Date of Award:

5-2016

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Environment and Society

Committee Chair(s)

Roslynn G.H. Brain

Committee

Roslynn G.H. Brain

Committee

Robert H. Schmidt

Committee

Kate Stephens

Abstract

Service-Learning is a method of teaching that allows students to learn course content by engaging in real world applications, which can enhance student learning and benefit communities. As populations increase, many communities struggle with the corresponding issues of sustainability. A program that could use student expertise to address these concerns would be beneficial for both students and communities. This mixed-methods study explored the benefits, challenges, and recommendations for implementing a sustainability-based service-learning program, the Community Bridge Initiative (CBI), at Utah State University (USU) in relation to community needs and student responses to being in program pilot classes. Pilot classes were assigned one community project and students used course content to address it. A community needs assessment indicated that most local organizations (91%) wanted to partner with USU on pressing issues and were willing to contribute to this partnership with various resources. The student survey showed that 92% of students were positively impacted by these courses and 73% reported that CBI classes were more effective in teaching course content compared to traditional university courses. Following these results, the CBI program should be fully implemented at USU.

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