Service Learning in Chemistry: Minors only?

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Service Learning in Chemistry Minors only?

• Tammy Jahnke, Dean
• College of Natural and Applied Sciences

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Service Learning at Missouri State University

• Courses were first offered in fall of 1997 after
  Faculty Senate Action approved the program
• Chemistry first offered a course in fall of 1998,
  CHM300 is not tied to a specific chemistry course
  but to the curriculum in general. Students must
  be concurrently enrolled in organic, biochem,
  p-chem, quant, or environmental.
• 1 credit 40 hours of community service

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Office of Citizenship and Service Learning (CASL)

• http//www.missouristate.edu/casl/
• Coordinates placements for all students.
• Works with faculty to find appropriate community
  partners.
• Conducts orientation sessions each semester for
  students.
• Facilitates long-term relationships with
  community partners.
• Tracks and coordinates service-learning hours and
  evaluations by community partner supervisors.

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Enrollment Chemistry only
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Enrollment Facts

• 149 total students enrolled from 1998-present
• 85 of students enrolled completed the course
• 40 male/60 female
• Of those completing the course 11 were chemistry
  majors, 78 were chemistry minors, 11 were other
  comprehensive majors (requires no minor)

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Syllabus and Course Expectations

• Journal
• What did you do?
• Description of reactions and feelings about your
  experience.
• An analysis of how you used your chemical
  (science) knowledge or learned something in this
  experience.
• Interview with Course Instructor
• After half of service learning hours are
  complete.
• A review of the journal also takes place at this
  meeting.

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Syllabus and Course Expectations

• Reflection Paper
• How did this experience help you (or not) see the
  role of science in society?
• What is your definition of service learning?
• How might you and other chemistry students use
  your talents in the community?
• Wrap-up Session
• The entire group gathers to share.
• Where did they do their service and what did they
  learn?
• Was this a good community partner for a chemistry
  student?
• How might the course instructor or the
  Citizenship and Service Learning Staff help to
  make this experience better for next semester?

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Syllabus and Course Expectations

• Initial paper due within first two weeks (Define
  service learning. Explain why you enrolled in
  the course and your expectations for the course.
  Which community partner have you chosen and why?
  How do you plan to learn some chemistry in this
  course?)
• This is a new assignment as of Spring of 2006.

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Community Partners

• Discovery Center of Springfield Hands-on
  Science Museum
• Springfield Public Schools
• Area Hospice Organizations
• James River Basin Partnership
• Area Hospitals
• The Kitchen Clinic
• Water Treatment Plants

• AIDS Project of the Ozarks
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Boys and Girls Club
• Humane Society
• Missouri Council of the Blind
• American National Fish and Wildlife Zooquarium

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Service Learning is not

• an internship and it is not job shadowing.
• I now have a list of acceptable community
  partners listed in the syllabus. I require that
  it be clear that this is a community service.

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Service Learning is

• an opportunity to use the skills you have
  acquired in the classroom to provide service in
  the community.
• an opportunity for higher education students to
  leave the classroom environment in order to apply
  their skills and knowledge towards every day
  situations.
• a situation in which an individual or group of
  people work towards accomplishing a task that is
  beneficial to the community while receiving only
  knowledge as a payment.

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Motivation for Enrolling

• At Missouri State general chemistry and a year of
  organic chemistry are 19 hours. A chemistry
  minor requires 20 hours. (nearly 80)
• Interest in the link of service to the discipline
  of chemistry. (10)
• Needs one hour of elective credit. (10)

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Journal Themes

• Apprehension This experience usually takes the
  students out of their comfort zone.
• Amazement/Appreciation
• Community needs.
• Knowledge of young people.
• Chemistry is everywhere!
• New Found Respect for educators, health care
  workers, volunteers.

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Reflection Paper Themes

• Communication of science to the general public
  and significance of that communication.
• Grocery Store Science
• Helped with social and communication skills.
• I want to volunteer again. The community needs
  me.

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Conclusions

• This service learning course made me fall back
  into love with science.
• This experience is making me think about my
  career goals.

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Future Work

• Code the journals and reflection papers to record
  number of responses noted and look for trends.
• Current assessments are all self-assessments.
• Others on campus are looking more broadly at
  motivation factors and I would like to see how
  the chemistry students rank overall.