GU299 Grantham University Week 6 Service Learning Discussion Paper 2 Peer Review Overview: Peer review is a skill with practical application. Both the wr
GU299 Grantham University Week 6 Service Learning Discussion Paper 2 Peer Review
Overview:
Peer review is a skill with practical application. Both the writer and reviewer benefit. Peer review provides the writer with valuable constructive information to strengthen the work, while the reviewer often recognizes strengths and weaknesses in their own writing after reading and responding to a peer.
WEEK 6 ASSIGNMENT:
You were instructed in week 5 to submit a copy of your rough draft to this forum. If you have not done so, please submit a copy as an attachment in a new thread with your name as the subject.
You will also submit two peer reviews to your peers.
REVIEW REQUIREMENTS:
Choose two different peer rough drafts to evaluate – Choose drafts that have not been reviewed yet if available.
Use the peer review rubric to provide constructive feedback, incorporating specific, positive remarks as well as helpful suggestions so your peer can see you genuinely evaluated their rough draft. Peer Review Rubric
You will provide this feedback as an attachment back to the two peer’s rough draft posts.
I will provide 2 drafts to review from different peers.
Peer Review Rubric
Meets or Exceeds Established Assignment Criteria
Grading Criteria
Possible Points
Points Awarded
An introduction with a clear thesis statement
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Provide feedback for your score in this category here. Why did you take points off or why did you provide full points? Include constructive (positive) comments and recommendations.
Grading Criteria
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Project includes all required topics:
Community Organization, Community Partnerships, Cross-Cultural Challenges, Humanitarian Considerations, Volunteers, Roadblocks, Future Vision, Challenges, and Improvements
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Meets project presentation requirements:
Paper – 5-7 pages
Presentation – 8-10 minutes presentation including visual elements (graphics, pictures, etc.), 150-200 notes per slide, and recorded voice
Speech – 8-10 minutes and a written script of the narrative
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Clearly Presents Well-Reasoned Ideas and Concepts
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Evidence supporting claims cited throughout the project
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Used a minimum of 10 reputable sources
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Quality of Project
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Academic and professional tone and appearance
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Grammar and proofreading
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Conclusion
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Total
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Provide an overall conclusion and impression of your peer’s paper. What did your peer do right? What could they improve? This should include recommendations and constructive comments to help your peer improve. Running Head: MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
Meals on Wheels America and XYZ University:
Service Learning To Benefit Students And The Community
Ray Moldovan
Grantham University
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MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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Meals on Wheels America and XYZ University:
Service Learning To Benefit Students And The Community
With the United States population of senior citizens set to outpace young people
below the age of 18 by the year 2030, the issue of independent living, food security, and
general health and welfare for the nation’s elderly is an ever growing concern (US
Census Bureau, 2018). With increased mobility of economic opportunity and families
being spread out over potentially great distances, more and more elderly people are
finding themselves alone in their homes, often without a reliable support network
normally provided by family or friends. Meals on Wheels of America (MOWA) and its
affiliates have a long track record of making a positive impact in the lives of elderly
residents in communities throughout the United States. With over 5,000 grass roots
organizations servicing over 2.4 million senior citizens daily, Meals on Wheels provides
valuable opportunities for students to learn and grow in a service-learning environment.
Because students engaged in service-learning activities are exposed to a wide array of
real-world experiences that relate directly to their academic courses of study, while
making positive contributions to the communities in which they live, Meals on Wheels
organizations are ideal partners in service-learning for XYZ University.
While the name implies delivery of food to those in need, the reality is that
volunteers who deliver to seniors actually provide three distinct services. Volunteers
deliver food, and while doing so; they provide a friendly visit and have the opportunity to
perform a safety check. Some seniors report that their only social interaction may come
from their Meals on Wheels volunteer. Simply taking a few minutes to visit with the
elderly members of the community provides much needed nourishment to their
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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psychological well-being, just as the meals provide for their physical well-being.
Because volunteers have ongoing interaction with seniors, they also provide routine
safety checks, ensuring that medical help or family members are called as situations
dictate (Keeping Seniors At Home, n.d.).
By remaining engaged with seniors within the community, the community itself is
made stronger by ensuring the health and well-being of some of its more vulnerable
members. In addition, the reciprocal contact that occurs through service strengthens the
bonds of the generations and creates new opportunities for learning and understanding on
both sides (Butts, 2003). While many students acknowledge being more engaged in the
learning process, and therefore more invested in the subject of their efforts, mandatory
service-learning programs may not always provide the lasting results of continued service
envisioned (Dienhart, Maruyama, Snyder, Furco, McKay, Hirt, & Huesman 2016).
Despite that, the overall value to the student through service-learning, and even more
important, to the receiving organizations remains clear. There are distinct, lasting
advantages to be had by the implementation of these programs, that otherwise may never
be realized (Vizenor, Souza, & Ertmer, 2016).
In addition to the direct work that MOWA engages in with its affiliates and
clients, it also works to develop relationships with other community partners, thereby
increasing its reach and resource base. In the case of Meals on Wheels America
(MOWA) the Japanese automaker, Subaru, is a well-known and notable community
partner. Subaru dedicates a portion of their sales to service organizations during special
events throughout the year, and for the 50th anniversary of MOWA, the company donated
50 of its Outback SUVs to MOWA programs throughout the United States (Subaru, n.d.).
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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Students benefit from collaborating with other community partners because of the
diverse opportunity for learning that is available and for the social and business
networking that takes place during the service learning term. Students may continue the
relationships that they develop over time and use them to find employment after they’ve
completed their studies or they may even develop relationships that continue their service
to community after the service-learning opportunity is complete. In addition, students
may be exposed to wide-ranging elements of business operation through collaborations
with community partners during the service-learning process. Project management,
marketing, and other professional products are some examples of real-world experience
that students may gain (Gable, n.d.). Students may also experience various challenges
during their service-learning program. The level of academic rigor may not align with
students’ expectations, scheduling conflicts may arise that cause a sense of ‘lost time’ and
challenges with respect to cultural or socio-economic factors of the target segment of the
community may create conflicts for students to overcome (Bielefeldt, & Canney, 2014),
(Peters, 2011).
In addition to Subaru, Meals on Wheels enjoys a vast array of partnerships; from
the Federal and local governments, to other service organizations like the American Red
Cross and Friends Life, the impact and influence of Meals on Wheels stretches far and
wide, indeed. Taking Friends Life for example, a non-profit organization that focuses on
teens and adults with developmental disabilities; helping them to experience their
communities more fully through personal and social experiences. With MOWA, Friends
Life has the opportunity to bring their focus in line with the seniors that MOWA serves
on a daily basis. The contact between the groups benefits both from a social
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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developmental perspective and brings two communities together that otherwise wouldn’t
have the opportunity (Masi, 2017).
As in the case of Friends Life, where the program participants volunteer to deliver
meals to less-mobile seniors, Meals on Wheels relies on volunteers on a daily basis to
keep the mission running. But the mission goes further than just delivering meals.
MOWA uses volunteers to help prepare food and in the administration of the
organization as well (Why you should volunteer, n.d.). Volunteering supposes a person
gives of their time, and engages in a one-way transaction, where the object of the
volunteers efforts is the primary beneficiary and no reciprocity takes place. In servicelearning, the servant provides value to the community and the organization, and also
gains benefits from those served through greater understanding development of
enlightened citizenship, and a higher sense of social justice through engagement with
groups that they may not otherwise associate with (Asghar & Rowe, 2017).
During the course of the service-learning project, students involved in with
MOWA may face barriers to providing effective service. More likely than not, barriers
may stem from generational differences. Most of the clients served by MOWA are age
60 and above. This accounts for a significant age-gap between the average MOWA
client and service-learner, which may initially present as being an impediment to the
service-learning process. On the contrary, the topic of intergenerational study becomes
relevant in this context. While most of the research in this subject has to do with
intergenerational collaboration in a formal academic environment, with clearly
established roles and responsibilities, it is reasonable to envision a service-learner
approaching the project with learning in mind. Students may be able to lead the learning
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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by exposing clients to new technologies during their visits, in order to better connect
seniors with their loved-ones, other community services, or even their primary care
providers. Elderly clients have a lifetime of experiences to share with others and students
can shape visits that place the client in the role of a teacher. Students may gain new
perspective on their own lives in the process. In the end, there will most certainly be an
exchange of information and ideas that will serve to enrich the lives of both the student
and the client (Whitehouse, 2017). From the perspective of the student, support from the
university would ideally take the form of adopting the Age Friendly University model.
Developed by the Dublin City University in Ireland and endorsed in partnership by
Arizona State University in the United States and Strathclyde University in Scotland, the
concept brings in elderly citizens to act as special instructors, mentors, and active
participants in the university culture of learning and teaching (Pstross, Corrigan, Knopf,
Sung, Talmage, Conroy, & Fowley, 2017). Such a program, while not yet universal,
holds a great deal of promise and works effectively to reduce the generational gap, while
promoting greater unity among participants.
Risks associated with students participating in a service-learning activity with
MOWA are no different than what may be encountered on any other day. There is the
fact that students will be expected to drive their own vehicles, and they will be operating
around new people and in others’ private homes, so from that perspective, there are many
opportunities for risk and exposure to the student as well as the client and service
organization from injury to interpersonal problems and beyond. Setting that all aside
however, from an academic perspective, the risks lie in performance and commitment.
While the service-learner is operating within an academic environment, the service being
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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performed exists in the “real” world. That means that there are others who will be
dependent on the service-learner to follow through on commitments and perform at a
competent level (Cyphert, D, 2006). If not, there will be a breakdown in credibility,
which may jeopardize future service-learning opportunities the university can offer to its
student body. There was no indication in the research that cited an issue with servicelearning efforts and MOWA. While the issue of personal liability between the servicelearner and the client groups serviced by MOWA is clear, poor performance of servicelearners in their tasks results in a reduced level of service that MOWA can provide to its
clients.
From a social perspective, the issue at hand is that of senior independence and
aging with health and dignity. Older Americans face increasing challenges as lifespan
increases, and the work that MOWA does promotes greater independence by providing
daily, personal visits to their clients. During visits, MOWA volunteers provide
nutritionally complete meals for their clients, which supports individual health and
increased food security. Volunteers also have the opportunity to observe the clients’
home, noting any hazards that may exist and work to help create safer spaces for their
clients. In addition, volunteers get to know their clients and provide much needed social
interaction with the homebound elderly residents, which contributes to their overall
psychological well-being (Campbell, Godfryd, Buys, & Locher, 2015). A review of the
literature indicates that the future of MOWA is not well defined; however, the
organization’s own vision and mission statement indicate an on-going commitment to
community and serving the elderly population. Of note is the appearance of MOWA’s
work with traditional healthcare organizations, where MOWA claims their efforts serve
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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to reduce the burden on higher-cost alternatives to senior care. While this is not a stated
path for the future of MOWA, it is a valid position in that the daily costs of the MOWA
program of a few dollars a day, pales in comparison to that of managed care facilities or
even hospitalization. By focusing on this aspect of MOWA’s benefit to the community,
they maintain relevance and even broaden their appeal to legislators and the general
public, who may not see the longer-term savings by investing in support systems that
keep seniors in their homes (Winterton, Warburton, & Oppenheimer, 2013). Despite the
lack of evidence of a concrete growth plan by MOWA, it may be inferred that as long as
there is an aging population of Americans in need, MOWA appears motivated to answer
the call. Student service-learners can support the future of MOWA by taking on research
projects that seek to enhance the literature and illustrate the long-term benefits of
supporting mobile meal delivery programs to seniors.
An obvious challenge that MOWA faces in realizing their future is defining
exactly what that is. Their vision statement defines “An America in which all seniors live
nourished lives with independence and dignity.” As previously mentioned, it follows that
as long as there are senior citizens living in America, MOWA is committed to serving
their needs. While this may be a noble aim, the organization reveals little in the way of
planning for growth or expansion of its mission. It may be that the vision and mission of
MOWA is so well defined and the focus so clear that they have achieved their optimum
position in their operating space, but there is no obvious indication to support that claim.
Where student service-learners could help would be in the formation and interviewing of
focus groups to determine MOWA’s perceived efficacy among its clients and
stakeholders.
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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A very real challenge that the organization faces is growing and maintaining its
volunteer ranks to serve ever-increasing numbers of older Americans. Service-learners
would be especially helpful in developing a marketing plan aimed toward their peer
generation to promote long-term volunteerism among a younger demographic.
According to O’Dwyer and Timonen (2009), a research team in Ireland, the average age
of the volunteers studied was approaching that of the clients they served. The challenge
to motivate, attract, and retain volunteers is understood and categorized as intrinsically or
externally motivated; self-serving or altruistic (MacNeela, 2008). Student learners can
help MOWA by conducting additional research as to the motivations of volunteers and
develop programs that leverage those motivations to be used by the service organization
in its efforts to attract and retain a broad base of support at the point of execution.
Finding room for improvement for an organization such as Meals on Wheels
America and its affiliates is no small task. In the first place, the national organization has
been in existence in its current form since the 1970s, with its founding dating to the
1950s. The organization is clearly successful. The opportunities for improvement lie
with the local organizations themselves. It is up to the sponsoring university and the
student service-learners to collaborate with these local branches to determine areas most
in need of support. Recalling the work of O’Dwyer and Timonen, volunteer attraction
and retention stand out as high return on investment when viewed through the lens of
students’ time and effort. By ensuring healthy numbers in the volunteer corps, the Meals
on Wheels partner organizations are best situated to touch the greatest number of lives on
a regular basis. That, in essence, is the mission of MOWA.
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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This analysis has discussed the primary mission of Meals on Wheels of America
and its affiliate organizations in relative detail. The work these groups do offer numerous
opportunities for positive engagement of college students as they near completion of their
undergraduate studies, providing a venue where the student may bring the totality of his
or her studies to bear on a meaningful project that benefits both the student, as well as the
community in which they live. America’s elderly population is growing and as they enter
into their advanced years, support systems to maintain their independence, safety, and
dignity are sure to become more and more important. As the number of elderly grow, so
to do the opportunities for intergenerational learning and development among both
students and clients alike. Through service-learning, students will be exposed to a
number of different community partners, furthering the learning experience and giving a
great deal of real-world knowledge to tie together the students’ academics and service
project. Despite any risks associated with service to MOWA, students are supporting its
mission to improve the quality of life for seniors and may even have the opportunity to
shape the future of the organization during their service. For these reasons and many
others, Meals on Wheels organizations are ideal partners in service-learning for XYZ
University
MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA AND XYZ UNIVERSITY
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References
Asghar, M., & Rowe, N. (2017). Reciprocity and critical reflection as the key to social
justice in service learning: A case study. Innovations in Education & Teaching
International, 54(2), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2016.1273788
Bielefeldt, A. R., & Canney, N. (2014). Impacts of Service-Learning on the Professional
Social Responsibility Attitudes of Engineering Students. International Journal for
Service Learning in Engineering, 9(2), 47–63. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=118175709&si
te=ehost-live&authtype=uid&user=grantham&password=research
Butts, D. M. (2003). Intergenerational service learning and volunteering. New Directions
for Philanthropic Fundraising, 2003(42), 59–69. Retrieved from
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=ehost-live&authtype=uid&user=grantham&password=research
Campbell, A. D., Godfryd, A., Buys, D. R., & Locher, J. L. (2015). Does Participation in
Home-Delivered Meals Programs Improve Outcomes for Older Adults? Results
of a Systematic Review. Journal of nutrition in gerontology and geriatrics, 34(2),
124-67. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4480596/
Cyphert, D. (2006). Real Clients, Real Management, Real Failure: The Risks and
Rewards of Service Learning. Business Communication Quarterly, 69(2), 185–
189. https://doi.org/10.1177/108056990606900207
Dienhart, C., Maruyama, G., Snyder, M., Furco, A., McKay, M. S., Hirt, L., & Huesman,
R. (2016). The impacts of mandatory service on students in service-learning
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classes. Journal of Social Psychology, 156(3), 305–309.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2015.1111856
Gerstenblatt, P., & Gilbert, D. J. (2014). Framing Service Learning in Social Work: An
Interdisciplinary Elective Course Embedded within a University–Community
Partnership. Social Work Education, 33(8), 1037–1053.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2014.935731
Gable, M. (n.d.). What are the benefits of service-learning? Retrieved from
http://mclean.olemiss.edu/service-learning-best-practices/
Keeping Seniors At Home, Where They Want To Be. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org/signup/aboutmealsonwheels/
MacNeela, P. (2008). The Give and Take of Volunteering: Motives, Benefits, and
Personal Connections among Irish Volunteers. Voluntas: International Journal of
Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations, 19(2), 125–139.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-008-9058-8
Masi, A. (2017, November 07). Service learning spotlight: Meals on wheels. Retrieved
from https://friendslife.org/service-learning-spotlight-meals-wheels/
O’Dwyer, C., & Timonen, V. (2009). Doomed to Extinction? The Nature and Future of
Volunteering …
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