service learning enhances student learning and engagement in undergraduate biology courses ( 1 , 2 ) , but obtaining student buy - in can be frustrating . to alleviate this issue , i had students design their own service - learning projects in my senior - level undergraduate neurobiology course . by carefully guiding students through project design early in the semester
, i was able to ensure students produced successful projects that increased their understanding of course material and benefited the community organizations .
there is no lab , but the service - learning component gives students one additional hour of credit .
based on mercer university s service - learning guidelines , students are required to spend at least 30 hours planning and carrying out the project .
course enrollment is typically 16 to 24 students , and i have taught it twice as a service - learning class . on the first day of class , i defined service learning , provided ideas for possible projects , and asked students to brainstorm ideas . over the first two weeks , students shared ideas every day in class , and i encouraged them to talk to one another about their ideas outside of class .
students divided themselves into groups of two to five ( depending on the needs of the project ) , based on interest and schedule . in week three , i met with each group to discuss the feasibility of the project .
i encouraged them to make contact with their community partner immediately , and i facilitated these initial contacts when necessary .
many students already had connections with their agencies , typically through volunteering or a service - learning project from another course . by four weeks into the semester , i asked each group to submit a project proposal .
the proposals included a detailed description of the project , project goals and schedule , supplies needed , and a schedule of due dates for reflections ( see appendix 1 for project and proposal guidelines ) .
students came up with a diversity of projects , most of which involved teaching neuroscience to a group in the community .
most projects lasted five to six weeks ( usually weeks 712 of the semester ) , with one session per week of one to two hours .
many chose to teach children , and projects included workshops for homeschoolers at the local museum of arts & sciences , at an after - school program for high school students , in several elementary and middle school classes , and at a rescue mission for homeless families .
each group planned activities that demonstrated fundamental concepts in neuroscience that were appropriate for the age group they were teaching .
their activities have included basic electrophysiological demonstrations of action potentials using spikerboxes from backyard brains ( https://backyardbrains.com/ ) , dissections of sheep brains , making models of brains and neurons , manipulation of the senses and discussions of the transduction of sensory stimuli , and watching and explaining videos of common neurological disorders .
one group wanted to work with adults , and they chose to plan and lead two saturday morning workshops on neurodegenerative diseases at an assisted - living community .
they presented the science underlying the most common neurodegenerative diseases , discussed new research on disease treatments , and led activities on nutrition and exercise . by the time groups began their projects ( approximately week 7 ) , students had a firm grasp of neuron function , synaptic transmission , and neuroanatomy , and we had begun discussing sensory and motor systems . as a result , they were ready to teach any of these topics . if a group proposed other topics , i met with them during their planning to ensure that they presented accurate information
students wrote reflections after each visit . because the length and frequency of visits varied , i let each group decide on their due dates , as long as each reflection was turned in prior to the next visit . in their reflections
, students wrote what they did , what they learned from their preparation and visit , and what they planned to do differently next time . as i read reflections ,
on the first day of class , i defined service learning , provided ideas for possible projects , and asked students to brainstorm ideas . over the first two weeks , students shared ideas every day in class , and i encouraged them to talk to one another about their ideas outside of class .
students divided themselves into groups of two to five ( depending on the needs of the project ) , based on interest and schedule . in week three , i met with each group to discuss the feasibility of the project .
i encouraged them to make contact with their community partner immediately , and i facilitated these initial contacts when necessary .
many students already had connections with their agencies , typically through volunteering or a service - learning project from another course .
by four weeks into the semester , i asked each group to submit a project proposal .
the proposals included a detailed description of the project , project goals and schedule , supplies needed , and a schedule of due dates for reflections ( see appendix 1 for project and proposal guidelines ) .
students came up with a diversity of projects , most of which involved teaching neuroscience to a group in the community .
most projects lasted five to six weeks ( usually weeks 712 of the semester ) , with one session per week of one to two hours .
many chose to teach children , and projects included workshops for homeschoolers at the local museum of arts & sciences , at an after - school program for high school students , in several elementary and middle school classes , and at a rescue mission for homeless families .
each group planned activities that demonstrated fundamental concepts in neuroscience that were appropriate for the age group they were teaching .
their activities have included basic electrophysiological demonstrations of action potentials using spikerboxes from backyard brains ( https://backyardbrains.com/ ) , dissections of sheep brains , making models of brains and neurons , manipulation of the senses and discussions of the transduction of sensory stimuli , and watching and explaining videos of common neurological disorders .
one group wanted to work with adults , and they chose to plan and lead two saturday morning workshops on neurodegenerative diseases at an assisted - living community .
they presented the science underlying the most common neurodegenerative diseases , discussed new research on disease treatments , and led activities on nutrition and exercise . by the time groups began their projects ( approximately week 7 ) , students had a firm grasp of neuron function , synaptic transmission , and neuroanatomy , and we had begun discussing sensory and motor systems . as a result , they were ready to teach any of these topics . if a group proposed other topics , i met with them during their planning to ensure that they presented accurate information
, i let each group decide on their due dates , as long as each reflection was turned in prior to the next visit . in their reflections , students wrote what they did , what they learned from their preparation and visit , and what they planned to do differently next time .
as i read reflections , i made sure each group member was participating and gave groups help when necessary .
overall , students were very engaged in their projects , and i received very positive feedback from community partners .
i tried to see each group  in action  once , and i was impressed by their enthusiasm when leading activities .
students felt a greater sense of accountability for learning the material because they had to teach it to their audience and because they did not want to embarrass themselves in front of their group .
coordinating and discussing service - learning projects took class time ( on average , 1530 minutes per week ) , which left less time for traditional lectures and in - class activities .
however , i compared student performance on exams and papers between semesters in which i did and did not use service learning via unpaired t - tests .
there were no significant differences in any of the measures , indicating that students learned course concepts just as well when service learning substituted for other activities .
my students consistently made positive comments on service - learning evaluations ( also see fig .
1 ) :  overall , i think the service - learning part of this class was way more beneficial to me than being in a lab each week .
teaching someone else about the subject as i was learning helped me reinforce the information and retain it better overall .
  i feel like this is one of the most direct ways we can utilize the things that we learn in college instead of complaining how we ll never use any of the things we learned in college .
the things that i learn today could spark the curiosity and minds of people who might grow up to find a cure for alzheimer s or parkinson s .
1 = strongly disagree , 2 = disagree , 3 = neutral , 4 = agree , 5 = strongly agree . because students selected and designed their own projects , they were very proud of themselves and took ownership of the projects .
once students saw how much work it took to design the project and coordinate the logistics with the organization , they felt more accountability for preparing and being on time for each visit .
one in particular had so much fun , despite her initial trepidation , that she planned and carried out an 11-week anatomy & physiology workshop at the museum .
the disadvantages of giving students so much flexibility in their projects is that it requires a lot of coordination at the beginning of the semester to make sure that every student is finding a group and that groups are making plans .
although these provided some initial frustrations , i never had a problem arise once the group wrote a strong proposal .
the benefits of having students choose their projects and become fully engaged in them outweighed these minor annoyances .
 one of the challenges in teaching a service - learning course is obtaining student buy - in from all students in the course . to circumvent this problem , 
 i have let students in my undergraduate neurobiology course design their own service - learning projects at the beginning of the semester . 
 although this can be chaotic because it requires last - minute planning , i have made it successful through facilitating student communication in the classroom , requiring thorough project proposals , meeting with students regularly , and monitoring group progress through written reflection papers . 
 most of my students have strong opinions about the types of projects that they want to carry out , and many students have used connections that they have already made with local organizations . 
 almost all projects that students have designed to this point involve teaching basic concepts of neurobiology to children of various ages while simultaneously sparking their interest in science . through taking ownership of the project and designing it such that it works 
 well with their strengths , interests , and weekly schedule , students have become more engaged in service learning and view it as a valuable experience . despite some class time being shifted away from more traditional assignments , 
 students have performed equally well in the course , and they are more eager to talk with others about course concepts . furthermore , the feedback that i have received from community partners has been excellent , and some students have maintained their work with the organizations . 
INTRODUCTION
PROCEDURE
Introducing students to service learning
Project proposals
Projects
Reflections
CONCLUSION
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS