The Office of Service-Learning Faculty Focus Series Spring 2009

These discussion-based programs feature faculty talking about their service-learning courses and experiences working with all aspects of service-learning and civic engagement.  

All events held in the Center for Teaching and Learning, 201 University Hall

Friday, January 30th
1:30p.m. - 2:30p.m.
Agile Software Factory for Student Service-Learning
Joe Chao, Associate Professor, Computer Science
The Agile Software Factory at the Department of Computer Science was founded in Fall 2008.  The purpose of the Factory is to provide software services to community partners in need of software development and to offer hands-on service-learning and community scholarship engagement opportunities to students.  Students perform service-learning by enrolling in an service-learning class working on software projects provided by the Factory, working for the Factory as part-time employees, and/or working on Factory projects through individual independent study.  The Factory serves as a project clearing house, and facilitates community relationships and partners.  The Factory also promotes faculty and student research in the areas of software engineering and provides continuing maintenance services for software systems that are created by students.
Presentation (PPT format)

Tuesday, February 24th
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
General Chemistry Water Quality Service Learning Project at BGSU Firelands
Linda Cornell, Assistant Professor, BGSU Firelands, Natural and Social Sciences
In 2008, BGSU Firelands General Chemistry Faculty (CHEM 128) began a service-learning project with Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), Firelands Tributaries Coastal Watershed Program and Volunteer Stream Monitors, and the Erie Soil and Water Conservation District. The presentation will include the project origination, purpose, logistics, student research results, project evaluation and future improvements. This workshop will be held at BGSU Firelands, Room 115

Wednesday, February 25th
1:30p.m. - 2:30p.m.
Service-Learning in Business Classes
Mary Ellen Benedict, Professor, Economics
How does one introduce service-learning to business courses?  The College of Business is experimenting with a long-term social enterprise project for business students that will span up to three semesters of class work.  The project allows students to apply their business skills in economics, marketing, and management to real problems in the local community.  The first part of the project includes community asset mapping and the selection of community partners from among various small enterprises.
Presentation (PPT format)
Handouts (PDF format)

Monday, March 30th
12p.m. - 1p.m.
Exploring Latino/a Culture through Service-Learning
Valeria Grinberberg, Assistant Professor, Romance and Classical Studies
Valeria Grinberg will present her experiences using a service-learning pedagogy to teach Latin American and Latino/as testimonial literature and oral history.  In this course students had the opportunity to serves the Latino/a community at Adelante (a non-profit organization based in Toledo, OH).  They worked for three different programs: after school tutoring, parent leadership, and literacy program for preschool children and their mothers.  In this workshop, she will elaborate on how the service experiences enhanced the knowledge acquired in the classroom by promoting active learning, personal connections and civic engagement.
Presentation (PPT format)
Handouts (PDF format)

To REGISTER, please contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at 419-372-6898 or 

For program details, contact: Office of Service-Learning
Bowling Green State University
305-A University Hall
419-372-9287
slbgsu@bgsu.edu