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The Service-Learning Initiative awarded three grants to support development of service-learning courses and two grants for enhancement of existing courses. The criteria for selection of these projects were:

• A focus on community goals
• Project design created collaboratively by interdisciplinary university/community teams
• Development of partnership for sustained community-based activity

1. The Computer in the Visual Arts: Service-Learning Section

Karen Hutzel, Assistant Professor, Department of Art Education, College of the Arts; Partner: Catherine Girves, Director, University Area Enrichment Association

Course: Art Education 252S

Undergraduate students enrolled in the service-learning version of the course Computer in the Visual Arts partnered with girls in creating collaborative art. The course connects the college students with the local Weinland Park community through a partnership with Gidget Technology for Girls program. To date, more than 40 undergraduates and 20 girls have participated in the course. The students and children selected the theme, bridging the gap, to represent their collaborative art piece based on asset-based mapping and photography of the neighborhood and the campus. The art piece currently hangs at the entrance to a neighborhood church. The syllabus has served as a model for the potential of service-learning to contribute to youth development, using young people’s interest in computers and artmaking toward developing empathy and understanding.
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2. Elements of Cartography: Serving the Community with Cartography

Ola Ahlqvist, Assistant Professor, and Tim Hawthorne, Graduate Teaching Associate, Geography, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Partner: African American and African Studies Community Extension Center

Course: Geography 580S

Students in Geography 580S learned cartography and map design elements, including the use of GIS software for basic cartographic purposes and applied the basics of cartography and map design to a real-world project for a severely underserved lower socioeconomic community. The students designed maps that illustrate access to services and identify historic points of pride for near eastside Columbus residents. They worked closely with representatives from the African American and African Studies Community Extension Center (CEC) and their partnering organizations. The maps were designed as brochures or posters that can be easily distributed. The student teams presented the maps to more than 80 people at the Community Extension Center, generating much interest and discussion. Community members identified ways to use the maps, remembered the past with pride and nostalgia, and offered valuable feedback to improve the final versions. Geography 580S is the first service-learning course to be offered in the Department of Geography, and it showed students a real-world application of cartography.  The maps were distributed in the neighborhood and are available on a website developed by the Department of Geography and the CEC: http://www.geography.osu.edu/maps2serve/. The collaboration also planted a seed for future partnerships across the university and with the community. The students were invited to present their posters to Columbus City Council.

Lantern story > onCampus story > WOSU radio interview >

3. Teaching Adult Learners

David Stein, Associate Professor, Workforce Development & Education, College of Education and Human Ecology; Partners: Rachael Turner, Advance One, Reach 1

Course: EDU PAES 649S

PAES 649 was converted from a regular classroom-based experience to a service-learning course that was first implemented during fall quarter 2008. Rather than practicing the skills of teaching adults in the sterile setting of a classroom, the class was redesigned to take advantage of the Ohio State University Medical Center’s need to have tutors for employees with low levels of literacy. The partner is a combination of two GED preparation programs: Advance One, which resides within the Ohio State University Medical Center, and Reach 1, which resides in Human Resources at the Ohio State University. These programs serve university employees and other persons who live in the community surrounding the university.

The academic team and the partner worked together to formulate the idea, the proposal, and the implementation of the service-learning component of PAES 649. During fall quarter, 27 graduate and undergraduate students tutored medical center employees in math and writing skills. Some adult learners were working toward their GED and others were working to improve their numeracy and writing skills. Rachel Turner recruited adult learners for the winter quarter 2009 so that PAES 649 students could continue to help OSU Medical Center employees reach their educational goals. Six students from the fall quarter 2008 experience agreed to serve as tutors for another quarter.

Students indicated that the service-learning experience provided knowledge that could not be obtained in a classroom setting. They now have an appreciation of the work of an adult tutor and have identified the characteristics that go beyond the tools and content of teaching.

“Letting the learner decide what they were going to do and adapting my lesson around their progress made my job tougher but the learner felt that they were getting what they needed out of the experience. As a result of this experience I believe that there is a need to be flexible and to find effective ways to deliver content that meets the needs of adult learners.”

The students also learned how they felt as teachers. They students experienced caring, concern, life situations, and insight about their own learning.

“When I finally learned to shut my mouth, ask open-ended questions, wait for responses, and listen to the learner, things went so much better. Not just for the learner, but also for myself. It also allowed me to see where the learner was, what they grasped, and go from there. I now know from my experience and readings how important it is to build a relationship with the learner, to be a good listener, try not to make judgments before assessment and to be flexible.”

“I learned to be more patient, to listen more and to let the learner do some learning all on her own. I still don’t know who did the most learning, my adult learner or me. I have not been able to achieve this depth of insight from traditional classroom instruction.

By serving as tutors to adult learners, students felt and observed the concepts of adult education come to life.

 

1. Comparative Studies Newark Campus

Katherine Borland, Associate Professor, OSU Newark; Partner: Monimbó Indigenous Movement, Nicaragua

Courses: CS694 and CS698.02

This is a two-course series designed to test theory (classroom instruction) against practice (international study tour). The first course, CS694, is Development Theory. The second, CS698.02 is the Nicaragua Service-Learning Experience. Five Newark and five Columbus campus undergraduates and graduate students assisted the Monimbó Indigenous Movement (MIM) in building the first of four cabins that will serve to house future volunteers and visitors to Masaya, Nicaragua. They also visited hammock makers, pottery makers, an organic farm cooperative, and several primary schools to learn about how Nicaraguans are organizing themselves to overcome economic and social challenges. They organized a puppetmaking workshop with young children, participated in a friendly game of soccer with the girls’ middle school team in the nearby Camilo Ortega neighborhood, and took a folk dance class from expert Monimbó dancers. Students experienced the living conditions of Masayans and were particularly struck by the lack of a reliable water supply. The water tank installed with funds from the grant provided only a partial solution to the water shortage at MIM headquarters, as a break in the main pipe supplying the city left close to 100,000 citizens and the Ohio State volunteers without water for 4 days during the project.

The December service expedition marks the fourth in 8 years to Masaya. MIM President, Sergio Luna, emphasized how significant the sense of equality and mutual respect between cooperative members and OSU volunteers has been at the inaugural celebration of the MIM Cabin. Students are eager to expand their service beyond the confines of a 10-day trip. Two students will be returning to Nicaragua this summer to conduct independent research, improve the Spanish language capacity, and learn about culture and education from their Nicaraguan counterparts. A faculty delegation travels to Masaya in March to explore possible partnerships with the city’s public schools. They will be residing in the visitors’ cabin at MIM. This project is part of an ongoing engagement between MIM and the Ohio State University team over a series of years.

2. Business Honors Seminar

Nancy Lahmers, Senior Lecturer, Department of Finance, Fisher College of Business; Partner: Junior Achievement of Central Ohio

Course: BUS H502

The purpose of the Honors Seminar is to enhance business learning through presentations, team building, leadership, and community service. Students in the Undergraduate Honors Cohort volunteer with Junior Achievement of Central Ohio, working closely with an elementary school in the community to teach the principles of Junior Achievement (JA) in grades 2-5.

The shelves of a nearly empty elementary school library were filled in December 2008 by students in the Honors Cohort Program at the Fisher College of Business. These students travelled to Nassau, Bahamas on an international service-learning trip to teach the economic principles of Junior Achievement (JA) at Sadie Curtis Primary School in the third year of this partnership. The Honors Cohort students had collected over 1,000 children’s books for the school, giving young students access to high-quality reading materials. During a previous service-learning trip, it was noted that there were fewer than 100 books in the entire school library for a student body of more than 1,100. The honors students developed a plan to collect and deliver the books, and the grant helped pay transportation costs. The grant also provided funding for these Honors Cohort students to teach JA in the Columbus City Schools during spring quarter 2008. With gasoline prices peaking at nearly $4 per gallon, gasoline cards were purchased to assist the students with their expenses in driving to Innis Elementary School for five weekly visits. There they taught Junior Achievement to 300 students in grades 2- 5. This year’s Honors Cohort has been invited to return to Innis to continue sharing the concepts of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and free enterprise.

3. Service-Learning Global Health

Dale C. Deubler, Lecturer, School of Allied Medical Professions, College of Medicine

Course: ALLI MED 760S

The service-learning grant enabled the instructor to participate with College of Education and Human Ecology faculty in a service- learning course that included an international experience at Montana de Luz (MdL) in Honduras. Her participation led to improvements in the School of Allied Medical Professions (SAMP) international service-learning course in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. These changes include the ability to add interdisciplinary faculty selectively. For the first time, SAMP 760S will have faculty from two SAMP disciplines in 2009. Other SAMP international service course improvements based on the MdL experience include an expansion of student orientation about the work to be done in-country, the addition of course assignments due prior to departure, and improved orientation to the use of reflective journals. The instructor’s participation at MdL also contributed to the establishment of relationships that are continuing to make improvements in the lives of people with lifelong disabilities in Honduras. Although expansion of SAMP 760S to include Honduras/MdL was determined not feasible at this time, the provision of splinting material that is necessary in rehabilitation is a sustainable outcome. A network is being established through involvement of physical therapists working in the central Ohio area to meet the ongoing need for splinting material. The material is delivered to a rehabilitation center in Honduras though the work of MdL where therapists and Honduran physical therapy faculty customize it to meet patient needs. High-quality splinting material is not readily available in Honduras and this significant need is partially met through relationships established during participation in this service-learning course.

The Service-Learning Initiative awarded three grants to support development of service-learning courses and three grants for enhancement of existing courses.

1. An Afterschool Service-Learning Project to Address Childhood Obesity

Gail Kaye, Program Director, Department of Human Nutrition, College of Education and Human Ecology; Partner: YMCA of Central Ohio

Course: Human Nutrition 704

Students enrolled in HN 704 Community Nutrition learned how data about childhood obesity in Franklin County were used to develop “Food Fit,” a behavior change nutrition curriculum for elementary school children at risk for childhood obesity. They participated in mentoring training (FirstLink) and were trained to deliver six Food Fit lessons at four YMCA after-school sites. Expected student outcomes include improved academic and communication skills, appreciation of the value of civic participation, and better preparedness for participation in a diversified work force. Children who participated in Food Fit acquired nutrition skills designed to decrease their risk for childhood obesity. Read more (PDF, 261KB)

2. Building Concepts—and a House—with Cultural Universals in the Post-Katrina South

Thomas O’Brien, Associate Professor, School of Teaching and Learning, OSU Mansfield; Partners: Hattiesburg-Area Habitat for Humanity; University of Southern Mississippi

Course: Education T&L 884.08

This community-based project, a collaboration with Hattiesburg’s Habitat for Humanity, addressed a community goal by providing key labor to help a low-income family construct and move into a shelter. The goal of this project was to give students enrolled in a graduate education course (1) an intensive, community-based experience in home-building and (2) theoretical knowledge of the cultural universal (CU) of shelter and other cultural universals so that they can use them to teach young children effectively. The project also aimed to give them an intensive experience in a community so that they may use that experience as a platform on which to create community service learning experiences for young children they will later teach. For 2 weeks each year during the summers of 2007, 2008, and 2009, students will participate in the construction of a house in the Hattiesburg area. As part of the course, students attend traditional classes and explore the theoretical underpinnings and applications of teaching and learning the social studies through cultural universals. Read more (PDF, 258KB)

3. Service-Learning through Collaborative Art in Weinland Park

Karen Hutzel, Assistant Professor, Department of Art Education; Partner: Catherine Girves, Director, University Area Enrichment Association

Course: Art Education 693D

The purpose of this project was to connect college students in art education with youth in the Weinland Park area to create collaborative art about the community’s assets. Students in the online master’s degree program for practicing art teachers were paired with neighborhood youth through a partnership with the University Area Enrichment Association. The project effectively combined art education, service-learning, and asset-based community development. The community received a lasting gift in the form of artwork that will serve as a symbol of the university’s commitment. Read more—and see the artwork (PDF, 456KB)

1. Improving Access to Health Care

Randi Love, Clinical Associate Professor, College of Public Health; Alexis Downing, Auxiliary Clinical Faculty, College of Nursing

A major initiative of Columbus Public Health is to improve access to health services in Health Professional Shortage Areas in the city. Students enrolled in Nursing 511: Community Care of Vulnerable Populations will conduct an environmental scan (“windshield survey”) and an assessment of health care availability for zip codes 43223, 43204, and 43228 located on the west side of Columbus. Students enrolled in Public Health 850: Public Health in Action will conduct focus groups with community residents and key informant interviews with residents and service providers in this area. Data will be analyzed and compiled into a final report that will assist Columbus Public Health in the community assessment process, ultimately culminating in an action plan for the identified community that will address access issues. Columbus Public Health will be better positioned to assist this community in working to increase access to healthy care, inform residents about problems in their health care system, provide the necessary groundwork for suggesting strategies that will bring accessible health care into the community, and to help the community prioritize its efforts.

2. Integrated Arts Curriculum Project

Patricia Stuhr, Professor, Department of Art Education; Christine Ballengee-Morris, Associate Professor, Department of Art Education; Partners: Jan Fedorenko, Principal, Hanby Elementary School, Westerville School District; Sharon Buda, Wyandot Elementary School, Dublin School District

This project provides a coherent, multidimensional model for school improvement by developing and implementing integrated curriculum through professional learning communities. Advanced student art educators will convey their understanding of and skills in art as an instrument of learning and engage classroom teachers in using art methods and pedagogy as they collaboratively design interdisciplinary curriculum for participating elementary schools. Running concurrently with local school partnerships is a proposed sequence of three courses (5-credit hours each) that will bring current theoretical understanding of integrated curriculum and arts into classroom practice. Through changing service learning placements throughout the academic year, this course sequence challenges students to understand multiple issues arising from different school environments, cultures, school structures, and to apply their varied skills to curricular decision making and classroom challenges affecting school reform.

3. Learning across Borders: Service in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Vicki Pitstick, Program Manager, University Honors and Scholars; Jennifer Rathbun, Senior Lecturer, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, College of Humanities; Partner: Ohio Hispanic Coalition

The Honors and Scholars Center, in cooperation with the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, will initiate an International Service-Learning course culminating in a short-term study abroad experience in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for Ohio State Honors and Scholars students. This community-based, educational program will provide students with opportunities to deepen their academic and intercultural understanding, take global civic responsibility, and enhance their ability to work with people from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Students will participate in service experiences in Columbus, Ohio that will parallel those they participate in while in Ciudad Juarez. They will become familiar with the theory behind service-learning and be able to apply it to their international experience Both the on-campus course and the abroad study experience will focus on a current social issue that not only clearly affects the United States but also our international destination. Issues related to border communities, seen from historical, geographical, socioeconomic, medical, and cultural perspectives, offer a rich context for service-learning.

The Service-Learning Initiative awarded four grants to support development of service-learning courses (up to $12,000).

1. University Connections: Mentoring at Lima Senior High School

Doug Sutton-Ramspeck, Lecturer, Writing Center Director, Ohio State Lima Instructor, English 467; Lynn Sametz, K-12 Outreach Director, Service Learning Coordinator, Ohio State Lima Instructor, Education T & L 694.50; Jeff McClellan, Principal, Multiple Intelligences, Lima Senior; Doug Kent, Principal, Progressive, Lima Senior; Judy Shisler, Principal, Performance Based, Lima Senior

Courses: Education T&L 694.5, English 467

The goal of University Connections: Mentoring at Lima Senior High School was to create mentoring connections between OSU Lima students and students at Lima Senior High School. The project sought to create sustained relationships between the college and high school students and expose both groups to life experiences different from what each has known. Students experienced diversity with respect to race, age, economic status, and size and characteristics of hometown. Academic content was connected to the service-learning experience at Lima Senior High School in two ways. As students learned about tutoring theory and composition pedagogy, they were exposed to a variety of student-centered and one-on-one approaches to the improvement of writing skills. In turn, high school students were tutored to increase their performance on standardized tests, were involved in the production of a literary journal, and participated in an OSU Lima campus day to further expose the high school students to college life. (SLI report, PDF, 437KB; Impact report, PDF, 344KB)

2. Incorporation of Nutritional Health Promotion and Oral Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Population in Downtown Columbus: An OSU Service-Learning Initiative

Abdel R. Mohammad DDS, MS, MPH, Professor, College of Dentistry; Gail L. Kaye, PhD, RD, LD, LPCC, Program Director, Nutrition, Department of Human Nutrition; Beverly Kelbaugh, Director of Franklin County Extension; 2006-2007 Class of Dietetic Interns; 2006-2007 Senior Class of Dental Students; Family Practice Clinic at 1405 S High Street

Courses: Dentistry 522, Human Nutrition 789

This collaboration between faculty in the College of Dentistry and Department of Human Nutrition and staff of Access Health Columbus sought to enhance the quality of healthcare services for underserved populations. Access Health Columbus, Inc., identified, screened, and referred patients to the dental clinic located within the Family Practice Clinic at 1405 S High St., Columbus. This project provided comprehensive dental care, nutrition education and diet counseling to patients at risk of heart disease, stroke, and diet-related disease. Students in the dental and nutrition service-learning courses focused on social and public policy circumstances that contribute to the problem of inadequate access to health care services will be discussed. Both classes provided opportunities for students to discuss how social and public policy could facilitate solutions for this problem. Journals and weekly logs were used to help students reflect upon their service activities and to help them make better connections between theory and practice. (SLI report, PDF, 249KB; Impact report, PDF, 344KB)

3. Mission Possible: Providing Quality Programming in Mathematics at the Culliver Reading Center through Service-Learning

Terri Bucci, Associate Professor, Education Teaching & Learning, Mathematics Education, OSU Mansfield; Michelle Persinger, Lecturer, Mathematics; Ed Wachtel, Math Instructor; Kris Moloney, Math Instructor and Director of the Conard Learning Center; Angela Holt, Culliver Reading Center Coordinator

Courses: Math 105, 106, 107; Education T&L 708.70; Education T&L 884.23

This collaboration partners Ohio State University faculty in Mathematics and Education with the Culliver Reading Center, a provider of standards-based after-school programs for K-12 students. OSU Mansfield education students (both undergraduate and graduate) will provide tutoring services in reading and math. Graduate students will tutor K-12 students in mathematics and diagnose repetitive errors and misconceptions. Undergraduate students will develop lesson plans that address the documented errors and misconceptions. As part of their lesson plans, undergraduate students will be required to align with the Ohio Standards and incorporate instructional strategies based on best practice research. The lesson plans will then be presented to the Culliver Reading Center for their use. In addition, training will be provided by the OSU Mansfield students to staff and volunteers at the center who assist with mathematics. (SLI report, PDF, 293KB; Impact report, PDF, 344KB)

4. Improving Access to Healthy Food

Randi Love, Clinical Associate Professor, College of Public Health; Jill Clutter, Instructor, School of Allied Medical Professions; Sandy Gill, Coordinator, Cardiovascular Health Initiative, Columbus Public Health

Courses: Allied Medicine 670, Public Health 850

The Improving Access to Healthy Food project pulls together the efforts of The Ohio State University School of Public Health, School of Allied Medical Professionals, and Columbus Public Health. In an effort to support Columbus Public Health with their initiative to improve access to healthy food, students enrolled in Allied Med 670 conducted an environmental scan and a visual food item survey in neighborhood food stores in designated areas of the city. In addition, students enrolled in Public Health 850 conducted focus groups with and administered surveys on healthy food access to community residents. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed and compiled into a final report to assist Columbus Public Health in the community assessment process, ultimately culminating in an action plan addressing access issues for the identified community. This project helps build capacity for Columbus Public Health in increasing access to healthy foods, informing residents about problems in local food systems, providing the necessary groundwork for suggesting strategies to bring healthier food into the community and helping the community prioritize its efforts. (SLI report, PDF, 293KB; Impact report, PDF, 344KB)

1. Pulling Our Own Strings: Puppets, Diversity, and Service-Learning in Partnership

Daniel Christie, Psychology, OSU Marion; Kaizaad Kotwal, Theatre, OSU Marion; Anne Bower, English, OSU Marion; Eva Dejolsvay-Brook, student, OSU Marion; Dawn Schofield, diversity teacher, Marion Middle School, Marion; Traci Kinsler, YEP Youth Advisor, Marion Community Foundation; Shawn Jackson, diversity coordinator, Marion City Schools

Courses: English 693, Psychology 375, Theatre 405.10, Theatre 489

The project is a collaboration of faculty in psychology, theatre, and English with a middle school and represents an ongoing collaboration between OSU Marion and the Marion Schools. Growing numbers of new immigrants and minority and class issues result in pressures that exacerbate conflicts over “difference.” Middle schoolers learned to write scripts, make puppets, and put on shows that address appreciation for diversity and training in conflict resolution. Ohio State Marion students in psychology assessed middle school students’ stereotypes, prejudices, and intergroup attitudes. Issues identified in the assessment were used by students in theatre to help Grant Middle School students create diverse puppets, scripts, rehearsals, and performances. The middle school students mounted puppet shows for peers and elementary school students, helping students to find positive ways to deal with conflict and to embrace differences. Pre- and post-experience evaluations were conducted. The project was recorded and reported by an English student at Ohio State Marion. (SLI Report, PDF, 417KB; Impact report, PDF, 372KB)

2. Helping Hands for Healthy Living: A Community Service-Learning Project

Anne Kloos, Physical Therapy; Katie Clark, Nurse Coordinator, Physicians Free Clinic; Sharon Flinn, Occupational Therapy; Margaret Teaford, Occupational Therapy

Courses: Occupational Therapy 795, Physical Therapy 774

The project is a collaboration of faculty in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and the Physicians Free Clinic. Students in the project provided rehabilitation services to underserved Columbus residents at the Physicians Free Clinic, a community health center serving medically indigent individuals in Columbus. The experience also provided opportunities for PT and OT students to learn more about each other’s discipline and to enhance their collaborative skills. The project contained a research component, examining student attitudes about community service and impacts of service provided through the project. The project exposed second-year PT and OT students to community service, provided services to clients, identified community health needs, developed preventive screening programs, and created a management database. (SLI Report, PDF, 249KB; Impact report, PDF, 372KB)

Rebuilding the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Jennifer Evans-Cowley, Assistant Professor, City & Regional Planning, Knowlton School of Architecture

Course: City & Regional Planning 852

With this special University Outreach & Engagement and Service-Learning grant ($2,000 O&E, $5,000 SLI), city and regional planning students in a service-learning course prepared community plans for rebuilding DeLisle and Saucier in Harrison County, Mississippi, areas that were devastated by the 2005 hurricanes. (SLI Report, PDF, 426KB; Impact report, PDF, 372KB).

This project was a finalist for the 2009 Outreach Scholarship W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award/C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award.