|
|
Classroom in the Field: Service-Learning Impact and Popularity on the Rise
April 25, 2008
MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho students are finding more opportunities to gain hands-on, relevant, real world experience through the institution’s Service-Learning Center. The service and civic engagement projects give students a transformational experience of discovery, understanding and global citizenship.
According to the university’s annual report on service-learning released this week, more than 1,200 students participated in some 80 service-learning courses and volunteered more than 50,000 hours of service during 2007-08.
“Learning for University of Idaho students extends far beyond the traditional classroom thanks to the efforts of faculty and community partners to provide our students with service opportunities that also align with course learning objectives,” said Larry Young, assistant director for service-learning and internships. “It is extremely rewarding to see the quality of service that our students provide even as they learn from the service they provide.”
To provide service opportunities, the university has collaborative partnerships with nearly 125 community agencies that have opened their doors to give students the opportunity to apply classroom learning in the real world. Among the service learning projects during the year:
- students completed 45 hours of volunteer work in Ecuador as part of a social and global responsibility foreign language course;
- students in an interior design course addressed the lack of accessibility in an office building in Moscow and developed access solutions;
- students in a public relations course created media kits for clients in the Moscow area;
- students in a conservation biology course created beaver management plans for the City of Moscow and the University of Idaho and an invasive species management plan for a preserve in Washington.
“These activities facilitate transformative student learning and civic engagement and forge strong ties between the university and community partners throughout and beyond the state of Idaho,” said University of Idaho Provost Doug Baker.
The university’s annual report on service-learning is available online at www.capp.uidaho.edu/ServiceLearning
To learn more about service-learning at the University of Idaho, contact Larry Young at (208) 885-6505 or lyoung@uidaho.edu
# # #
About the University of Idaho
Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. University researchers attract nearly $100 million in research grants and contracts each year; the University of Idaho is the only institution in the state to earn the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity. The university’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Offering more than 150 degree options in 10 colleges, the university combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu
Contact: Amy Calebretta,(208) 885-2100, arysdam@uidaho.edu
AC-4/25/08-STP
|
