Susan M. Winchip
Illinois State University
Dr. Winchip is a Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Illinois State University.
The purpose of this article is to describe an effective experiential learning experience that occurred in a service-learning assignment in an interior and environmental design course. The format of the assignment could serve as a model for how service-learning can be used to create learning communities in higher education. Furthermore, the outcomes of the project could serve as a model for using theory and research in addressing societal problems through service-learning.
Service-learning is gaining attention in numerous institutions of secondary and higher education (Crews, 2004; DeVitis, Johns, & Simpson, 1998; Eyler & Giles, 1999; Rhoads, 1997; Schneider, 1998; Wade, 1997; Waterman, 1997). Crews (2004) indicated that 379 institutions have programs. Schneider delineated the following themes of success reported by the institutions (1998, pp. 9-13):
These themes can help to serve as a foundation for incorporating community service in a family and consumer sciences curriculum. The purpose of this article is to describe an effective experiential learning experience that occurred in a service-learning assignment in an interior and environmental design course. The format of the assignment could serve as a model for how service-learning can be used to create learning communities in higher education. Learning communities are defined as the collaborative efforts of interacting individuals with a common purpose and mutual concerns. Furthermore, the outcomes of the project could serve as a model for using theory and research in addressing societal problems through service-learning.
This service-learning experiential project occurred at Illinois State University. The University is a multipurpose institution with degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The multi-dimensional profile of the University allows the institution to respond to the varied needs and interests of its constituents and to contribute to the development of individuals who can participate responsibly in society. One of the goals of the University is to engage in public service and economic development activities that complement the University’s teaching and research functions. The University also supports opportunities for students to increase their capacity for inquiry, logical thinking, critical analysis, and synthesis and to apply these abilities in the pursuit of one’s discipline.
The University’s focus on service, research, and inquiry toward the applied aspects of a particular body of knowledge served as the foundation for requirements in an interior and environmental design (IED) course. This course was required for all interior design majors. The course was the study of design theory/analysis in relation to large-scale, comprehensive, commercial interiors. The course had an emphasis on codes regulating ergonomics and life safety issues.
One of the assignments of the IED course was a service-learning experiential project. The purpose of the assignment was to redesign specialized spaces at the Mission, a local community shelter for victims of domestic abuse. Students were required to develop comprehensive design solutions that demonstrated a level of competency in meeting the client’s needs, space planning, and specifications of materials, furniture, and equipment. Specifically, students were required to redesign the Mission’s reception area, counseling units, lounge, and a dining area. The design problem required both written and graphic information. Students had to solve the design problems by collaborating with each other, the client, the community, and businesses.
Client Prospectus. The Mission provides food, clothing, shelter, counseling, spiritual nurture, and other services on a nondiscriminatory basis to individuals and families in crisis. The Mission’s service area includes five counties in Illinois and provides emergency shelter for individuals outside the service area. Longer-term care is based on need.
Residential services include emergency shelter, intermediate assistance programs, transitional housing programs, off-site transitional housing programs, and resident life programs. Non-residential services include a mission mart, on-site meals, emergency food assistance, and growth groups. Special services provided for individuals and families include Christian nurture and special food services. No appointments are necessary for residential screening and walk-ins are accepted. Courtesy calls on referrals are welcome, and no fees are charged for services.
Objectives. The objectives for redesigning specialized spaces at the Mission were the following:
Collaborative Partnership. The collaborative partnership was initially developed through conversations with the professor and administrators of the Mission. Students developed and strengthened the partnership by learning the needs of the Mission and spending time with its clients and administrators. Key to the partnership was trust. This required a commitment of time and genuine concern. Students spent a great deal of time at the Mission observing behaviors and interviewing clients. As a result of this commitment, the clients of the Mission were able to openly communicate their needs and the students created solutions to address these concerns. Students developed partnerships with businesses by discussing the needs of the Mission and outlining how donations would demonstrate a commitment to the community. Everyone in the partnership was involved with the decision-making process.
Assignment Requirements. To redesign specialized spaces at the Mission students were required to conduct a review of current literature, employ qualitative research methodologies, and develop written, graphic, and oral presentations. The review of the literature included issues related to design solutions for special populations, domestic abuse, family crisis, emergency shelter/crisis stabilization requirements, nutritional needs of children and women, family economics, and textile/product characteristics for public areas.
Qualitative research methodologies focused on interviews, field observations, and content analysis. To effectively design spaces a designer must have knowledge of the user’s needs, activities, conditions, equipment, special allocations, and other details. Qualitative research methods are invaluable to a designer as a means to analyze parts of a problem, discover the interrelationships, and synthesize all the components into an integral and meaningful design solution.
Presentation of design solutions required a concept statement, floor plan/furniture layout, reflected ceiling plan, detailed cross sections of an area, isometric drawings, renderings, budget, and finish materials/furniture selections. Students were also required to orally present their solutions to the director of the Mission.
Criteria to determine the effectiveness of design solutions included the following:
Sixteen students (15 females, 1 male) developed solutions for the reception area, lounge, counseling units, and a dining area of the Mission’s facility. Students worked in teams consisting of four members per group. Design solutions demonstrated an integration of theory, research, practice, and service in an experiential context. Various frameworks, perspectives, and ideas were applied effectively in planning and designing the specialized areas, including the psychological and social-psychological influences of the physical environment in the built environment. Sommer (1969, 1983), Altman (1973), Hall (1969), and Sundstrom (1986) were explicitly used to provide basic knowledge concerning the nature of the mechanisms that link people and environments. These perspectives were directed primarily toward the field of environmental design as part of a larger movement to humanize the process by which buildings, neighborhoods, and cities are planned. It was assumed “people and the physical environment exert mutual influence and together form interdependent systems” (Sundstrom, 1986, p. 1). People live and work within the context of different physical environments. Since the environment differentially impacts people, relationships, processes, and meanings, it was further assumed the built environment could be best understood within the context of its setting.
The human ecology theory is also an important approach to understanding diverse living styles and complex environments. According to Rice and Tucker (1986) “Ecology stresses the interdependence of organisms and their environments. The systems perspective places emphasis on the relationship among the interacting units” (p. 7). The people living and working at the Mission constitute a family system with a common purpose and goals. In a complex system these individuals and the environment, both human and natural, interact with and influence each other.
To better understand people, relationships, and processes, students examined the literature related to the profession of family and consumer sciences. The multidisciplinary approach to the review of the discipline provided an excellent approach to demonstrating the integrative nature of the profession. Design solutions included the development of effective solutions that provided safe shelter and an environment tailored to support the emotional needs of families and individuals in a crisis. For example, to reduce the ability of an estranged spouse to have contact with a family, the lounge area was positioned far away from the public area. In addition, it was suggested that an area be closed to public entrances for security personnel. Counseling units were designed to promote relationship-oriented intervention processes. Design solutions recommended a warm and inviting environment that resembled a home setting. Specifications included carpeting, rocking chairs, comfortable sofas, books for children, a crib, and traditional wallcoverings, window treatments, and accessories.
Dining facilities were designed to accommodate the dietary needs of its users and provide seating arrangements for families and individuals. All areas were designed with a focus on providing emotional support, accommodating the needs of individuals with disabilities, and maintaining client confidentiality while encouraging independence. For example, students specified a variety of different tables and chairs. A variety of sizes of tables were selected to accommodate 2 to 8 people. Booths were included in the space planning to provide additional privacy to clients. High chairs and booster seats had a traditional theme. Plants, birdcages, and fish aquariums were selected to partition space and provide a diversion for families and individuals. Music and soft, incandescent lighting were recommended to create a soothing environment. To further collaborate with the community, students solicited businesses to ask for donations of labor, furniture, and equipment.
Design solutions revealed that students actively integrated theory, practice, and the results of qualitative research methods. Students gathered and analyzed data by applying field observations, interviews, and content analysis. If the analysis process created new questions and concerns, students identified an appropriate theory or qualitative method that could be employed to obtain the information. Students seemed to understand how to apply the methodological tools and appeared to appreciate the interdependence between the research, theory, and practice.
Observations of the design solutions of the Mission precipitated a model of student involvement in a service-learning experiential project (see Figure 1). The 2 X 2 matrix illustrates the interaction between the level of involvement with learning and the effectiveness of the design solutions. In applying the matrix, students who demonstrated a low involvement in learning and had weak design solutions appeared to be apathetic to the project. Students, who demonstrated a low involvement in learning, but had strong design solutions appeared to be merely compliant to the requirements of the assignment. Students who demonstrated a high involvement in learning and had weak design solutions appeared to be confused by either the assignment or requirements of the design. Lastly, students who demonstrated a high involvement in learning and had strong design solutions appeared to be strongly committed to the project.
Figure 1. Student involvement - design solution relationships in a service-learning experiential project.
Students who became actively involved in learning demonstrated considerable energy studying, spent a lot of time applying qualitative methods, and interacted frequently with students, businesses, and individuals in the community. As a result, these students presented some of the most effective design solutions by successfully integrating the relationships between theory, research, and practice. In contrast, students who passively engaged in learning neglected assignments, spent very little time applying qualitative methods, and had little interaction with students, businesses, and individuals in the community. As a result these students presented some of the least effective design solutions by failing to critically examine the parts, relationships, and the whole.
As shown in Figure 1, students in cell “A” demonstrated the lowest level of involvement with learning and had weak design solutions. These students missed lectures, turned in incomplete qualitative reports, and never asked the instructor or the client any questions. Students in cell “B” demonstrated a high level of involvement, but had weak design solutions. These students attended lectures, asked some questions, completed qualitative reports, but failed to understand how to reflect upon theory and research in order to apply the information to practice. Students in cell “C” demonstrated a low level of involvement, but had good design solutions. These students passively engaged in discussions, failed to attend all lectures, turned in vague observational reports and rarely asked questions, but somehow obtained enough information to effectively integrate the components into a good design solution. Students in cell “C” might have received a lot of help from other students in their team. Students in cell “D” demonstrated a high level of involvement and had some of the best design solutions. These students actively engaged in class discussions, always attended lectures, asked thoughtful questions, asked follow-up questions in interviews, and went beyond the basic requirements to develop effective solutions. Design solutions from students in cell “D” illustrated how important it is to connect theory, research, and practice in a service-learning experiential project.
Best Practices. In reflecting upon Schneider’s (1998) themes of success and the results of this service-learning project, several best practices can be recommended for learning and teaching in an experiential context. It is critical to have a collective vision, mission, and goals of the project. To develop trust and optimize the quality of service provided, teachers and students should have the expertise to complete the projects. Support and leadership should be evident in the teachers, students, and client. Projects should be designed to require the involvement of students, the client, agency, and community. Intrinsic motivation will be the most effective reward system. Research is critical to understand the complexities of an ecological system and to become knowledgeable of current issues and practices in the community, state, and nation.
This service-learning experiential project demonstrated that good practice is the capacity to initially reflect upon theory and research and then make critical judgments in light of particular conditions in which the individual is working. As an educator examining the total deliberative process, a service-learning project is a very effective means for students to understand societal problems and develop solutions. Learning to integrate theory, research, and practice is a critical component of working with a client. By applying the integrating perspectives of family and consumer sciences students gained a better awareness of how to design holistically.
Providing opportunities to engage in partnerships with numerous individuals in the community and university helped students understand the multi-dimensional components of societal issues and validate design solutions. This dialectical process required the students to continuously examine the numerous conceptual frameworks, probe beyond the research, and determine appropriate solutions in light of the specific project requirements.
In reflecting upon the student projects, it is apparent that developing problem solving skills through community service is an excellent context for preparing professionals and responsible citizens. Students gained a better awareness of how individuals interact and that problem solving is a social process. Students interacted with the community to provide a collective understanding of the problem and solutions. Qualitative research provided a holistic awareness of the setting as people interacted. Students had to observe behavior to know how meanings shifted. Interviews did not contribute enough information. Observations in the context of the situation had to be conducted to understand the needs of families and individuals in a crisis situation. Thus, the natural setting was critical to sort out the meanings attributed to the problems and the environment.
This experiential project helped students understand course content, increased critical thinking skills, and improved the integration of theory and practice. Moreover, service-learning helped to improve collaborative skills and interdisciplinary theories. In concurring with the work of Rhoads (1997) the educator noted that it appeared the students’ sense of self was challenged through involvement in the lives of others within the context of community service relationships. Students seemed to create better design solutions by caring about the families and individuals that were in a crisis. This “caring” served as a source for understanding and responsibility. Thus, by solving real problems this project helped to prepare the students to meet the responsibilities of their profession and for living in a complex global society.
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