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
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
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