December 2005:
Number 500
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A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.758.3849. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: Dec. 2 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, photographer; Layout by Publications
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Students take learning beyond classroom
By Stephanie Hall, Student Correspondent
Students participating in a service-learning pilot program at Collin are able to take what they learned in class and make an impact outside in the real world.
Dr. Salena Brody, a professor of psychology at the college, said, “The point of the current program is to actually be more helpful in the community and enhance academics.”
“Service learning is a little different than volunteering, but if you have heard that phrase before, it gives you an idea of what it is,” said Brody.
Before the pilot program, some classes would try to add service learning to the curriculum, but it often was only in the form of ‘what if’ scenarios. “With this program, students are not just given fake scenarios,” Brody said.
Brody’s Introduction to the Social Psychology class is one of four classes participating in the program. The class itself offers a look into social issues concerning people on a daily basis.
“This class covers issues like racism, domestic violence, and that sort of thing,” said Brody.
When Ryan Chandler first signed up for the class, he didn’t know he was going to be a part of the program.
“I signed up for the course because it looked interesting, and I heard Dr. Brody was a good teacher, but when I learned what we were going to do, I was really excited,” he said. “So far, this program is a real benefit for the college, the students and the community agencies.”
“There is actually a 28-page list of community agencies around Frisco, McKinney and Plano that the students chose from,” Brody said.
One group in her class chose to help out the Collin County Child Advocacy Center and are getting valuable experience from visiting the agency.
“The students go out to their agencies once a week for three hours, and while they are there, they are helping out the agency, and they are also experiencing firsthand what they are learning in class,” said Brody.
The other group opted to help out Collin Intervention To Youth (CITY) House, which is a local shelter for teenagers in dire situations.
“This is a really good organization that provides a safe haven for distressed teens,” Chandler said.
“These are just some examples of what the pilot program has allowed students to experience,” Brody said. “To date, this program has proven to be beneficial academically, and it has created a level motivation in the students to want to help out that I think is good,” she said. “I think it will be a real memorable experience for the students involved.”
For Chandler, this experience has left an impression on him that has awakened his community spirit.
“It is such a good feeling to do this for my community, and I have learned so much because of this,” he said. “I want to continue this even after the class ends.”
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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