iCED Faculty Academic Service-Learning: Examples by Discipline

Medical campus faculty Kristina Vincent’s Respiratory Care students design and make presentations on vaping and smoking cessation to local public high school students.  

Medical campus faculty Dr. Marlene Carmona’s Physical Therapy students provide a fall prevention workshop at local senior care facilities in underserved communities.  

Medical campus faculty Dr. Jorge Larin’s Vet Tech students perform checkups for pets in underprivileged communities. Students must complete 60 hours of service-learning in order to graduate.  

Medical campus faculty Dr. Dadilia Garces’ Physician Assistant students host a Health and Wellness Fair for migrant workers in Homestead. Other health care programs (Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Vision Care) along with local community organizations also participate.

Homestead campus faculty, along with several community organizations serving the local migrant population, collaborate with Pages for All Ages (8-week, approximately 12 hours of AS-L). Students would work with children to create their own book. Children and their families come to campus for an "author's night" where their completed books would be on display, with remarks by local officials and MDC faculty/staff. Faculty from ENC, PSY and SYG disciplines are involved. 

West campus faculty Dr. Trinidad Arguelles Psychology students participate in a series of activities dedicated to improving the mental health and well-being of all members of the community. Students begin by training through workshops then advocate by class presentations or social media campaigns.  

West campus faculty Jessyca Perez' Psychology students work closely with the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) to provide education, support and advocacy for individuals living with mental health challenges. Students participate in several advocacy activities including graphic design, film, and poster boards.  

Wolfson campus faculty Dr. Samuel Heastie teaches several applied psychology courses which focus on effective human behavior. The class curriculum is crafted to enhance student's understanding of progressive behavior and personal responsibility in the workplace. His students have the opportunity to challenge their personal biases through service-learning in the community and interactive classroom discussions.

Wolfson campus faculty Frandley Defilie helps students in his Political Science courses connect their understanding of the government's structure and activities to Miami's communities by implementing service-learning and Civic Action Scorecard items into the course curriculum. His students are required to serve with a non-profit organization and reflect on their understanding of the political system & topics such as gentrification.

Padron campus faculty Carlos Fernandez does a summer outreach project in his Chemistry class. Depending on the year, he creates a thematic event like Zika, Opioids, and sea level rise. Students learn about these issues in class and then create advocacy pitches. They choose one Saturday over summer to knock on doors of residents near EPC to inform them of the risks and prevention techniques for each theme/issue.  

West campus faculty Maria Monzon's chemistry students conduct research on the dangers of vaping. Students are involved in a hands-on experiment that includes bibliography research, distributing a survey and giving presentations to raise awareness on how vaping affects public health.

Hialeah campus faculty Dr. Kelly Kennedy-Everett’s "Global Citizens Project" (Interdisciplinary project with Statistics courses, EAP, Speech departments that varies per semester - Mid-Term Elections, Women's Issues, Hamilton in Hialeah: A Changemaker Experience, Why Elections Matter, etc.) requires her students to complete 10 service-learning hours linked to the objectives of the course. 

Hialeah campus faculty Sherri Sinkoff hosts  "Sherri's Awareness Project" per semester  based on UNSDGs; most recently, on Hunger & Food Insecurity. Students complete a service for the community, then conclude the experience with a symposium style presentation across campus.