From right here in Ruston to the jungles of Honduras, service-learning is an integral part of Louisiana Tech's mission.
Service-learning is a teaching and learning method that upholds a commitment to appreciating the assets and serving the needs of a community partner while enhancing student learning and academic rigor through the practice of intentional reflective thinking and responsible civic action. Unlike internships, community service, and volunteerism, service-learning is different because it emphasizes benefits to both those served and the service provider. Four necessary components for any course that seeks to offer a service-learning experience for students are that it has a commitment to community partnership, it involves learning and academic rigor, it incorporates intentional reflective thinking, and above all it practices civic responsibility.
Louisiana Tech University and the University of Louisiana System has a commitment to service learning and encourages faculty to develop courses with a service-learning component. Under the guidance of Dr. Rick Simmons, the Louisiana Tech Director of Service-Learning, The Center for Academic and Professional Development offers support for faculty who wish to engage in a service-learning experience. Sample syllabi are available from previously offered courses as well as periodic training and mentoring by experienced faculty. Contact CAPD for more information, suggestions, or requests.
Louisiana Tech Named to National Service-Learning Honor Roll
Louisiana Tech was recently named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This honor is clearly due to the efforts of the faculty whose projects were submitted as exemplary service-learning projects at Louisiana Tech. We were allowed to submit six projects - just three each in two categories - and there were time restrictions and other factors that made the narrowing-down process very competitive. We submitted and were recognized based on the following six projects:
• Maternal Newborn Community Outreach Program, Tanya Sims and Donna Hood, Nursing
• School of Architecture Habitat for Humanity Home Construction, Kevin Stevens, Architecture
• Earthquake Simulation Chamber, Mel Corley, Mechanical Engineering
• Mentoring Boy Scouts for Aviation Badges, Gary Odom, Aviation
• Sparta Conservation Project, Aaron Lusby and Gary Kennedy, Agricultural Sciences
• Shaken Baby Syndrome Education, Nancy Darland and Tanya Sims, Nursing
Congratulations to the faculty members above, as well as their departments and colleges. The work you do benefits Louisiana Tech University and Ruston, Lincoln Parish, and Louisiana as a whole.
