Sarah Quast, a professor of chemistry at Middlesex Community College, uses service learning projects in her course to support learning outcomes. Her students mentor girls from a local club in hands-on chemistry experiments. The students design age-appropriate experiments and create posters about green chemistry. Assessment of student learning through reflections, surveys, and lab scores show overwhelmingly positive feedback and that students' understanding of science and confidence increases. Both Quast's students and the girls gain valuable experiences through active participation and sharing knowledge outside the classroom.

1. Sarah Quast
Professor of Chemistry
Middlesex Community College (MA)
AMCOA regional conference – February 9, 2012

2. How service learning is used in my course
How the project supports the learning outcomes
of my course.
Assessment of student learning in a service
learning project compared to traditional
methods of assessment.

3. You will value the importance of working and
communicating with others in the pursuit and
understanding of scientific information.
You will share your knowledge and
understanding with others outside the course.
You will expand your understanding of Green
Chemistry and awareness of the challenges and
opportunities available.

4. • Girls from a local girls club, girls’ inc., come t o
our college and do a chemistry experiment
mentored by college students.
• My chemistry students , working in groups of 4,
select the experiment, design it to be age
appropriate in all aspects of the lab.
• My students also do a poster project on Green
Chemistry for the activity.

5. Reflective writings before, during and after the service
learning project.
A survey using the Survey Monkey template.
Lab Report scores before and after the project

6. About 400 students have participated in the
project.
Overwhelming positive feedback(99%) from my
students in their reflective writings and survey
monkey results.
Girls’ Inc staff report that it is consistently one
the most favorite activities they offer their girls.

22. Expands student engagement through active
participation.
Allows for a deeper understanding of the nature
of science and chemistry in particular.
Increases student confidence in their ability to
understand science.

23. “Overall the learning project experience was a
win-win situation. Not only did I enjoy being
with the students, but I realized how much I
retained and was able to share with them.”-
Kathleen
“I feel that it was valuable because it is a way of
teaching younger generations how cool is
science(chemistry) and what chemistry can give
to the planet and to our everyday life.” Aileen

24. “I feel that this service learning project
experience was valuable because, first of all, it
connects people from different ages and groups
together; second this is a good way to give a
hand to nature, to our environment. Also, I learn
a lot from it for my own life experiences.” Hoang
“This was valuable because I was able to
reinforce what I’ve learned and confidently
execute my knowledge and lab skills. And best
of all – pass it on to the future of our world.”
Tiffany

25. THANK YOU