Service Learning Commons^™

Change The World One Worm At A Time!, David C. Goff

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My Capstone Project aims to blend the old with the new. It's about taking tried-and-true farming practices and breathing new life into them with innovative, sustainable solutions. It seeks to balance making a living from the land and caring for it for future generations.

The project's core revolves around Organic Worm Tea, a natural product we've been developing and testing. This process involves rolling up our sleeves, getting our hands dirty, and observing the tea's effect on various farms, including those run by immigrant farmers who bring unique farming traditions from their home countries.

But this project isn't just about …

Improving Childhood Literacy, Amy Williams

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This paper discusses my approach and solution to the problem of declining literacy rates among children in recent years. While there are many contributing factors, COVID lockdown and the reliance on technology have played a part. The approach to this problem was to start within my own community by building a Little Free Library. This library gave children the opportunity to have increased access to reading materials that interest them, free of charge. The children were also incentivized to read by the initiation of a summer reading program that included prizes for completion of a reading log. By generating interest …

Transition A Squadron To Microsoft Teams, David C. Methvin Jr.

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Over the past six weeks, I have embarked on a quest to increase my squadron's productivity by addressing continuity, communication, and file storage. The method by which I addressed these issues is by transitioning the squadron to Microsoft Teams. The transition to Teams required planning, as we have four major sections of the squadron, all working different shifts because we operate 24/7. It required creativity, not only because of the 24/7 ops but also because utilizing Teams was different from the traditional way in which we would solve these sorts of problems. It also required me to get out of …

Migraine Journeys: An Exploration In Connecting Cultures, Ashley D. Barnes

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

"Migraine Journeys: An Exploration in Connecting Cultures" is a research project that looks at headaches from different cultures. Through the blog "Beyond Migraine Pain," this project looks at how different cultures use language, how they think about headaches, and how they treat them. The goal is to shed light on how migraines affect people and communities around the world and get rid of the stigmas that come with this disease. Such as women only being the only ones to get migraines and not men, the fact that very simple everyday actions can manage migraines because they aren’t “that serious”, and …

Summer Therapy And Coaching Resource Notebook, Kelli J. Pease

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This project aims to fulfill the need for an easily accessible and well-organized resource notebook for summer Educational Therapy and Academic Coaching that our organization has talked about doing for some time now but has always lacked the manpower to make happen. I desire to have this be a stepping stone towards offering a valuable, well-defined service for our administration to offer to our students and families in the future.

This approach will address the frustration of having data and information scattered between our three schools, departments, and people. It will also take current resources, information, and opinions from other …

Ani-Care Animal Shelter Fundraiser, Linda Cisneros

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My capstone project was an action project. I decided to collaborate with the Ani-Care animal shelter in Malheur, County after hearing about their lack of pet food and pet supplies. I wanted to make an impact and share with the community how any small contribution could make a difference. My goal was to help out the manager of this shelter by providing pet food and pet supplies for the animals. I created two fundraisers, as well as reaching out to local pet stores for donations. I decided to help out by promoting my fundraisers to stakeholders to be able to …

Organizing The Process, Erika Arellano

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The capstone project that I chose to complete for this semester is program organization. Our developmental preschool program offers services for children with disabilities from three to five years of age. Having a well-organized and structured program is a foundational must as so much time is consumed with paperwork and meetings. As a first-year preschool teacher, I started the school year with more questions than answers, and answers that confused me even more. The way it is currently set up is with piles and piles of loose files stacked up on a desk, and post-it notes with all sorts of …

Parenting Perspective Podcast Capstone Project, Daniel P. Perttula

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The Dads That Talk Podcast is a Capstone Project that intends to help parents, including myself, learn new parenting styles or techniques that they could not be otherwise aware of. This is being accomplished by solving the problem statement, how might I improve my parenting skills and the parenting skills of my peers by producing a podcast that reviews real life parenting challenges in today’s society. I focus on discussing different styles of parenting to establish a foundation of understanding on the many different approaches and styles that a parent can leverage. Listeners have an easy to consume source of …

Preschool/Early Learning Educational Options, Alok Padhi

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

For my capstone project, I created a resource that gathered information about local preschool and early learning options in the Pensacola, FL area. I identified the need for this resource because of the utter lack of resources available to parents seeking to learn about educational options for their children. The resource I created is in the form of a publicly-accessible website that summarizes information about multiple educational institutions in the local area. I supplemented information available online by visiting schools and collecting information in the form of brochures, pamphlets, and business cards. In the end, I think the resource I …

Naturalization Workshop: A Capstone Project, A. H. Diaz

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The capstone project I embarked on focused on the naturalization process and how I could create a plan to better prepare immigrants that are going to begin the process, as well as how I could instill a grandiose sense of confidence in them that will not falter throughout the process. My plan of action consisted of creating a workshop for immigrants that would implement a lesson plan that would prepare and then help improve whatever knowledge of the English language and the tests that come with the naturalization process. A majority of the resources came from the USCIS ``Start a …

Boosting Employee Morale Through Team Building, Nancy Marquez

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This project focuses on the creation of a team building manual, suggestions of team building activities that can be used in the workplace for both in-office and virtual teams, and results of a pilot activity. PowerPoint outlines the process of creating a Manual for management, implementing a pilot activity, measuring results and obtaining feedback from a team of 45 employees working remotely and onsite across 3 states.

PDF Manual shows each page of the OneNote manual delivered to management at the conclusion of the project. Resources on managing cliques in the medical office and silos in the workplace are linked. …

Oral Histories Of The Silver Valley In Northern Idaho, Bobbie-Jo Stepro Bighill

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The purpose of my capstone project is to preserve the oral histories of the people who grew up in the Silver Valley of Northern Idaho. It was once an area known as the Silver Capital of the world. More Silver was produced in the small towns in this area nestled between the Connection of Highway 3 and the Montana border on I-90. It earned its name as the Silver Capital of the world before most of the mines closed in the 1980s. At that time, they had produced more Silver than anywhere else in the world. Now there are several …

Swing With Me, Daniel Kyle

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This is my Capstone Project for IPS introducing my business plan for Swing with Me, a country swing dance business me and my girlfriend Chelsea are going to start here in Ontario!

Stigma Of Incarceration And Motivation Of Undergraduate Students For Service-Learning, Kapil Sharma

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Incarceration can be a long-lasting, stigmatizing life event that significantly impacts one's life and limits ex-offenders in various aspects of their life. The impact of widespread criminal records can obstruct reentry, economic stability, and full participation in society, whether minor, major, old, or new. The study aims to explore the stigma attached to incarceration and the motivation of undergraduate students for Service-Learning. Based on responses from three semi-structured interviews with students interns of the Records Clearance Project of San Jose State University, it was evident that after completing their sentences, ex-offenders come into many barriers that may prevent them from …

Developing The Food Navigator Role At Everyone's Harvest, Chase Rodriguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Everyone’s Harvest (EH) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates farmers’ markets. In order to reduce hunger in Monterey County, Everyone's Harvest offers several food assistance programs for low-income people including the Market Match (MM) incentive program which matches CalFresh money, modern day food stamps, dollar for dollar. The problem is that in Monterey County 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 3 children are food insecure. The purpose of the Food Navigator (FN) at EH is to engage with the local community and connect low-income people with food assistance resources, primarily the MM program. This project was a role development …

Racializing Service (Learning): A Critical Content Analysis Of Service Learning Syllabi, Tania Mitchell, Carmine Perrotti

Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

This study examines service learning pedagogy and its use of racialized terms to frame service. Through a critical content analysis using 270 syllabi from 193 four-year U.S. institutions with the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, this study explores how the language used in service learning syllabi perpetuates and sustains racialized hierarchies in community engagement experiences.

The Silent Illness, Morgan R. Wood-Buchanan

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My capstone project is all based on mental health, specifically depression. I created a blog based on my own personal story, in hopes I could reach people in our community who may be personally struggling with mental health or know someone who is struggling. The purpose of my project was to be a voice for those who feel as if they have lost theirs. Mental health is a taboo subject even though therapy has come a long way in becoming normalized. The blog is a safe place for those who feel the courage to share their story or struggles with …

Cooking With Mami, Arely Lujano

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This action project is a cooking series on social media that I started with my mother. This project approached the problem of me not knowing how to cook. At the same time, I took this opportunity to share it with other people that are interested in cooking Hispanic recipes. Additionally, since I am graduating and moving out, this gave me a chance to bond with my mother. This action project was a mixture of service learning and also professional development.

Gauging Interest: Bas/Ips Student Collaboration Group, Tracy J. Meunier

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

An initiative to launch a student-led collaboration group within the BAS/IPS program aimed to provide valuable feedback to the program’s directors was recently put into place. To launch this new initiative in the intended Fall 2023 semester, the program's directors require vital information from prospective students. This paper is an overview of the approach taken to understand why or why not students would be interested in participating in a student-led group that would benefit the program they are enrolled in. A survey was sent intended to provide responses with valuable feedback to the decision-makers regarding the new student collaboration group. …

Online Student Community Building, Pablo A. Muñoz

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Online students are a relatively new concept to the education world. With the rise of the Covid-19 pandemic and the changing needs of the public, online courses have become much more prevalent and popular for several reasons. Online students are at a great disadvantage when it comes to in-person activities such as networking with community members, making friendships, and building relationships with both their peers and professors. The Boise State Treehouse Program has elected to try and combat these problems by introducing an online meeting place like a club setting. The treehouse program has held weekly meetings focused on giving …