APSU Department of Communication celebrates 10 years of service learning

(Posted Feb. 12, 2019)

The Austin Peay State University Department of Communication celebrated 10 years of incorporating service learning with a formal presentation for the Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service Learning in Franklin, Tennessee, on Monday, Feb. 11.

The presentation, “A Decade of Service Learning: What Worked,” allowed department faculty to discuss service learning across a discipline in a variety of formats. Faculty members Robert Baron, Karen Bullis, Kakali Chakrabarti, Mike Dunn, David Ellison, Kathy Heuston, Christina Hicks-Goldston, Tracy Nichols and Amy Ritchart answered questions about using service learning techniques in the classroom, online and as a study abroad initiative. 

The department’s faculty also explained how they partnered with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network on five separate courses: Public Speaking, Media Relations, Principles of Social Media, Audio Production and Documentary Production – a first-time experience of assisting one partner with so many courses. The department has partnered with more than 60 agencies in the last 10 years.

“We have partners across six counties in Tennessee, across five states, and thanks to Study Abroad, across the pond,” Christina Hicks-Goldston, associate professor of communication, said. 

For information on the APSU Department of Communication, visit www.apsu.edu/communication.