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.