It started with lunch and a simple conversation. April Post, senior lecturer in Spanish, attributes the Brown Bag Lunch Session to the genesis of the Amigos Club, a program that partners Elon students with Spanish speaking students at Broadview Middle School. At a lunch session, Post met Glenda Crawford, professor of education, and Carlos Oliveira, an ESL teacher at Broadview Middle School.
“(The lunch session) was our brainstorming session, and from that one conversation, the ideas were born into place,” Post said.
The Brown Bag Lunch Session provides an opportunity for professors to discuss how to implement a service-learning component into their couses and curriculum. Pam Kiser, professor of human resources, developed the program in collaboration with the Kernodle Center.
Kiser designed the program in 2004 while serving as the inaugural service learning faculty development fellow. Monthly Brown Bag Lunch Sessions provide an atmosphere where faculty can discuss how to implement a service-learning component into their courses and curriculum.
“It was built on the knowledge and belief that there was expertise already here among the faculty, and we need to make it possible for faculty to learn from one another,” Kiser said.
The lunch sessions provide programming for faculty in a cost-effective manner, Kiser said. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that such an approach would not be possible if the university did not already have faculty knowledgeable in the their fields.
Faculty members experienced in service learning present ideas and methods regarding how to incorporate service learning into each department, Kiser said.
“For me, in general, it’s been an opportunity to come together with colleagues who have similar philosophies and we share ideas with one another and provide support for one another,” Post said.
On average, each lunch session attracts a dozen participants, according to Kiser. Faculty members from a variety of disciplines attend the lunch.
“It’s much easier to tell you the departments that have not done service- learning than the ones that have,” Kiser said.
Each semester, Brown Bag Lunch Sessions have also invited members from local agencies to participate and interact with faculty. Such programs establish relationships between university faculty members and individuals in the community, Kiser said.
The Amigos program represents a product of faculty and community collaboration. Post, Crawford and Oliveira developed a program that benefits each of their students, Post said. Post’s Spanish-speaking students practice verbal skills by translating for Crawford’s education students who are partnered with Spanish-speaking middle school students in need of a mentor.
Since the creation of the Brown Bag Lunch Program, the number of service- learning courses offered has grown from 12 to more than 50 courses each semester. According to Kiser, at a university where community service has become a hallmark of the institution, it is important to provide a platform for faculty to learn from one another and bridge service and academic opportunities.
Post said she learned how to grade reflection papers, ways to guide classroom conversation regarding service-learning experiences and about other professors’ research regarding service learning.
Amanda Sturgill, associate professor of communications, said she is also attracted to the Brown Bag Lunch Sessions because of the learning opportunities offered for faculty members.
“It’s a chance to learn from others and get ideas for your own teaching,” she said. “I sometimes come away with specific things I can use in this semester’s classes and sometimes just with bigger ideas about teaching that are more generally applicable."
The most recent lunch session featured Martin Kamela, associate professor of physics, and his service-learning course that he teaches in India.
Although Derek Lackaff, assistant professor of communications, is not currently teaching a service-learning course, he said he hoped to learn more about the program after attending the Brown Bag Lunch Session Feb. 29.
“While the topic of this lunch (sounded) interesting, I initially signed up to learn more abut service-learning courses,” Lackaff said.
The lunch sessions help foster programs geared toward cross-cultural experiences for students, Sturgill said.
“It’s very much voluntary,” Kiser said. “We want to create an environment where any faculty member that is interested knows that the supports are there if they want to pursue (developing a service learning component).”
Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to say Martin Kamela, associate professor of physics, was the presenter at the most recent Brown Bag Lunch Session.