For Immediate Release
June 9, 2003
Contact: John Hammond, Director of Public Relations, 210/733-2147, jhammond@accd.edu
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SAC Service Learning Creates Partnerships,
Real-World Education
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| Service Learning, a program linking classroom education to
relevant public service, began in 1993 under President Clinton as the National
and Community Service Act and was soon put into practice at San Antonio
College. Since Audrey Grams filled a newly created position of Service-Learning
Coordinator in 2001, the program has experienced significant growth, generated
new community partnerships, and given students a "real-world"
component to the classroom. Increased Participation Grams reports a steady increase in both the number of college-agency partnerships and the involvement of faculty and students in the past four semesters. For example, 150 students performed 3,052 hours of community service in the Fall 2001, in comparison with the Fall 2002 Semester when 735 students performed 10,384 hours of community service. Valuable Community Service The kinds of service vary with student interests and classroom topics. Some of the agency partnerships are with Junior Achievement, San Antonio Youth Literacy, and the San Antonio State Hospital (SASH). Psychology students studying under Dr. Pam Hill and A. Douglas McKenzie performed 539 hours of volunteer service for the hospital's Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program for six months, which was valued at $7,993, and the SASH Volunteer Services Council honored them with the Volunteer Group of the Year Award for 2002. "The students were directly involved with patient programs. They read case histories . . . and quickly learned that they would serve as the models for appropriate behavior during patient interaction," said Robert C. Arizpe, SASH Superintendent. He added, "They learned to provide 'cues' and occasionally 'redirect' the patients as they carried out various tasks designed to increase their independent living skills, [which] created an opportunity for the therapists to deliver services in a more individualized manner." Broader Education Sometimes Service Learning can involve student research in the community, such as a Human Sexuality class that researched the kind of sex education being conducted in the San Antonio public schools and related state and national legislation. Some of the academic disciplines that have integrated Service Learning experiences into classroom work include anthropology, management, child development, dental assisting, education, English, history, humanities, interdisciplinary studies, math, physical education, psychology, sociology, and speech. The program requires students to reflect on their experiences in writing or orally. An anthropology student in one of Professor Anthony Lyle's classes summed up one of the main attractions of Service Learning for students: "I think Service Learning is an excellent way to allow students hands-on access to their career field early on and is a valuable educational tool." Seeds for Growth Grams fosters new opportunities with Service Learning and Volunteer Fairs at San Antonio College. The Spring 2003 fair brought to campus more than 35 agencies, whose representatives talked with students and faculty. Also, Service Learning Mini Grants of $900 give faculty an incentive to design or revise curricula to include Service Learning and reflection as teaching and learning objectives in their courses. More information about Service Learning at San Antonio College is available at www.accd.edu/sac/service or by contacting Grams at 785-6044 or agrams@accd.edu. |
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1300 San Pedro Ave. • San Antonio, Texas • 78212-4299 • (210) 733-2147 |