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Educational outreach as a simple, yet effective, service learning opportunity for exercise science undergraduate and graduate students
Author(s) -
Merritt Edward,
Merritt Bronwyn
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.541.15
Subject(s) - outreach , curriculum , medical education , service learning , service (business) , psychology , medicine , pedagogy , political science , law , economy , economics
Few opportunities exist for field‐specific service learning for exercise science students. Utilizing the American Physiological Society's “Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Week” as a launch pad, we aimed to engage exercise science majors in a field‐specific service learning project to educate local primary and secondary students about exercise science, the human body, and the scientific method. Undergraduate and graduate volunteers were tasked with developing age‐appropriate physiology lessons that would meet core curriculum standards. 3 rd , 4 th , 5 th , and 7 th grade students from a local school were brought to campus to partake in the lessons taught by the volunteers. A broad range of physiology topics were covered including all major systems and their interactions and how they are affected by exercise and diet. Volunteers spent 3‐20 hours (average ~10 hrs) developing, implementing, and teaching the lessons. The students and volunteers responded well as assessed by questionnaires returned by volunteers and teachers. The questionnaires were designed to evaluate the organization, communication, and lessons created for the students. Teachers of the students rated the program, it's relevance to curriculum and educational standards, implementation, organization, and delivery at the highest levels. Student volunteers rated their involvement as rewarding, fun, and meaningful, and all believed it was a good use of their time. Overall, this exercise science service learning project was successful and proves that educational outreach programs can be successful for all involved without prohibitive time commitments.