Teaching program development and evaluation through a service learning project in community-based adult day services.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Occupational Therapy
• Adult Education

Background:

• Adult day services represent an emerging practice area focused on meeting the occupational needs of community-dwelling elders.
• Service learning offers a practical approach for students to engage with and learn about program development in this field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effectiveness of service learning as an instructional methodology for teaching program development and evaluation in adult day services.
• To assess the impact of service learning on students' knowledge and confidence in creating and implementing adult day service program modules.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative study involving 39 students participating in a service learning project.
• Pre- and post-experience surveys were administered to gauge changes in student knowledge and confidence.

Main Results:

• Students reported significant increases in knowledge and confidence regarding organizational assessment, population needs, activity design, and evaluation measure creation.
• The service learning experience enhanced students' ability to design and implement adult day service activities for well elderly populations.
• Student comfort levels in working with elderly populations remained high throughout the service learning experience.

Conclusions:

• Service learning is an effective pedagogical strategy for preparing students in program development and evaluation within adult day services.
• The methodology successfully increased students' perceived competence and readiness to serve the occupational needs of elders.
• The findings support the integration of service learning in gerontology and occupational therapy curricula.