Service Learning Commons^™

Professional Development Handbook, K. D. Moreland

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This action research project was designed to help lower enlisted Soldiers receive additional knowledge that will help with their career progression and knowledge within the military. This handbook is quick and easy to access with some additional resources if they want to dive into the material a little deeper. This handbook would be great for someone who is getting ready to go to a promotion board and wants to study up on basic Army knowledge and some additional regulations that are important to know.

Savannah’S Customs: Automotive Passion, Savannah M. Doran

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This capstone project is a service-learning podcast to provide information, research, and inspiration to those in the automotive community. Specifically, focused on changing stereotypes of women in automotive. There are not many spaces for women in the automotive industry to gain inspiration or be involved in a community. The podcast helps create a community where individuals can help inspire one another to follow their passion. It impacts the general public (listeners) and myself by providing an innovative approach to automotive passions.

Walkability And Pedestrian Safety In Nampa, Idaho, Laura J. Q. Shoemaker

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This service-learning capstone project explores the pressing concern of walkability in Nampa, Idaho, driven by a rise in pedestrian fatalities. The project is designed to foster citizen advocacy for a more walkable town by creating a booklet. After research and collaboration, I created a concise booklet that shares the benefits of walkability, pedestrian safety tips, local laws, and organizations citizens can contact or be involved in.

Results include city support for distribution, media coverage, and engagement through social media and community events. While successful, the project could benefit from increased opportunities for community engagement and broader dissemination to promote pedestrian …

Easy Peasy Low Carb Meals, Sophia Maria Sanders

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder. Complications of this disease can cause metabolic syndrome (high blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol, and high blood pressure) and Type 2 diabetes. Doctors suggest a healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables, and healthy carbohydrates to help control symptoms. PCOS is one of many health issues that can be managed with a low-carb diet. My capstone project is a recipe book filled with quick or easy low-carb dinners created with a busy parent in mind.

Flight Attendant Mental Health Awareness, Breanna Lyle

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My capstone project was to create a Facebook group for flight attendants that allow them to be able to find a location with resources for mental, and physical health struggles that come along with the job. It was private so that others can feel safe within the group, and know that the resources that are being posted have correct, and valid information.

Helping The Homeless Communities, Rylee R. Raz

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

In my community, I have talked to stakeholders about doing a donation drive. For my project, I decided to collect donations for The Valley House Homeless Shelter in Twin Falls, Idaho. As part of my project, I aimed to collect donations that would be beneficial and helpful for families in need. The main focus of my project was collecting donations such as household items. There are a number of items I would like to get for the children, including bedding, bathroom supplies, boxed foods, baby supplies, and educational materials. In addition to creating flyers to post around the community, I …

Scholarship Awareness Of Idaho, Gabbriella G. Lifferth

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Many young adults who are about to start on their educational journey lack awareness of scholarships, hindering their ability to access financial support for their education. My blog is designed to be used as a helpful guide for individuals facing this similar issue that I once faced myself. Using a blog to deliver current and available information on local scholarship opportunities. The project's main goal is to create an easily accessible platform for scholarship awareness and empower young adults to gain a higher education. The website is designed to allow students to actively search for and apply for scholarship opportunities …

Implementing An Office Training, Ashley Michelle Connolley

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

For my capstone project, I chose to develop a training course with corresponding materials regarding the Return to Title IV Funds (R2T4) process in the Financial Aid Office. I have been working in this office for over a year, and I have been the manager and main processor of R2T4 for over six months. When I took a step back, I realized that our office has very little in terms of proper training materials, instead relying on new employees to learn through written out procedures. While this is okay for some of the easier processes, it does not foster an …

Emerging Young Readers: The Melba 9-1-1 Emergency Reading Program, Tammi K. Crnkovich

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This service-learning project focused on elementary-aged children and the community that supports them. It focused on building a community-supported reading program to create excitement and passion for reading in our young children and build a strong community and appreciation for service workers. To do this, I created the Melba 9-1-1 Reading Program to engage our young readers. The Melba elementary-aged children were tasked to read ninety (9) minutes per week (1) for one month (1). They were able to manage how much they read per day and week but were given a goal of 360 minutes for one month. Upon …

Anxiety And Stress Relief For Youth, Tricia J. W. Varner

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The project that I chose to do for my capstone project was to create an interactive workbook for youth to help them understand anxiety and stress. I found that there was a need for youth to have a tool to learn to cope with anxiety and stress. The words anxiety and stress have both become buzzwords amongst middle school and high school students, but do they really understand what it is and how to deal with it? This workbook will give them an arsenal of tools and resources to assist them with learning more about these buzzwords and most importantly, …

Serving The Voiceless: Analyzing Local Organizations For Immigrant Empowerment, Daniel Kabithe, Acia Diallo, Kiya Demps, Chance Brown, Aliyah Whitfield

Undergraduate Research Events

This research project delves into the landscape of community organizations that serve the immigrant population in Louisville, Kentucky, focusing on 6 key entities: La Casita Center, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Catholic Charities of Louisville, English Conversation Club, Backside Learning Center, and American Community Center. Through a combination of interviews, phone calls and research, we discovered the roles, missions, and offered services by each organization. Through these methods, we identified some of the critical needs within the immigrant community and examined how these organizations address them. Additionally, we discovered that not only did our research highlight the importance of the services provided, …

Supporting Young Children Through Big Feelings, P. Diane Stoecker

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This is a service-learning project centered around solving the problem of how I can provide support to young children and their adults as they work through big emotions. Specifically, I wrote a children’s book titled My Big Feelings, which tells a narrative from a child's perspective about what they need from their adult as they experience big feelings. The second part of this project is a companion section in the back of the book focusing on emotional intelligence concepts. Included in this section are quick tips, ideas, and other resources designed to help adults provide support for children as they …

Community Family Game Night, Adrianna Green

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

In the community of Tetonia, where social opportunities outside of church events or bars are limited, organizing a community game night emerged as a solution to enhance engagement, particularly for young children. Through a service-learning project, the project began with discussions with the Tetonia First Ward young women's group and the Mayor of Tetonia, gathering valuable feedback, including insights from about the need for increased involvement for senior citizens. Recognizing the potential for intergenerational connection, the event aimed to bring youth and older community members together.

My Day At The Races, Emily Marie Duran

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

The project was to research the difference between illiteracy and functional literacy. The hope was to spark the love of reading in elementary school students

Story Time To Encourage Early Literacy, Emily Denae Penaluna

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

In light of falling literacy rates among children, I hosted a story time at the local public library in hopes of encouraging reading and literacy in early childhood aged children. I believe these rates are falling because of the lack of exposure to books and digital distractions. The children and their parents were able to benefit from the story time by providing them with an entertaining event while revealing to them what the library has to offer. Although the event itself was small, the lasting impact it can have is great. Keywords to represent this project are encouraging, educational, and …

Oit Financial And Policy Training, Katy M. Lightfield

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My capstone project at Boise State University aimed to address and rectify the pervasive challenges of staff not adhering to financial policies regarding purchasing cards, travel expenses, and engagements with independent contractors. Through the creation and implementation of an online, interactive training, it provided hands-on guidance and real-world scenarios to ensure a comprehensive understanding and application of policies. This initiative had stakeholder collaboration, involving feedback and contributions from employees, my supervisor, and managers to ensure the training’s relevance and accessibility. The project significantly contributed to financial policy compliance, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing non-compliance risks across the university.

Meeple Mondays!, Kyle Robert Trigg

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Meeple Mondays are a prospective bi-weekly event dedicated to playing tabletop games of all weights and genres. I hosted this night with the intention of providing a space in which newcomers can experience and learn how to play board games. In providing this for the community as a whole, I have helped open up a new way for younger individuals to try their hand at something new but expensive. This entire project manifested as a single night event with collected feedback to make it recurring.

Building Bridges, Kaitlin Jane Cox

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

In an effort to mend divisions and cultivate a more cohesive work environment, I organized a team bonding event tailored to the preferences and input of my fellow coworkers. Through open communication and collaboration, I facilitated polls to gather insights and preferences, ultimately crafting an event aimed at bringing colleagues together to strengthen relationships and enhance collaboration.

The chosen venue, the Meridian Dog Park, was intended to provide a relaxed and inclusive setting where coworkers could connect on a personal level while enjoying the company of our furry friends. Despite meticulous planning and enthusiastic anticipation, the event unfortunately did not …

Onboarding And Training Plan Development: Adapting To Remote Work, Nick Jerome Sobczak

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This professional action capstone project was done to address my work department’s lack of preparedness to onboard and train new employees since our office moved to remote work. The focuses of this project were ensuring we had the technical ability to train a remote employee with options to interact with them via screen sharing and video conference, a new comprehensive training plan, and the storage of that plan and all related files or documentation in a shared and easily accessible location.

Nebraska Women In Agriculture Conference Marks 39 Years, Ryan Evans, Sarah Treffer, Jessica Groskopf

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program marked 39 years of educating and empowering females in farming, ranching, and agribusiness, with nearly 380 people attending its annual conference on February 22 and 23, 2024 in Kearney, Nebraska, with a pre-conference session held on February 21. Including 25 workshops, 5 keynotes, and activities to help learn about risk management, farm and ranch improvement, and successful business practices.

Service Learning To Benefit Graduate Students And Meet Community Needs, Brittany Sullivan, Hannah Canady

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This poster session will share with faculty members, graduate students, and practicing school psychologists what service learning partnerships are, highlight potential benefits that could come from service learning, and indicate how service learning partnerships can be developed.

Learning By Doing: College Students Promoting Children’S Philosophical Inquiry In Schools, Margaret Gichuru, Lin Lin, Mecke E. Nagel

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

This focus group study explores the perceptions and experiences of college students working within an applied learning program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program engages children from prekindergarten to sixth grade in local schools and early childhood education centers. The college students serve as teaching assistants in the SG Program hosted by an academic department in a northeastern university and lead philosophical inquiries as they read picture books. Informed by philosophical inquiry with children and the applied learning principles as the research framework, this focus group study invites five teaching assistants to three one-hour in-depth semi-structured interviews. The analysis of …

From Classroom To Community: Service-Learning And The Sustainable Development Goals, Genejane M. Adarlo, Jeannette Nina Delos Reyes, Kevin Christopher Go, Genesis Kelly Lontoc, Nota F. Magno, Mark Anthony D. Abenir, Sabrina Kate Paner-Montiel, Noelle Flores

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is crucial for equipping individuals with the competences needed to address the pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges of our time. Despite the recognized potential of service-learning in cultivating competences that can promote sustainable development, there is a lack of empirical research exploring the development of these competences among students. Hence, this study examined the effectiveness of service-learning as a pedagogical approach to ESD in fostering essential competences among students. The research involved 43 groups of students, who engaged in addressing various sustainable development issues through service-learning. A thematic analysis of students’ written reflections revealed …

Outpatient Fall Prevention In Ambulatory Adults 65 Years Old And Over, Dorothy L. Osborne-White

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects - Archive

Background: In the United States (U.S.), falls are the leading cause of injury among adults 65 and over, resulting in 36 million falls yearly (Moreland et al., 2020). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2023), one in four older adults experiences a fall each year. Falls are the world's second most prominent cause of accidental deaths (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021). Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults (Moreland et al., 2020).

Methods: A quality improvement project that included a fall bundle was implemented in a primary clinic. A …

A Guide To Administering Knowledge Tests For Research, Aisha Naz Ansari, Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta, Sohail Ahmad

Institute for Educational Development Pakistan (IED-PK) Archives

This guide serves as a concise, step-by-step resource designed to equip graduate students and field researchers with the essential guidelines to administer knowledge tests with precision and consistency, ensuring standardised assessment practices.

Housing Equity In Golden Gate Village, Nicole White

Social Justice | Senior Theses

For generations, the African American community has faced many forms of housing discrimination that have created major inequalities in their everyday lived experiences (Lockwood, 2020). This study explores the long-lasting effects of discriminatory housing policies in creating disparate housing conditions within the public housing community in Marin City called Golden Gate Village, as well as the role of the Marin Housing Authority in practices of displacement and neglect. The methodology for the study included seven different interviews with Golden Gate Village residents to obtain knowledge about the community as well as grasp an understanding of the lived experiences of the …

Democratically Engaged Assessment On Civic Learning For Bonner Scholars, Lesley Boadu, Meredith Bacon

Other Publications

This report will cover the multi-step process to identify and define the most critical civic learning outcomes for Bonner Scholars at the University of Richmond (UR). We will detail a democratically engaged assessment (DEA) involving diverse stakeholders to gather perspectives and insights. We do this by highlighting the work that has taken place and then making suggestions to improve the overall process. Some of this work includes using surveys to capture community experiences, involving students in creating definitions and implementing reflective journaling. We will also discuss the revision of reflection essay assignments to align with the identified outcomes and the …

The Unequal Distribution Of Social Risk For Black Men Across The Life-Span. A Novel Framework., Waleed Y. Sami

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual overview offers a comprehensive overview of systemic pathways that negatively impact the mental health of Black Men throughout their lives. Our argument highlights the importance for counselors and mental health professionals to utilize a thorough social risk assessment that considers these pathways in order to effectively address the mental health needs of Black Men while fostering positive working relationships. This overview strongly advocates for the use of context and structural determinants when evaluating mental health symptoms. Without an appropriate understanding of social risk and determinants, counselors may inadvertently perpetuate disparities by decontextualizing symptomology, and reproducing racist discourse.

Warming Up Cold Cases With Dr. Krystal Hans, Vanessa Cooper

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Dr. Krystal Hans is an assistant professor of forensic entomology in the Department of Entomology. Dr. Hans teaches courses on forensic science and forensic entomology, including the “Forensic Investigation” (ENTM 22810) course, where a major component of the course is a cold case project. The cold case project focuses on accessing information about an unresolved case and trains students to engage with empathy as advocates for victims while developing skills in research, digital and information literacy, submission of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, designing infographics, and public speaking. Students produce digital case files and infographics to display the …

Pro Se: Speech & Debate Mentoring Program For Justice-Impacted Youth Community-Engaged Learning Experiences Of Cornell University Students, Nia Clements, Paola Falcon, Ria Sodhi, Matt Saleh

The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement: JoSE

The Pro Se Speech and Debate Program is a student-led engaged learning program at Cornell University, housed within the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR). In this initiative, Cornell undergraduate and graduate students engage with justice-impacted youth (ages 14-17) in Central New York to provide mentorship and educational offerings. Cornell students serve as “speech and debate coaches” and peer mentors to youth involved in the Central New York Health Home Network’s (CNYHHN) “Restorative Integrated Youth Services” (RIYS) diversion program in Utica, New York. The primary goal of the program is to empower youth by building self-advocacy …