Brooklyn Metz is a native from Weston, West Virginia and soon to be graduating in Biomedical Engineering with minors in Communication Studies and Leadership Studies. This semester she participated in the Service-Learning TA program offered by the Center for Service and Learning serving as a TA for LDR 401 assisting Dr. Luzinsky. This program is designed to provide faculty teaching service-learning courses with critical support for coordinating service-learning experiences while ensuring quality service and reflection, simultaneously providing the SLTA an opportunity to enhance their own personal leadership styles, grow in their understanding of civic engagement, and develop mentoring relationships with faculty members and community leaders. Service-Learning TAs enroll in SRVL 490: Teaching Practicum to prepare them to perform their roles.
 
In this piece Brooklyn reflects on her learning experience this semester as a service-learning TA.
 
I took Dr. Cheyenne Luzynski’s Leadership in Action (LDR 401) course last fall. My experience in the capstone course was heavily influenced by Tyler, the service-learning TA in my class. The way service-learning is mostly integrated into LDR 401 is through the incorporation of Action Projects. These projects have components both in the community and in the classroom. Groups consist of 4-5 individuals and each group is chosen based on their personal interests and passions. Once groups are chosen, each team commits to an interest, identifies a need within the community, reaches out to potential community partners, and is tasked with finding a way to bridge the gap between what currently is and what should be. Last semester, my group struggled immensely with not only finding the right community partners, but also with discovering a legitimate need within our topic range and deciding how we were going to create an impactful, yet sustainable change within the community. I was inspired by Tyler’s role in supporting our group. He would challenge us by asking the questions that ultimately pointed us in the right direction. I saw him as a fundamental piece in our classroom and a facilitator of the learning process. This was a skill that I wanted to develop myself as well and was thrilled when Dr. Luzinsky nominated me to be the next TA for her class.
 
In my role as the service-learning teaching assistant in LDR 401, I served as a liaison between Dr. Luzinsky’s and the students enrolled in the course, to aid in more effective communication and give students multiple avenues to ask questions and voice concerns. As part of my SRVL 490 class, I received training and assumed responsibility for managing the service-learning group in iServe. That included, teaching students how to log service hours in the system, and monitoring and approve their hours throughout the semester giving Dr. Luzinsky more time to focus on other aspects of the class. In addition to attending and participating in class, I was encouraged to lead critical reflection conversations. By asking tough questions, connecting outside topics, and providing insight to students in the class, I was able to promote reflection both within small groups and within individuals. Finally, my largest role in the class came with the Action Project course component. I provided consistent feedback to groups regarding their action project progression as well as commented on their physical assignments such as proposals, plans, and reports. I was also accessible to groups during project workdays and was available for groups to ask questions or voice concerns as my main goal was to help guide them in the right direction. Furthermore, outside of these in-person meetings, I was also available to students via email throughout the whole semester for anything they might need.
 
I learned a lot through the semester from being a service-learning teaching assistant in this class. However, I would be doing a disservice to the Center for Service and Learning­ if I did not credit a large portion of my personal and professional growth to the SRVL 490 course. Through the combination of both of my roles as a student and as a teaching assistant, I learned the importance of service-learning in higher education and how impactful can be on students and the community. From my classmates in SRVL 490 serving as TAs in other courses I was able to hear their experiences and gain a true understanding of how limitless service-learning is and its applications to other disciplines. 
 
This fall I will be starting graduate school here at WVU and pursuing my Ph.D in Biomedical Sciences with the ultimate goal of becoming a researcher/professor in higher education. This role as a service-learning TA has prepared me immensely for my future endeavors. I not only got to experience of being mentored by a professor I admire, but I also realized how much deeper a subject can be understood by helping teach it. One of the main components of the service-learning pedagogy is a reflection and I can say that this is one of the things I will carry with me and work hard to apply to every aspect of my life. Being able to reflect upon the past, analyze the present, and apply the knowledge gained to future experiences has helped not only to see my current studies in a different perspective, but also visualize my future career through new lenses as well. I am excited to carry what I learned this semester as I move into my next step in life as a graduate student.  

Learn more about Service-Learning resources here!

Libera is an empowerment focused organization that seeks to help women identify and overcome their barriers to freedom. Through a partnership with the SHIELD task force, a nonprofit committed to eliminating childhood sexual abuse in West Virginia, these two organizations came together to provide critical abuse prevention and intervention resources through area schools.

There is a growing concern during the pandemic that some children may be more likely to experience abuse, and have it less likely to be reported without daily school attendance. Libera and SHIELD have responded by releasing a series of family appropriate videos on wellness, body safety, and online safety.

Libera will also offer a virtual summer camp, with an emphasis on empowerment for middle and high school girls in West Virginia.  

The videos protect children with a three-pronged approach.

The Wellness Module teaches children valuable skills such as:

• Deep breathing techniques
• Mindfulness
• Relaxation
• Naming emotions
• Asking for help

The Body Safety Module teaches children:

• To make a list of 5 trusted adults
• To ask for permission in certain circumstances (ie. Accepting gifts, going places with an adult who is not family)
• To talk about touches
• The Bathing Suit Rule
• To listen to their gut
• To look for the helpers

The Online Safety Module teaches children:

• Warning Signs: That an online individual may possibly be dangerous
• The Billboard Rule: Don’t text an image you wouldn’t want to see on a billboard.
• Consent: What does the word “consent” mean?
• Internet Safety Rules: What are best practices when communicating with others online?

Click here to watch the videos

Additionally the group has compiled a comprehensive Coronavirus Survival Kit resource page. 

Energize and enhance your online course with community-based experience. Service-learning is a high-impact educational practice and can be a great way to help your online students connect course content with application.

This presentation focus on core principles of experiential and community-engaged learning as well as the logistics of helping students connect with appropriate community placements. This video covers tracking and verifying out of class experiences, reflection models that work well online, and tools and resources available to support the pedagogy. The session includes examples of successful integration of eService-Learning.