Product Details

Author Information

Corresponding Author
Lorece Edwards
Morgan State University
1700 E. Coldspring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21251
United States
p: 443-885-3566
Lorece.Edwards@morgan.edu

Authors (listed in order of authorship):
Lorece Edwards
Morgan State University

Anita Hawkins
Morgan State University

Kim D. Sydnor
Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy

Product Description and Application Narrative Submitted by Corresponding Author

What general topics does your product address?

Public Health, Social & Behavioral Sciences

What specific topics does your product address?

Health disparities, Partnership building , Service-learning

Does your product focus on a specific population(s)?

N/A

What methodological approaches were used in the development of your product, or are discussed in your product?

Community-academic partnership, Service-learning

What resource type(s) best describe(s) your product?

Best practice , Manual/how to guide, Service learning material

Application Narrative

1. Please provide a 1600 character abstract describing your product, its intended use and the audiences for which it would be appropriate.*

The Practice Experience/Service Learning Guide is a tool that is used to assist students, faculty, and community health partners implement service-learning projects and public health community-based practice. The Practice Experience/Service Learning Guide provides a step-by-step process for community-based practice integrating service-learning from start to finish. The role of the students, faculty, and community partners are clear and concise, as well as practice experience policies and procedures. Service-learning is clearly defined and includes examples best practices in service-learning and public health projects. Included is a list potential venues for public health practice, service-learning projects, and community engagement. There are guidelines that describe the format for the students’ action plan and service and learning objectives. The guide also includes the principles of community engagement which can be used by a range of health professionals. Frequently asked questions relative to practice experience and service-learning are included as well as the most important things to remember. Of importance, is a section for reflection. Reflection is the known to be the hyphen between service and learning and provides an opportunity for personal and professional growth. It is important to note that service-learning is the key format in the majority (95%) of our community-based practice experiences. However, we realize that some of our students will complete a practice experience that will not include service-learning.

2. What are the goals of the product?

This guide is intended for use by students, faculty, and community partners as they prepare for service-learning practice experience. The goals of the Practice Experience/Service Learning Guide vary:

• Assist students, faculty members, and community health partners navigate the practice experience and service-learning process.
• Clarify service-learning as a teaching methodology.
• Engage faculty members in sustained community-based partnerships.
• Encourage discussion about public health practice, service-learning, and reflection.
• Demystify practice experience and service learning for students.
• Help students identify practice experience community sites.
• Incorporate service-learning in public health community-based practice to address racial and ethnic health disparities.
• Differentiate service-learning from traditional clinical education and internship.
• Establish and sustain long-term relationships between the community and academia.
• Provide the opportunity for project synthesis and “reflection.”
• Enhance and extend the social responsibility of the institution.
• Assist community-based organizations and community members better understand academia.

3. Who are the intended audiences or expected users of the product?

This guide was developed for students, faculty members, academic administrators, community health partners, and the practice coordinator for Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy. It serves as a tool for individuals who plan, implement, and supervise community-based service-learning practice experience projects. However, this guide would be useful for wide range of health profession schools s a resource because of valuable information on service learning and practice. Additionally, this guide is intended to facilitate discussion about service-learning practice experience, develop a common understanding of what constitutes a service-learning practice experience project, and assist in articulating definitions and expectations for service-learning consistent with the mission and values of MSU-SCHP.

4. Please provide any special instructions for successful use of the product, if necessary. If your product has been previously published, please provide the appropriate citation below.

There are not any special instructions for the successful use of this guide by external organizations. However, there are values embedded in this document for community scholarship, authentic partnerships, service-learning, and community capacity building.

5. Please describe how your product or the project that resulted in the product builds on a relevant field, discipline or prior work. You may cite the literature and provide a bibliography in the next question if appropriate.

The Practice Experience/Service-Learning Guide is a product that builds on the discipline of public health practice. According to the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), all professional degree students must develop skills in basic public health concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through a practice experience that is relevant to their area of interest. The Practice Experience/Service-Learning project for public health students is an essential component of the public health professional degree and combines rigorous academic curriculum with meeting the identified needs of the community. This project allows the student the opportunity to integrate classroom instruction and structured goals and objectives “real world” problems.

The overall mission of the Morgan State University School of Community Health and Policy (MSU-SCHP) is to prepare leaders who will generate, apply, and transfer new information designed to better understand and improve urban health problems, where by eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities. With this mission in mind, integrating service-learning into curricula as well as the required practice experience is the best approach for addressing urban health problems. According to Eads (1994) service-learning is population focused and provides opportunities for students to act locally to solve social problems and advocate for social justice.

Practice Experience/service-learning projects provide positive and meaningful learning experiences for students. However, for the non-traditional student squeezing in a practicum can be tough in terms of competing demands (job, family, and education) and non-structured learning activities. However, if the process, policies and procedures are clear and concise, the practice experience becomes a catalyst for change for all involved and service-learning enables the student to place their roles as health professionals and citizens into a larger societal context (Seifer, 1998). Of particular importance, the community engagement aspect of service-learning is a mechanism for promoting cultural competence among public health professionals. The partnership developed through service-learning creates opportunities for students to launch or continue their lifelong venture of learning about the characteristics of different cultures (Yoder, 2006).

The Practice Experience/Service-Learning Manual is a product that is the result of the need to increase the capacity for community-based scholarship among students, faculty, and community partners by clarifying and increasing the knowledge of faculty and students on this method of learning. And, just as important, meet the needs of the host community.

6. Please provide a bibliography for work cited above or in other parts of this application. Provide full references, in the order sited in the text (i.e. according to number order). .

• Council on Education for Public Health, Accreditation Criteria, www.ceph.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3350
• Eads, S. E. (1994). The value of service-learning in higher education. In R. J. Kraft, & M. Swader (Eds.) Building communities: Service-learning in the academic disciplines (pp. 35 – 40).
• Seifer, S. (1998). Service-learning: Community-Campus partnerships for health professions education. Academic Medicine, (73)3, pp. 273 – 277.
• Yoder, K. (2006). A framework for service-learning in dental education. Journal of Dental Education. (70)2, pp. 115 – 123.

7. Please describe the project or body of work from which the submitted product developed. Describe the ways that community and academic/institutional expertise contributed to the project. Pay particular attention to demonstrating the quality or rigor of the work:

• For research-related work, describe (if relevant) study aims, design, sample, measurement instruments, and analysis and interpretation. Discuss how you verified the accuracy of your data.
• For education-related work, describe (if relevant) any needs assessment conducted, learning objectives, educational strategies incorporated, and evaluation of learning.
• For other types of work, discuss how the project was developed and reasons for the methodological choices made.

The body of work from which the submitted product was developed is based on practice experience curriculum development for public health practice. Public health practice curriculum development requires careful planning, as well as, systematically integrating service-learning into the curriculum. When service-learning is integrated into the curriculum, students acquire a broader and deeper understanding of the social and behavioral competencies of public health practice. However, of importance, academic rigor cannot be compromised.
The curriculum design for practice experience/service-learning sought to address the following objectives: (1) enable students to experience “deep” learning; implement successful practice /service-learning experiences; (2) demonstrate self-evaluation (reflection); and combine rigorous academic skills and knowledge to real-life needs. Overall, the goal is to prepare public health leaders to apply, generate, and utilize knowledge beyond the academic walls while meeting the needs of the local community.

The practice experience/service-learning curriculum is comprised of the three levels: level I: planning/preparation, level II: action/implementation, and level III: synthesis/reflection.

Level I:
It is important to match the community partner and practice experience/service-learning project to the mission of MSU-SCHP. Once the student has identified an area of interest, he/she and the faculty advisor conducts a community needs assessment. The community in partnership with the student and faculty design a service-learning project that addresses an existing community need.
Preparation links the service-learning activity to specific learning outcomes and prepares the student to address an actual community need. All activities are planned to meet the course objectives and content and the student submit’s a proposal outlining the planned activity. Each team member (student, faculty, and the community partner also known as the preceptor) have specific roles in carrying out the project.
Level II:
All students are required to complete a minimum of 200 hours on the specified project working on the goals and objectives. Students are also required to: complete and submit bi-weekly reflection logs, participate in reflection seminars, meeting regularly with advisors, and maintain the necessary reading. Once the student has completed the project, they are required to submit a summary report and student evaluation. Evaluation forms must also be completed by the faculty advisor, preceptor, and community partner.

Level III:
Here the emphasis is on synthesis and reflection. For the MPH student, level III is the Capstone Project and for the DrPH student, level III is the Dissertation Seminar. The MPH student is required to present their project to the academic community. All students are strongly encouraged to prepare a scholarly article of publishable quality.

Product Contributions:
Faculty, students and community partners contributed to the body of work in multiple ways. All suggested that clear roles and expectations were needed to prevent misunderstandings and ambiguity. Faculty contributions included: assistance with curriculum development, formation of the practice/service-learning committee and development and management of the practice database.

Student contributions included: feedback/suggestions for the practice/service-learning manual. Moreover, students via reflection exercises identified what would be helpful in guiding them through the experience (e.g., characteristics of service-learning, writing requirements, role of the faculty and preceptor).

The community health partners indirectly contributed to the body of work. As stated during community health partner meetings, the community wanted to know the best way to engage in an authentic partnership with the academy, while contributing to the academic growth of the student. They recommended written guidelines that would spell out their roles.

8. Please describe the process of developing the product, including the ways that community and academic/institutional expertise were integrated in the development of this product.

The Practice Experience/Service-Learning Manual was developed in alliance with the mission of MSU-SCHP and best practices in public health practice and service-learning. In the process, consideration was given to various components which have a general impact on curriculum development and design. The mission of MSU, vision statement of academic affairs, graduate council, public health departmental initiatives, and the National Advisory Board (NAB) are some of the academic components that work together and make recommendations regarding course content and educational learning outcomes for students.

The concept of developing the Practice Experience/Service Learning Manual originated with members of the Public Health Practice and Community-Engagement Committee. Some of the concerns included: practice experience among non-traditional students, student level of motivation, competing issues of self-supporting students, and student service-learning practice experiences during the summer months when faculty were less accessible due to their academic contracts. After careful consideration, the committee decided that a set of guidelines would help students with the process, enhance the understanding of public health practice and service-learning among faculty and administration, and strengthen the relationship between the academy and the community.

In developing the manual, the practice committee primarily focused on the needs and concerns of the student. This information was based on student feedback during and after the practice experience/service learning project and the student evaluations. Several students clearly articulated ideas and made suggestions pertaining to what would be helpful to them. Therefore, a practice-experience/service-learning “toolbox” was created from a practitioner’s perspective. The toolbox was used to collect recommendations, suggestions, and ideas from students, faculty, administrators, community partners, and alumni. Feedback was gleaned during classes, faculty meetings, National Advisory Board meetings, community health partners’ meetings/luncheons, faculty institute, and alumni network meetings. The overall recommendation was to develop a manual or guide that would support the successful implementation of the practice-experience to infuse service-learning, and to capitalize on the strengths and unique skills of both the community partners and academia to improve the overall health of urban communities.

Faculty contributions and expertise integrated in the guide included assistance with curriculum development and wherever possible the integration of service-learning in the curriculum as well as practice experience field activities. Of note, faculty within the Department of Social and Behavioral Health Science have developed a course titled “Community Needs and Solutions.” In this course, students and faculty work intimately with the community to address an identify needs and brainstorm potential solutions. This effort often leads to practice experience activities for students. Faculty efforts also assess and promote the acquisition of core public health competencies in field practice experience/service-learning projects which are reflected in the guide. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Director of Community Practice and Outreach, faulty members developed their roles and expectations during practice activities and outreach projects. Students also submitted their recommendations that were incorporated. For example, the faculty advisor should meet with the student and host community to cooperatively evaluate their performance.

The community health partners indirectly contributed to the body of work. As stated during community health partner meetings, the community wanted to know the best way to engage in an authentic partnership with the academy, while contributing to the academic growth of the student. Community members offered their expertise in terms of identifying the role of the Preceptor. The Preceptor (also known as the Site Supervisor) is responsible for identifying a project for the student and providing adequate facilities and equipment for the student. However, of importance, the community wanted to make sure that all students worked toward their project goals and objectives while establishing trusting relationships with the community. Establishing and sustaining community-based relationships are important for the institution.

The National Advisory Board suggested that since MSU-SCHP is a practice-based program working directly with urban communities, that the principles of community-engagement be included in the product. The Board also highlighted the considerable amount of time and effort it takes to lay the foundation of a partnership. Therefore, the ethical practice of public health is included in the manual.

Students contributed expertise in the areas of practice experience proposal guidelines and the most important things to remember in facilitating the practice experience/service-learning projects. Their voices were heard and the guide reflects the step-by-step process of completing this critical component of professional development.

9. Please discuss the significance and impact of your product. In your response, discuss ways your product has added to existing knowledge and benefited the community; ways others may have utilized your product; and any relevant evaluation data about impact, if available. If the impact of the product is not yet known, discuss its potential significance.

The Practice Experience/Service-Learning Manual is significant in numerous ways. First and foremost, the manual offers guidance to all of those who are involved in student public health practice activities and wish to integrate service-learning as a teaching methodology. Providing an overview of the practice experience/service-learning projects, the manual starts with the mission and vision of MSU-SCHP, concepts of practice experience and service-learning to the principles of community engagement. Beyond that, it highlights the policies and procedures of community-based public health practice for the MSU-SCHP. Developed with students in mind who must develop skills in basic public health concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through practice experience, the manual includes the public health core competencies and the interdisciplinary/cross-cutting competencies developed by the Association of Schools of Public Health.

Other aims of the Practice Experience/Service-Learning Manual include:

• Increase the knowledge and understanding of public health practice experience and service-learning for students, faculty , community partners, and administrators
• Provide as a guide for selecting a practice site
• Define service-learning and provides examples of best practices
• Distinguish the differences between service-learning and traditional clinical education
• Assist the practice team in recognizing reflection as a method of learning

Students are often faced with ethical dilemmas. To provide a set of values and rules to guide choice and action, the manual incorporates a code of ethics and the ethical practices of public health. Not only is it important for students to demonstrate skills and knowledge in public health but to also uphold the standards and conduct of the profession.

We believe that that Practice Experience/Service-Learning Manual adds to existing knowledge in the following ways:

• Increase the understanding of service-learning as an adult learning model for students.
• Increase knowledge of the importance of integrating service-learning into curricula and practice experience as a requirement for public health education.
• Modify existing/traditional community-based public health practice to create new innovative academic approaches (e.g., Physical Education Revolution: A Physical Activity Program Using the Nintendo Wii).
• Improve the understanding of how learning occurs among adult students.
• Enhanced the knowledge and attitude of Administrators concerning novel health promotion and public health concepts.

The product and it purposes have benefited the community in a various ways. The manual provided increased knowledge of academic content. Community partners were able to learn more about public health and health disparities and increase their understanding of public health practice activities. This product promoted enhanced partnerships that lead to improved health outcomes for underserved populations. While defining the roles of the preceptor, the community prioritized their short-term and long-term needs and goals. Additionally, the community was able to increase their access to university resources (e.g., SCHP resource room/library, faculty service).

This product has only been used by students, faculty, and community partners affiliated with MSU-SCHP.

Data regarding the impact of the Practice Experience/Service-Learning Manual were collected via student reflections assignments, faculty feedback/comments at faculty meetings, and community partners’ comments at network meetings.

The manual has assisted students, faculty, and community partners better understand public health practice and service-learning. This tool has assisted students with the step-by-step process of planning and implementing a practice activity. Faculty have used the manual to better understand service-learning and how it can be integrated into curricula and outreach projects. Community partners have utilized this product as a vehicle for prioritizing their needs, expanding their resources, and build capacity.

It is our hope that this product will demonstrate the need to value, recognize, and reward service-learning, community-engagement, and community scholarship in the faculty review, promotion and tenure process.

10. Please describe why you chose the presentation format you did.

Although we are living in the age of technology, developing a written guide was the selected format for this presentation rather than other multimedia products. Multimedia products have certainly introduced new forms of expression and concepts. Of note, recent research suggests that multimedia applications can enhance students learning experiences. However, after a comparative analysis it was decided by the majority that a written manual would be the best format for the following reasons:

• Quick and easy access for all, especially Community Health Partners
• Does not require equipment (DVD player, etc)
• Can be saved on the computer and viewed electronically
• Can be distributed via web-base
• Easy to modify without cost
• Can be good for tele-classroom presentation
• Cost effective

Based on comments and feedback from students, faculty and community partners, and the National Advisory Board, the guide was developed to serve as an instrument to ensure that students are prepared to begin their practice experience/service learning projects. Furthermore, the guide includes the necessary steps, policies, procedures, and practical tools with easy-to-follow instructions for the practice experience/service-learning projects at MSU-SCHP.

11. Please reflect on the strengths and limitations of your product. In what ways did community and academic/institutional collaborators provide feedback and how was such feedback used? Include relevant evaluation data about strengths and limitations if available.

In reflecting on the product, there are strengths and weaknesses worthily of mentioning. The primary strength of the product is its benefit to the students by articulating the instructions for practice experience integrating service-learning. The guide is a tool that walks students through the practice experience/service-learning requirement by highlighting, the practical skills necessary for students to successfully complete their projects. Other strengths of the product include but are not limited to:

• Fosters critical thinking about innovative practice experience/service-learning projects
• Adds value to the relationship between academia and the community
• Increases motivation and generates enthusiasm among students to complete the practice experience requirement
• Provides a space for reflection for students, faculty, and community partners to share stories from the field and identify new learning
• Improves the communication between the faculty advisor and student
• Academic tool for community partners to better understand the processes of the practice experience/service-learning project
• User friendly format without the use of technical language
• Defines and explains the role of service-learning
• Helps rekindle MSU as an engaged campus
• Supports the institutionalization of service-learning
• Encourages civic engagement
• Fits the MSU-SCHP culture

Every product has its own limitations. The inherent limitations of this guide are 1). It may not be appropriate for other users, 2). It is not designed to substitute for public health knowledge, and 3). It maybe time consuming for all community health partners to use this manual given their busy schedules and programmatic demands.

As mentioned earlier, suggestions, feedback, comments, and/or concerns were gathered during various public forums. Feedback was gleaned during classes, faculty meetings, National Advisory Board meetings, community health partners’ meetings/luncheons, faculty institute, and alumni network meetings. Commentary was given in the form of one-on-one discussion and verbal and written comments. Exploring and interpreting feedback was very important in giving us a greater sense of what modifications were needed to improve the product.

When comparing the feedback and comments received, the following similarities were gleaned from all collaborators: clearly define service-learning, include examples of best practices, include clear instructions for proposal development, and keep the format user friendly. Specific feedback from academia included: clearly define service-learning and provide examples. The product has a section that defines service-learning with examples of best practices and innovative ideas for projects in public health practice. Students and alumni suggested that clear instructions for developing the proposal guidelines were needed and would reduce ambiguity. All proposal guidelines are clearly articulated with specific measures. Community partners/preceptors advocated that the product be user friendly without technical language. The product is easy to use, quickly accessible, and contains a table of contents for quick references. Of importance, feedback also included that in the future when funds were available; develop a DVD to compliment the written manual. It was suggested; that a picture is worth a thousand words and that the new millennium student could view the DVD while attending to other task. The feedback expressed was used to improve the quality of the product before its use.

In addition, the Practice Committee made the following suggestions: consider evaluating the utility of the guide and add a section for the evaluation documents. Therefore, the guide includes an appendix that includes the evaluation forms for the student, faculty advisor, preceptor, and community partner (if, necessary).

Of note, we will begin evaluating the use of this guide among all members of the practice team in the spring of 2010.

12. Please describe ways that the project resulting in the product involved collaboration that embodied principles of mutual respect, shared work and shared credit. If different, describe ways that the product itself involved collaboration that embodied principles of mutual respect, shared work and shared credit. Have all collaborators on the product been notified of and approved submission of the product to CES4Health.info? If not, why not? Please indicate whether the project resulting in the product was approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or community-based review mechanism, if applicable, and provide the name(s) of the IRB/mechanism.

The project resulting in product and the product itself involved collaboration that embodied principles of mutual respect, shared work and shared credit. The body of work originated with developing the curriculum for public health practice that incorporated very strong emphases in service-learning, as a teaching methodology and as an essential component of public health community-based practice. In working together ( various committees) to develop the curriculum for practice experience, the practice committee and faculty shared mutual respect for the ideas, concepts, and recommendations for the public health practice course and approached curriculum development systematically.

The team worked together to implement their unique skills, knowledge, and talents to produce a product that supported student learning, address community needs, and enhance community partnerships. The revised product was presented to the program director, curriculum committee and the National Advisory Board. The product was approved and implemented the following semester.

MSU-SCHP is a graduate practice-based public health program that practices the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) both externally as well as internally. One of the principles of CBPR is equitable partnerships. An important guiding principle for our program is collaborative, equitable relationships among faculty, staff, students, and the community that are built on the principles of mutual respect, shared work, shared credit, and collective engagement.

In the production of the project mutual respect was expressed among students for their suggestions and input. Faculty, alumni and community partners shared the work and incorporated ideas that improved the quality of product. And, we all share the credit for successfully bringing this concept to fruition. Our community partners were extremely helpful in that they made time to share their comments and recommendations and help define their roles and responsibilities regarding field experience.

Inviting our community partners to be a part of this process did help in demonstrating that their participation was valued. Our approach of community engagement is in alignment with the Asset Based Community Development model. This process focuses on the strengths of a community and their capacity to mobilize their assets for improvement and change. Of importance, the community lies in the heart of “public health” and by working together; we will more accurately identify problems and work together to develop meaningful and effective solutions. The community partners involved in this process included: Sisters Together and Reaching (STAR), The Northwood Appold Academic Center, and the Community Health Partnership. Each partner provided feedback and suggestions for use of this guide.

All of the collaborators on the product have been notified of and approved of the submission of the product to CES4health.info. Additionally, all collaborators are excited about the opportunity to submit to a mechanism that values community-engaged scholarship in other forms than manuscripts.

The project resulting in the product was not required to be approved by the Institutional Review Board or a community-based review mechanism. The product was approved by the MSU-SCHP curriculum committee, practice committee, and National Advisory Board.