SPOKANE, Wash.Washington State University Spokane seeks to enhance students’ educational experience by integrating community service into the curriculum. While the educational benefits of service learning are typically evaluated to improve the student experience, the community benefits are often left unreported.
Bob Scarfo, associate professor in the Interdisciplinary Design Institute at WSU Spokane is developing an assessment tool to evaluate the community’s experience and illustrate how service learning is accelerating change throughout communities.
Scarfo got the idea to measure the impact of service learning during a revitalization project in the Hillyard neighborhood for one of his landscape architecture classes. Members of the Hillyard Business Association repeatedly commented on the benefits of the project to the community. “We’re three years ahead of where we thought we would be, now we have to run to catch up with the students,” said one member. This made Scarfo realize how students can help accelerate progress in a community and find solutions to everyday problems, such as energy conservation.
“Communities are lagging behind in making changes that conserve energy and preparing for the impacts of energy down-turn,” said Scarfo. “They need help to start making changes more quickly, and I see an opportunity where students can help.”
Scarfo researched the literature and learned that nothing speaks to the rate at which service learning intervention accelerates change in a community. This led him to organize a symposium where scholars from several universities discussed how the impact could be measured. The symposium resulted in the design of a prototype assessment tool which WSU Spokane students will pilot test this fall on local community service projects.
“This research assessment will provide invaluable insight into the power of change brought to communities by students,” Scarfo said. “This is the first step. Once we can show service learning can accelerate change, we’ll be able to better assist communitiesespecially in their efforts to adapt to rising energy costs and climate change pressures.”
For more information please contact Bob Scarfo, WSU Spokane, associate professor, Interdisciplinary Design Institute, 509-358-7913, scarfo@wsu.edu.
