With the creation of the Bluffton Blueprint, the class Learning in Community was formed as well. According to Walt Paquin, director of the social work program, the class was developed with service learning in mind.
Walt Paquin, director of the social work program. Photo by Aubrey Bartel
“I was one of the faculty that was interested in starting something like this,” Paquin said. “I began taking my Community Practice course in social work to Lima five or six times a semester and connecting with community organizations. We’ve also been talking a lot at the university about service-learning. Thinking about how to meld those things together was something I had been thinking about for a long time.”
A grant from NetVUE and students’ experiences doing service hours at the Allen County Juvenile Detention Center also helped shape the class.
“The university got some grants through NetVUE, which is a part of the Council of Independent Colleges, looking at how we help students think about their vocation, think about their place in life, think about how education impacts who they are as citizens, so that was another part of that that helped with this,” Paquin said.
This semester, students had the opportunity to take the pilot class for the first time. Junior Carleigh Ankerman is one student currently enrolled in the class.
Junior Carleigh Ankerman. Photo provided by Carleigh Ankerman
“I am looking forward to listening to people from the Lima community,” Ankerman said. “It will be interesting to hear what people have to say in my community and learning more about this area. I am sure it is going to be enlightening.”
Paquin said the course will be divided into three main sections. One-third of class time will be devoted to traditional class time at Bluffton, which will be based on two books the class will read. Another third will focus on the service-learning aspect of the class, where students will be asked to do 15 hours of project work with an organization on-site and 15 additional hours of research. The final third of the class will be going to Lima and learning from community members, such as the mayor, Head Start, Judge Glenn Derryberry and the chief of police.
“I am most looking forward to whatever opportunities might come up,” Ankerman said. “We will be working with places like Coleman Professional Services and more in order to get our service hours in. Service seems to be a vital vision in the class Learning in Community, and I might be able to put my foot in the door to help the Lima Community in my near future.”
Paquin said community and service are two enduring values that this class highlights.
“I think that this certainly hits our enduring value of community and thinking about how we impact communities,” Paquin said. “I also think that, when we’re thinking about service to all people, that this begins to move students to a place of service and understanding how, regardless of their major, they can be contributors to the community and strengthen the communities they’re a part of.”
Overall, Ankerman said she’s looking forward to the opportunity to experience a unique class style.
“This class will be out of the ordinary in a good way,” Ankerman said. “The class will be taking place in different settings, where we will see ‘real-life’ situations and it will be hands-on. I imagine this class being an eye-opener for all of us and have a deeper understanding of what goes on around us in this community.”
