in school, GPA, race or ethnicity, previous engineeringwork experience, first-generation status, religion, and age). The post-test additionally askedstudents to reflect on their experiences in the course and if they would be willing to do afollow-up interview. Table 2: EPRA Realms and Dimensions Realm
students.The EA Program consists of a four phased model: (i) application process; (ii) preparation fallsemester 2-unit ENGR 98A Global Engineering course building team spirit, studyingGuatemala’s culture, politics and economy; learning about travel and worksite health; andconducting preliminary design for the abroad project; (iii) two-week engineering service-learning1-unit ENGR 98B Engineering abroad course in Guatemala during the winter session workingalongside community members in designing and building community-directed projects; (iv)reflection spring semester weekly meetings delivering presentations and papers on theexperience to the Cabrillo College community, local engineering organizations, and at ASEE andSociety of Professional Engineers
met an engineer, and - communication skills are crucial to practicing engineering.For the past several years, all first-year students majoring in civil and mechanical engineering,approximately 90 students per year, have been required to participate in these afterschoolprograms as “Engineer for a Day.” One engineering major from the class accompanies severalstudents from other majors to an after-school program to assist running a STEM activity. Theimportance of communication in engineering, and of practicing the communication of complexengineering topics to a general audience, is emphasized throughout the course. The engineeringstudents complete a reflection upon return to campus, discuss the experience in class, and use theskills
modules, one of which is on DIY Solutions. Other topics includebioconstruction, rain water harvesting, and off-grid electricity, and reflections using ideas fromthe Philosophy of Technology.As of the writing of this article, three 3-hour class periods have been devoted toward training thestudents on the materials and techniques necessary to build the basic DIY solutions and also onhow to deliver workshops “train-the-trainers” [12]. This includes training to lead brainstormingactivities, conduct mental health exercises, perform surveys, and promote balanced gender rolesand language. The students are divided into four groups of six, and each group has theresponsibility to identify a community that it interested in the activity and organize a
individuals should spend time bettering their community. So, when the opportunity presented itself to assist youth, I could not refuse. However, before diving in, I reflected on my availability and the perceived requirements this project would entail. As important as this project is, it deserves a fair bit of time, energy, and attention. The fact that I am a part of this paper, reveals my decision. This begs the question: If I were to go back, would I still agree to take on this project? The answer to that question is yes. However, there are things I wish I would have known before starting the project, some of which are specific to this project, and others that have been learning lessons I can take onto