Developing nations are facing many comparable issues: unemployment, lack of housing, erratic or nonexistent utilities, and a growing sanitation challenge. This research examined the process of building a sustainable home in Honduras from conception to construction. A new roof framing system using reinforced concrete filled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing was designed and implemented. Socio-economic aspects such as skills acquisition, alternative construction approaches, community involvement and building cost were evaluated. Local norms and practices were respected to ensure the home was acceptable and maintainable. An important part of this research was the involvement of engineering and architecture students through Service Learning. Students designed and constructed various aspects of the home and studies were conducted to evaluate how their in-country experience impacted their technical, social and professional skills. This research demonstrated that it was possible to utilize local resources to construct a low-cost sustainable home that promotes on-going research in sustainable living.

The purpose of this study is to more clearly understand what student' experience while involved in service-learning courses. Moreover, I sought to identify the relationships among service-learning, the outcomes typically attributed to it, and student engagement according to Naturalistic Inquiry methodology (Lincoln & Guba, 1985) and quantitative data from the Australasian Survey of Student Engagement (2009-2010) in two different upper-division courses at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand during the second semester of the 2009 academic year. One class approached service-learning in an addendum/add-on type of approach (Approach I service-learning), while the other course used a more fully-integrated approach (Approach II service-learning). The theoretical framework offered by the philosophy of experiential education (Dewey) and the theories of experiential learning (Kolb), transformative learning (Mezirow), and student engagement (Kuh) combine to serve as the lens through which service-learning was initially viewed in this study. This framework provided the initial structure by which this study was facilitated and the relationship between service-learning and its typically attributed outcomes could be observed and better understood within a New Zealand tertiary environment. The student experiences within Approach I and II service-learning served as sources for pursuing a greater level of sophistication and understanding of how these experiences influence the relationships of service-learning and ultimately how service-learning influences student engagement. Such an investigation is relevant to New Zealand tertiary teachers, researchers, and leaders, who are interested in creating conditions that engage students in learning while developing students personally and involving them within the local community. For transferability purposes, the goal of this study is to provide enough “thick description” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p. 125) in the case of each approach to service-learning so that educators from New Zealand and the rest of the world can find meaning, value, and direction. Quantitative findings from this study clearly demonstrated a statistically significant shift in student engagement benchmarks in both approaches to service-learning (3 of 6 AUSSE benchmarks in Approach I service-learning and 6 of 6 AUSSE benchmarks in Approach II service-learning). Qualitative data provided the means to suggest why these significant shifts occurred and illuminated the complexity of the student experience within service-learning environments. Qualitatively, both approaches to service-learning shifted the context of what it meant to be a student in a classroom. The following themes symbolize the different experiences and demonstrate ways teachers can best engage both eager and reluctant learners: different experiences-providing opportunities for growth; consistently being a part of something-internal/external to university; active-learning through experiencing and thinking for yourself; worthwhile, intrinsic-due to helping community organisations. Considering the effects of service-learning on engagement have been relatively un-researched in New Zealand higher education and further inquiry into the pedagogical consequences has been warranted, the implications may provide insight into the development of service-learning in higher education for New Zealand, Australasia, and potentially, the world.

Developing nations are facing many comparable issues: unemployment, lack of housing, erratic or nonexistent utilities, and a growing sanitation challenge. This research examined the process of building a sustainable home in Honduras from conception to construction. A new roof framing system using reinforced concrete filled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubing was designed and implemented. Socio-economic aspects such as skills acquisition, alternative construction approaches, community involvement and building cost were evaluated. Local norms and practices were respected to ensure the home was acceptable and maintainable. An important part of this research was the involvement of engineering and architecture students through Service Learning. Students designed and constructed various aspects of the home and studies were conducted to evaluate how their in-country experience impacted their technical, social and professional skills. This research demonstrated that it was possible to utilize local resources to construct a low-cost sustainable home that promotes on-going research in sustainable living.

A valid, reliable survey instrument was created to be used by public relations student-run firms and other applied public relations courses to gauge client satisfaction. A series of focus groups and pilot tests were conducted to ascertain themes, refine questions, and then to refine the entire instrument. Six constructs to be measured, including strategies used by the students, project management, communication tools, professional demeanor, communication skills, and overall effectiveness, emerged as themes needing to be assessed. The final instrument included 40 scale questions, six follow-up questions (one for each set of scale questions), and four open-ended questions. As an outputs evaluation within General Systems Theory, this evaluative tool provides a feedback loop that did not exist prior for public relations applied courses and student-run firms. This survey, when used by public relations educators, will provide a standardized tool from which discussions can ensue and pedagogy may advance. / Department of Educational Studies

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-298).

Thesis (M.Ed. (Research)) -- Australian Catholic University, 2006. / Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Research). Bibliography: p. 115-120. Also available in an electronic format via the internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--UCLA, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-164).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 25, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-200).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of West Florida, 2006. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 77 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Service-learning helps students experience the practical applications of learning to write well; it also offers opportunities for students to develop a sense of civic responsibility. Although service-learning is growing in popularity, this pedagogy is not prevalent in English departments. Additionally, service-learning courses across all disciplines typically do not empower students to make their own project decisions. Given these tendencies, it is useful to consider whether service-learning is an effective pedagogy for writing, whether students should be designing their own projects, and what writing instructors could do to facilitate students' growth as writers while completing projects in the community. This is a qualitative case study, incorporating quantitative data, of two technical writing courses. I reviewed the students' answers to surveys developed for this research, plus their course evaluations, individual reflective writing, and collaborative project documents, and then I compiled and collated the students' references to what they were learning and what they were struggling with. The references fall within the following themes: student decision-making; the role of the instructor; the rhetorical tenets of audience and purpose; service; collaboration with peers and community members; written expression; and professionalism and motivation. Relying upon the students' comments in regard to these themes, I suggest that service-learning can help students become invested in the outcome of their written expression, motivating them to learn how to address audience and purpose through strong writing. Students learn to work collaboratively and develop their own individual voices as they discover, reflect upon, and express their ideas and shared knowledge. Instructors should ask students to design their own projects, allowing them to engage with and learn how to contribute to the community: through self-directed experiential projects, students become more likely to understand the power of writing and to transfer their new knowledge to later situations. I conclude with a discussion of the need for targeted research and suggestions for teaching writing through community-based pedagogy to enhance civic engagement.