Community Partners and IRSC Students
General Learning Outcomes for Service Learning Students at IRSC:
Examples of Service Learning Courses, benefits to students and community partners:
Spanish language students participate in academic service learning activities with community partners such as In the Image of Christ, the St. Lucie County School District and Indian River State College’s English as a Second Language program. The focus of the activities to is to apply their language skills and cultural knowledge in a real life setting.
Students who serve with In the Image of Christ, a non-profit organization, whose mission is “to offer charitable services, health programs, educational training, and prevention outreach to address health disparities in our community”, serve in the food and clothing pantries. They assist (Hispanic) clients with gathering groceries and garments for themselves and their family members. The create signage and lists of commonly asked questions/answers for non-Spanish speaking volunteers.
Students who serve with the St. Lucie County School District tutor and mentor at risk ESOL students with Reading and Language FCAT skills. They create bilingual books based and dictionaries and make culturally related posters about who they are and where they are from.
Students who serve the IRSC English as a Second language student population participate in monthly encuentros (meetings) where they engage in bilingual speaking activities and culturally relevant topics. Spanish language students also serve as mentors for individual ESL students who are seeking to transition from ESL /Adult Education programs to our Associate degree programs.
Benefits to students:
Professor Veronica Tempone requires in class reflection and written reflection. In both cases, all students report that there is an increased motivation to learn the language upon completing their service experiences. They also report heightened cultural sensitivity and awareness.
Benefit to the community partner:
In the Image of Christ reports that the signage assists their non-Spanish speaking volunteers and clients feel more at ease speaking in their native tongue while receiving services from the organization.
Individual teachers from the St. Lucie County School District who work with the Spanish language students report that their students are more motivated to because they have individualized attention and practice and are able to demonstrate a sense of cultural pride by sharing their heritage with the Spanish language student.
The IRSC ESL students benefit from the service experience by having an opportunity to use their “English skills” in a real life setting. They also benefit by participating in cultural discussions and being able to tell their story.
Students in the ADN Pediatric and Paramedic programs collaborate with the Jessica Clinton Foundation for the Know Your Heart Screening program. The focus of this collaboration is to provide hands on opportunities for students to work with pediatric patients ages 4-18, improve and practice heart screening assessment skills and use EKG machines.
The Jessica Clinton Foundation is “dedicated to providing CPR/AED training and Automated External Defibrillators to schools, parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities throughout the state of Florida. They are also creating an awareness campaign to educate the public about often undiagnosed heart condition and to encourage electrocardiogram aka EGK screening for people of all ages”.
Benefits to the students:
Instructor Candace MacKenzie conducted a course evaluation report that indicated students were extremely satisfied with their service experience. All students felt that they were more confident in the Heart screening assessment skills and the experience was meaningful and relevant. They also commented on the benefits with working with the EMS services/Paramedic Students.
Benefits to the community partner:
The Jessica Clinton Foundation was created in 2004 after their daughter, Jessica died of an undiagnosed heart condition. The benefit of this service event is to pay it forward to other community members while giving students a firsthand experience to practice what they are learning in a real life situation.
Students involved in Interpersonal Relations in Business served at one of the following community partners: the Cultural Council of Indian River County, Hospice of the Treasure Coast, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Vero Beach Museum of Art and the Florida Equestrian Foundation in partnership with the GYAC, Sebastian Area Historical Society. Based on the community partner, service experiences included: creating data bases and labels, volunteering at Camp Chrysalis and Buddy with a child, mentoring and tutoring 3rd graders, creating a sculpture of soup cans that will be donate to a local food pantry and creating literature to increase awareness of hunger, and performing liability analysis, engaging in event planning and marketing strategies. Students enrolled in this course applied academic concepts from Interpersonal Relations to the specific needs of the community partners. Student reflection prompts addressed challenges that the organization faced and how does it address them; how their specific experiences benefitted the community partner; what types of training or skills are needed for someone who wanted to work in these particular fields.
Benefits to the students:
Students felt engaged in their communities and that their service was relevant and meaningful. In one reflection a student wrote: “This experience will benefit me in the future for my career because this economy is becoming more social media and it is continuously growing. With me getting to look at the ins and outs of this organization has been a great glimpse of what I expect my company to grow into”. Another reflection specifically addressed how they were able to practice their “listening and problem solving skills” for the betterment of a cause or agency.
Benefits to the community partner:
In the STEM Grant community partner surveys conducted in the Fall 2012 for this service learning course, partners indicated they felt involved and respect as co-educators. Community partners agreed that the service was designed to increase the students’ understanding of the academic course material and awareness of the community needs These community partners indicated they were able to serve a greater number of clients as a result of the service learning students, and that the students work added expertise to the work of the organization.
- Students in a service learning class will be able to demonstrate through service hours and projects that the service activity reinforces the coursework.
- Students in a service learning class will be able to reflect on the nature of service as it applies to their community partner and self as a symbiotic relationship.
- Students in a service learning class will be able to apply critical thinking skills, including decision making and problem solving, to their service learning experience, their reflections, and in their service project(s).
- Students in a service learning class will be able to understand the importance of civic engagement on a local, state, national and international level.
- Students in a service learning class will demonstrate reliability, time management and commitment by working with their community partner and producing a service learning project that reflects concepts learned in class.
- Students in a service learning class will work in diverse teams and show sensitivity to diverse clients and communities.
Examples of Service Learning Courses, benefits to students and community partners:
- Spanish and Service Learning
Spanish language students participate in academic service learning activities with community partners such as In the Image of Christ, the St. Lucie County School District and Indian River State College’s English as a Second Language program. The focus of the activities to is to apply their language skills and cultural knowledge in a real life setting.
Students who serve with In the Image of Christ, a non-profit organization, whose mission is “to offer charitable services, health programs, educational training, and prevention outreach to address health disparities in our community”, serve in the food and clothing pantries. They assist (Hispanic) clients with gathering groceries and garments for themselves and their family members. The create signage and lists of commonly asked questions/answers for non-Spanish speaking volunteers.
Students who serve with the St. Lucie County School District tutor and mentor at risk ESOL students with Reading and Language FCAT skills. They create bilingual books based and dictionaries and make culturally related posters about who they are and where they are from.
Students who serve the IRSC English as a Second language student population participate in monthly encuentros (meetings) where they engage in bilingual speaking activities and culturally relevant topics. Spanish language students also serve as mentors for individual ESL students who are seeking to transition from ESL /Adult Education programs to our Associate degree programs.
Benefits to students:
Professor Veronica Tempone requires in class reflection and written reflection. In both cases, all students report that there is an increased motivation to learn the language upon completing their service experiences. They also report heightened cultural sensitivity and awareness.
Benefit to the community partner:
In the Image of Christ reports that the signage assists their non-Spanish speaking volunteers and clients feel more at ease speaking in their native tongue while receiving services from the organization.
Individual teachers from the St. Lucie County School District who work with the Spanish language students report that their students are more motivated to because they have individualized attention and practice and are able to demonstrate a sense of cultural pride by sharing their heritage with the Spanish language student.
The IRSC ESL students benefit from the service experience by having an opportunity to use their “English skills” in a real life setting. They also benefit by participating in cultural discussions and being able to tell their story.
- Pediatric Nursing & Paramedic Students and Service Learning
Students in the ADN Pediatric and Paramedic programs collaborate with the Jessica Clinton Foundation for the Know Your Heart Screening program. The focus of this collaboration is to provide hands on opportunities for students to work with pediatric patients ages 4-18, improve and practice heart screening assessment skills and use EKG machines.
The Jessica Clinton Foundation is “dedicated to providing CPR/AED training and Automated External Defibrillators to schools, parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities throughout the state of Florida. They are also creating an awareness campaign to educate the public about often undiagnosed heart condition and to encourage electrocardiogram aka EGK screening for people of all ages”.
Benefits to the students:
Instructor Candace MacKenzie conducted a course evaluation report that indicated students were extremely satisfied with their service experience. All students felt that they were more confident in the Heart screening assessment skills and the experience was meaningful and relevant. They also commented on the benefits with working with the EMS services/Paramedic Students.
Benefits to the community partner:
The Jessica Clinton Foundation was created in 2004 after their daughter, Jessica died of an undiagnosed heart condition. The benefit of this service event is to pay it forward to other community members while giving students a firsthand experience to practice what they are learning in a real life situation.
- Interpersonal Relations in Business Students and Service:
Students involved in Interpersonal Relations in Business served at one of the following community partners: the Cultural Council of Indian River County, Hospice of the Treasure Coast, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Vero Beach Museum of Art and the Florida Equestrian Foundation in partnership with the GYAC, Sebastian Area Historical Society. Based on the community partner, service experiences included: creating data bases and labels, volunteering at Camp Chrysalis and Buddy with a child, mentoring and tutoring 3rd graders, creating a sculpture of soup cans that will be donate to a local food pantry and creating literature to increase awareness of hunger, and performing liability analysis, engaging in event planning and marketing strategies. Students enrolled in this course applied academic concepts from Interpersonal Relations to the specific needs of the community partners. Student reflection prompts addressed challenges that the organization faced and how does it address them; how their specific experiences benefitted the community partner; what types of training or skills are needed for someone who wanted to work in these particular fields.
Benefits to the students:
Students felt engaged in their communities and that their service was relevant and meaningful. In one reflection a student wrote: “This experience will benefit me in the future for my career because this economy is becoming more social media and it is continuously growing. With me getting to look at the ins and outs of this organization has been a great glimpse of what I expect my company to grow into”. Another reflection specifically addressed how they were able to practice their “listening and problem solving skills” for the betterment of a cause or agency.
Benefits to the community partner:
In the STEM Grant community partner surveys conducted in the Fall 2012 for this service learning course, partners indicated they felt involved and respect as co-educators. Community partners agreed that the service was designed to increase the students’ understanding of the academic course material and awareness of the community needs These community partners indicated they were able to serve a greater number of clients as a result of the service learning students, and that the students work added expertise to the work of the organization.