By Taylor Ware

Left to right: Molly Reeves, Kaitlyn Galaydick, Miranda Dougherty, Kathryn Wagner, Alexis Scroggins

Integrated Service-Learning is a crucial piece of Missouri State’s public affairs mission. Many faculty have taken it upon themselves to weave service-learning into their courses to further enrich their students’ academic experience. Professor Jennifer Lowenthal-Hershey is a prime example of an instructor using community engagement to fortify their student’s education.

Professor Lowenthal-Hershey teaches Critical and Creative Thinking Using Information Technology. In this course, students are encouraged to examine individual and public policy problems via the lens of information technology. Excel, Microsoft, and a variety of research databases are among their utilized tools.

The integration of service-learning into ITC 200 has been an incredible shift in creating a more dynamic and engaging course. Students in Professor Lowenthal-Hershey’s class are tasked with a semester-long, group project that constitutes the service-learning aspect of the course. Randomly assigned groups work together to select a Red Flag Issue from the 2021 Community Focus Report. These groups then collaborate to conduct research, synthesize data and develop solutions.

“This project allows my students to gain an understanding of what Springfield is doing well and what we need to work on. It gives my students a multitude of skills to use when problem solving, and a confidence boost in using those skills. Through interviews and interaction with community leaders, I feel that our community sees that our students really care about what is going on in the area,” explained Lowenthal-Hershey.

One particularly strong team was selected to be highlighted in this blog. Team members include:

Miranda Dougherty: Accounting   ||   Sophomore

Kaitlyn Galaydick: Entertainment Management   ||   Freshman

Molly Reeves: General Business   ||   Freshman

Alexis Scroggins: Supply Chain Logistics & Operations Management   ||   Junior

Kathryn Wagner: Business Administration & Criminology   || Freshman

After an initial examination of the Community Focus Report, the team discovered a common interest that they selected as their project topic; they chose the lack of support to mitigate post-trauma mental health in early childhood. Subsequently, the team chose to approach their topic with elementary education as an entry point to have a more distinct perspective.

“Each of us has a connection to this issue. We all have relatives that either teach young children or are young children. Also, all of us are passionate about the importance of mental health support at the community level,” said Reeves.

Jumping into a project like this is daunting. It asks students to activate their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities— a challenge not often thoroughly realized in the classroom. The project is divided into assignments evenly dispersed throughout the semester. It begins with data gathering and concludes with an extensive in-class presentation.

The team expressed gratitude for the structured nature of the project. Initial feelings of stress dissolved as the semester progressed and the assignment ramifications became clearer. “Randomized group projects can be a headache, but we worked great together,” said Wagner. Their teams’ success stemmed from an early instinct to communicate often and openly.

“Our end goal was to create something that could feasibly be implemented by community leaders,” explained Dougherty. “It was a unique experience because normally going into a class project you have an apprehensive mindset. But this became more than a class project for us, it became our passion.”

Their team was highly cohesive. They expressed great appreciation for the opportunity to learn about group dynamics and foster their collaboration skills. When asked what they did to facilitate such a cooperative atmosphere, they explained the importance of pulling your weight, talking out any problems, and communicating with your instructor.

Professor Lowenthal-Hershey expects high achievement from her students. Her service-learning project requires significant detail. Teams were asked to provide root causes for their topics. For instance, the team covered here examined the factors involved in provoking mental health complications during early childhood. This included things like lack of communication between parents and teachers as well as lack of resources and poor coordination.

Another portion of the project included a depiction of an “ideal state” which examines a society where early childhood mental health is not a prominent issue and is well supported. They also provided a stakeholder analysis examining who is related to the issue outside of the primary subject (children). Eventually, they moved into the solution phase of the project which involved brainstorming multiple solutions and narrowing them down based on an array of criteria. This included considerations like sustainability, ease of implementation, impact, and community support.

“We came up with our solution early on and felt really passionate about it immediately,” said Scroggins.

Their team’s solution is called the Buddy System. It centers around pairing college students with preschoolers through 3rd graders to be “buddies.” This would entail the pairings meeting a minimum of once a month to do bonding activities. These pairings would be determined based on a survey given to both the older and younger students.

The Buddy System would provide younger students with a more mature individual to confide in and connect with. The meetings are not therapy or mentorship, but rather, genuine friendships. It allows a listening ear and a more consistent allyship without the impact that authority can have on a young person’s relationship to older adults. The Buddy System could be implemented through college courses, service-learning programs or through standard volunteerism.

Wagner explained, “The Buddy System seeks to remedy a student’s lack of connection to parents or teachers. It also provides those more authoritative individuals a bridge to reach their students.” This solution was particularly appealing to the team due to its flexibility as students are able to self-determine how often they meet. It can also be unique to each kid because it is on a one-to-one level. Additionally, it doesn’t require extensive resources or qualifications as it is ultimately just students hanging out.

The goal of The Buddy System is not for the older student to provide advice but for them to provide connection. Empowerment is another crucial facet of the program because it is the number one tool for dealing with trauma. It prevents a feeling of helplessness or the ramifications of a victim complex.

After building out their solution, the team moved on to writing out their proposal, process, decision tools and executive summary.

“It’s great career readiness to start with almost nothing and learn how to perform research, narrow things down, and develop an effective solution,” said Dougherty. Professional development is a primary goal of integrated service-learning. Faculty and the community work closely together to formulate a constructive environment for Missouri State students. Other members of the team also stressed how valuable this project was to them.

Wagner said, “I learned new skills on Excel as well as what terminology like weighted analysis tables and criteria selection entail in a professional setting.” According to Reeves, another of the benefits was the opportunity to develop effective group dynamics. The team discussed how lucky they were to have a group with a variety of strengths and weaknesses. This provided them the chance to streamline their process and construct a first-rate project.

According to the team’s instructor, they exhibited a great work ethic all semester. “They really got into their project and clicked as a team. It was easy to tell that they enjoyed each other’s company,” said Lowenthal-Hershey. Her integrated service-learning project spans across 4 classes and 31 teams. Utilizing topical community issues has been an incredibly productive exercise for each of Professor Lowenthal-Hershey’s students. She regularly receives great feedback on her course.

“The coolest part of integrated service-learning is that it makes students think about things we normally wouldn’t, like the importance of supporting our community and real ways to make a difference in it.” said Scroggins.

If you have an interest in the benefits service-learning provides, learn more on our website or reach out to ServiceLearning@MissouriState.edu.