Academic Service Learning

Academic service learning is a teaching/learning method that connects meaningful community service with academic learning, personal growth and civic responsibility. It extends student learning beyond the classroom and into the community, providing students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real life situations in their own communities. The Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Department is committed to incorporating academic service learning throughout the curriculum to enhance the learning process. 

Recent academic service learning activities included helping to provide in-services at long-term care facilities, gathering data on reading fluency in local elementary schools, interviewing and writing life stories for long-term care residents, assisting at or providing speech-language and hearing screenings at local day care agencies and providing hearing screenings at health fairs and Bay Cliff Health Camp. 

Students graduate with a portfolio of experiences they have acquired during their undergraduate training - experiences that can enhance future scholastic and employment opportunities.

Student Comments on Academic Service-Learning:

• "At the end of my service learning project, I learned many things and had many misconceptions eliminated. I learned that: I can work with the geriatric population; they are not scary; nursing homes are places that can be pleasant; and the services I can provide will make a difference. It was experience that was beneficial not only to the subject of my service learning project, but to me as well."
• "This experience was a lot better than a term paper. To me with a paper you just find the information and put it in a paper, but with this you learn it and apply it to everyday situations that someone or myself will experience."
• "This learning experience was much better than the traditional paper. It was more enjoyable and I feel I probably learned more through this, since I tend to learn better through hands-on experience."
• "I learned that my ideas are important and that the education and knowledge I have can be used to teach others."
• "I learned how to give an in-service…this will be very helpful in the future. Now, I will have an idea of what in-services are all about."