A Professor’s Reflection on the Value of Student Reflections in a Service-Learning Research Project within a University Science Course

Abstract

A well-established university Biology course that addresses
among its several cores the impact of indoor air pollution on human health,
involved 29 undergraduate students in a dynamic service-learning research
project. The students were prepared academically through intensive course
lectures and in-class training then guided into the community to gauge its
awareness of indoor air pollution. The students took with them into the
community especially designed brochures that highlighted the health effects
of eight major indoor air pollutants and questionnaires that community
participants were asked to complete anonymously. In addition to teaching
the course and training the students in service-learning practices, the
professor’s role included: (a) being available to respond to students’
questions and concerns for the duration of the service-learning research
activity; (b) directing data compilation, analysis, and storage; and (c)
categorizing, assessing, and reflecting on the students’ learning journeys,
the last of which is of immediate relevance to this publication. The students
submitted their reflections under the headings of lessons learned, challenges
faced, and recommendations, as part of the course grade. These reflections
indicated that the students acquired a new understanding of the
community, their course material, and themselves. These reflections also
effected the professor’s reflection presented here. The professor reflected on
the students’ learning of the value of investing in three “O’s” of good
research practices: originality, objectivity, and openness; and on the
students’ earning of the rewards of three “A’s” of meaningful service:
altruism, awareness, and appreciation. For instance, the students’
reflections, which were completed and submitted individually, provided
open and honest commentary on the benefits or challenges of teamwork.
Furthermore, they addressed the joy of discovering that what was
accomplished within the service-learning project gave them an opportunity
to help others in the community and learn about themselves.