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Incorporating Service Learning in Microbiology for Community Benefit ... Johana MelendezJohana MelendezBiology Instructor Plant City Campus Description: Ms. Melendez used a service learning component in her Microbiology class as a tool to enhance student's engagement with the course content, while also benefitting the migrant community. Ms. Melendez and her students joined forces with Migrant Ministries, a local charity, to provide classes on food safety to more than 150 migrant families. In addition to the food safety classes provided by Ms. Melendez and her students, Migrant Ministries also provided each family with a Thanksgiving basket. The service learning component definitely enhanced the quality of the migrant families' lives, as well as the quality of the students' learning experience. Through her incorporation of service learning Ms. Melendez was able to provide a valuable service to the community, and also enabled the microbiology students to fulfill their ten hour community service requirement. Because the class joined forces with a charitable organization, no additional costs were incurred by the students or the community, and the experience was both cost-effective and of lasting value. Ms. Melendez exercised creativity and forged a unique partnership in using service learning as a tool to educate the community about food borne illnesses and disease prevention. Students were able to apply course content both in the classroom and outside of the classroom in a practical community setting. Both Ms Melendez and her students saw their engagement with the migrant community as a way to give back, to participate in the necessary acts of educating and developing the broader community. Ms. Melendez is a highly-effective, innovative, and dedicated faculty member who engages students both in and out of the classroom, and generates as much enthusiasm in her students as she incorporates into her teaching. She is an excellent candidate for the League of Innovation Award. |
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