Conducting a Community Needs Assessment through a Student Service-Learning Project
A community-university partnership can be an effective tool in addressing community health disparities, providing needed services at minimal cost, and enhancing student's educational experience. The Seat Pleasant Partnership is an ongoing collaboration between the city of Seat Pleasant, Maryland and the Department of Health Education at the University of Maryland, College Park that meets both community and student needs. The city wanted a needs and strengths assessment conducted to determine future health related program priorities, and the university wanted a real-world setting where students could learn program planning and evaluation techniques. A preliminary needs and strengths assessment was conducted as a service learning project. This project had three primary goals: 1) to offer an opportunity for students to design and practice various data collection techniques in a community setting; 2) to evaluate the appropriateness of certain instruments and methods for collecting data in the community; and 3) to provide the community with input regarding perceived health problems, needs, concerns and assets. Students used the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model and conducted social, epidemiological, behavioral, and environmental assessments. Through the service-learning project community needs and assets were determined and the findings are now being used to direct future health education interventions aimed at reducing health disparities. This presentation will identify obstacles encountered, the effect they had on the student's ability to collect useable data, and how they were overcome. It will also describe lessons students learned about collecting data in the field and the community.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. describe an application of the social assessment and situational analysis phase of the PRECEDE-PROCEED Model. 2. identify three barriers to and three limitations of conducting a community needs and strengths assessment by way of a student service-learning project. 3. recognize five benefits of student service-learning projects. 4. articulate three data collection methods when conducting a community needs and strength assessment
Keywords: Service Learning,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.