Center for Teaching and Learning

What Are Some Service-Learning Experiences From My UMSL Colleagues?

 

Campus Service-Learning Award Proposal
 Susan Catapano
 Teaching and Learning
 University of Missouri-St. Louis  

Abstract of Proposal


Something Beautiful in Every Neighborhood

 

University of Missouri-St. Louis students, enrolled in two early childhood education courses, will engage young children in St. Louis Public Schools in a project that explores what is beautiful about their neighborhood. As part of the project, the university students will research neighborhoods in St. Louis City and support reading and writing skills in young children by assisting them in writing a book that describes what is beautiful in the community around the school. The opportunity to explore the neighborhood and support learning skills in young children will help the university students to make connections to the neighborhood and encourage them to accept positions as teachers working in St. Louis Public Schools. The children in the schools will have the opportunity to develop and enhance reading, writing, and technology skills. The greater university community will participate in a display of the books created through this project.

Campus Service-Learning Award Proposal
 Dr. Alan D. Heisel
 Department of Communication
 University of Missouri-St. Loui

Abstract of Proposal


Integrated Information Dissemination Campaign

The course is a coordinated effort to help advanced public relations students gain practical experience in the development and implementation of an integrated information campaign. Students with a background in related coursework were invited/encouraged to participate in this special course offering. The students will be conducting branding and other PR activities for Connections to Success, a non-profit organization in the St. Louis area that helps lower-income families find and retain jobs while integrating them into a pro-social, success-oriented lifestyle. The course plays the dual role of civic engagement and service learning in several ways. First, the needs of the community are met by helping to establish a stronger presence for Connections to Success. It is, in a real sense, an opportunity for students to use their talents and to benefit those in our community who are less fortunate. We hope that the course will help students to identify how a proactive approach to the betterment of the entire community can benefit everyone, and stimulate a lifelong sense of personal responsibility to improve the living conditions in our community. Second, the course provides students with the unique opportunity to apply their recently acquired knowledge and skills to a "real-world" problem. Importantly, unlike case studies, the final products may actually be implemented and diffused in a widespread information dissemination campaign. Students will have the opportunity to build their portfolio of work and to include the deliverables developed for the course as evidence of their ability, background, and experiences. With the support of the Missouri Campus Compact, the partnership of the department, the course, and Connections to Success will benefit everyone involved.

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