Abstract
Each student was paired with a University faculty or staff volunteer participant. The student taught this service learning partner how to record his or her food consumption and physical activity during a typical seven-day period. Using these data, the student completed a nutritional assessment of the partner.

Introduction

The term "service learning" has a variety of connotations. The traditional meaning implies providing charitable services, but a newer, academic service learning emphasizes applying classroom concepts and skills in the community. In this academic form, service learning encompasses more than teaching civic responsibility (Tai-Seale 2001). Service learning can be a type of experiential education that is "a marriage between occupational and/or academic learning and service to the community" (Prentice and Garcia 2000, 9).

The current literature documents a growing number of traditional college science courses that include academic service learning. A biology professor incorporated a community service project that helped students learn biology (Phillips 1997). In an introductory environmental course, students evaluated campus academic buildings and found ways to encourage and increase energy conservation (Bixby, Carpenter, Jerman, and Coull 2003). Students enrolled in an Earth science course conducted an Earth science fair at a local elementary school (Francek 2002/2003).

Implementation of the human nutrition project followed the basic steps of preparation, participation, and reflection that are essential for effective service learning and enhancement of student learning (Lott and Michelmore 1997). Preparation occurred during the first half of the semester during which students performed a nutritional assessment of themselves as they acquired knowledge about human nutrition. Participation began after midterm and continued through the end of the semester. Students worked outside of class to teach their service learning partner how to keep an accurate seven-day record of their food consumption and physical activity. Reflection occurred with each student writing a complete nutritional assessment of his or her service learning partner. This assessment replaced the final exam in the course. A written copy was also given to the service learning partner for whom it was done. Details of each of the above three components are described below.

Course Design

A goal of Biology 300 is to actively engage students in the learning of human nutrition. As the professor, I emphasize using facts about nutrition rather than simply acquiring those facts. During a one-semester Human Nutrition course, I paired each of fifteen students with a different volunteer from the faculty or staff of the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The students represented a variety of majors including Elementary Education, Physical Education Teaching, Athletic Training, Fitness/Wellness, Health Education, and Biology.

The purpose of the service learning project was to foster a lifelong interest in nutrition among both the Biology 300 students and the volunteer participants; to prepare the students to make effective dietary choices for themselves and to teach others to do the same; and to help students acquire thinking skills they can use in other life endeavors. Both Biology 300 students and participants benefited by learning about their own nutritional status and about how food consumption and physical activity contribute to their energy balance and overall health. This project may help improve wellness among members of the University of Maine at Presque Isle campus community.

Preparation

Before the semester began, I obtained approval for this project with an application to the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Next, I solicited volunteers with an email to all University of Maine at Presque Isle employees in which I offered a "free nutritional assessment" and briefly explained the service learning project. Participants were accepted in the order in which they responded to the email. A waiting list of ten employees was generated. These people will be included the next time I teach the course.

I teach Biology 300 with the lecture-free teaching methods I designed for all of my courses. The syllabus and topic schedule can be viewed on my webpage (http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~wood). During the first weeks of the semester, students learn about the components of a healthful diet, how to interpret food labels and the major nutrients. They evaluate their own diet and energy balance while acquiring this knowledge. To complete a stepwise nutritional assessment of themselves, students use either DINE Healthy (a computerized dietary analysis and scoring program available on all campus student computers) or the FoodWise dietary analysis program which comes as a CD with their textbook (Wardlaw 2003). By midterm, students comfortably used one of these two programs.

Next, I paired each student with one of the volunteer service learning partners and spent one class meeting teaching them about IRB policies and guidelines as well as procedures that they would follow during the project. I strongly emphasized the necessity of complete confidentiality regarding information about volunteer participants. Each participant was assigned a subject number that was used in place of his or her name on all written material.

Participation

The service learning project was completed outside of class. Additional topics on human nutrition as well as student oral reports filled the remaining weeks of the semester's class meetings.

The service learning project instructions that were given to each student are as follows:

• Contact your partner.

• Call or email your partner within one week to make an appointment to meet in a private room at the University Health Center.

• Preparation for first meeting.

• Decide in advance how you want your partner to record seven days of food consumption and physical activity. Give your partner seven copies of whatever form you want them to use. This can be an adaptation of a form I have given you (Figure 1) or one designed by you.
• Make a list of helpful hints for estimating serving size and recording the name of the food consumed. Explain these to your partner so that the data you collect is accurate.

• First meeting with partner.

• Explain in detail the methods you will use the complete the nutritional assessment and answer any questions the partner may have.
• Have your partner carefully read and sign (Figure 2) the Informed Consent To Participate In A Human Nutrition Service Learning Activity At The University Of Maine At Presque Isle, Fall 2002 Semester (Figure 3).
• Using the equipment at the Health Center, accurately measure the participant's height (in inches and in centimeters), weight (in pounds) (Figure 4), waist circumference (in inches), hip circumference (in inches) (Figure 5), and right wrist circumference (in centimeters) and elbow breadth (in inches) using a caliper (Figure 6). Record this information in addition to the participant's sex and age at the top of the Outline for Nutritional Assessment (Figure 7).
• Using the Generic Portion Sized Models Kit and Portion Sizes Kit (purchased from Nasco, www.eNASCO.com), describe to your partner how to estimate serving sizes (Figure 8). Explain how to record daily food intake and physical activity.
• Determine a convenient seven-day period for your partner to record his or her food intake and activities.
• Arrange to review the partner's record after the first 24-hour period.
• Emphasize that the goal of a nutritional assessment is to evaluate a typical seven-day period. To be useful to them, your partner should eat normally and engage in his or her usual physical activities. Caution your partner to avoid changes in physical activity or diet without first consulting a health care provider.
• Tell your partner not to put his or her name on any of the information. To ensure privacy, you will label the information with the participant number.

• Second meeting with partner.

• Review the first 24-hour record of food consumption and physical activity. Give your partner suggestions for making the record more precise.

• Third meeting with partner.

• Collect the seven-day food consumption and physical activity record.
• Give your partner a written invitation to the healthful dinner at the end of the semester.
• Tell your partner when you expect to complete the nutritional assessment.

In lieu of a final exam, students submitted a final paper that was a complete nutritional assessment of their service learning partner. The instructions for this phase of the project are as follows:

• Draft of Nutritional Assessment. Following the Outline for Nutritional Assessment (Figure 7) write a draft of the nutritional assessment and submit it to me for review. Make any necessary changes and write the final copy of the assessment.
• Last meeting with partner. In a private location, explain the written nutritional assessment to your partner and answer any questions. Give your partner a copy of the assessment and give me another copy for grading.
• Healthful meal for students and partners.

• With your Learning Group design a menu for the meal.
• Before the meal, prepare a Nutrition Facts sheet for your assigned food item by inputting your recipe into the DINE Systems, Inc., software (Figure 9).
• Display this label next to your food item on the buffet table at the dinner (Figure 10).

Conclusions

Students indicated both verbally and in written evaluations that they found the project very beneficial. Several students subsequently volunteered to teach a four-week nutrition class for senior citizens during which they will complete similar nutritional assessments of the participants.

An email questionnaire was distributed to volunteer participants to obtain information on the perceived success of the service learning project and to gather suggestions for improvement. All but two of the partners responded to this questionnaire. Most of the comments were very positive and indicated that the project attained its goals. One of the partners commented that his assigned student did not put enough effort into the project (which was reflected in the course grade the student). To minimize variations in the quality of the final nutritional assessments, in the future I plan to monitor more carefully each student's progress throughout the weeks of the project.

Partial funding for this project was through the Maine Campus Compact Learn and Serve Project (www.mainecompact.org).

References

Bixby, J.A., Carpenter, J.R., Jerman, P.L. and Coull, B.C. 2003. Ecology on campus. Service learning in introductory environmental courses. Journal of College Science Teaching XXXII (5): 327-331.

Francek, M. 2002/2003. Community Service. Learning through an earth science fair. Journal of College Science Teaching XXXII (4), 246-251.

Lott, C. and Michelmore, C.W. 1997. Learning through service: A faculty perspective. Liberal Education 83(1):40-45.

Phillips, M.W. 1997. Teaching general biology for nonmajors through community service projects. Journal of College Science Teaching 26(4):253-257.

Prentice, M. and Garcia, R.M. 2000. Service learning: the next generation in education. Community College Journal of Research and Practice 24(1):9-26.

Tai-Seale, T. 2001. Liberating service learning and applying the new practice. College Teaching, 49(1):14-18.

Wardlaw, G.M. 2003. Contemporary Nutrition. Issues and Insights (5th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
 

• The purpose of the Human Nutrition Service Learning Activity is for each Biology 300 (Human Nutrition) student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) to complete a nutritional assessment of a volunteer participant from the UMPI faculty or staff. Objectives are fostering a lifelong interest in nutrition among both the Biology 300 students and the volunteer participants; teaching both the students and volunteer participants to make effective dietary choices; and increasing wellness among members of the UMPI campus community.

• This activity has been designed for Biology 300, Human Nutrition, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and will be supervised by Dr. Bonnie Wood, Professor of Biology.

• To ensure confidentiality, after signing this informed consent, you will be given a number that will be used in place of your name on all written information pertinent to the activity.

• During approximately the seventh week of the Fall 2002 semester, you will meet with your assigned student in a campus location where your privacy will be protected. The student will record your age, height, weight, and body measurements and will teach you how to keep a seven-day record of your typical food consumption and physical activity.

• The recording of your typical daily food consumption and physical activity will be over a period of seven days (during a week convenient for you) between weeks eight and thirteen of the Fall 2002 semester. You will meet with the Biology 300 student with whom you have been paired for about one hour during week before you begin your recording and on several other occasions as the student works on your nutritional assessment.

• During the final meeting with your assigned Biology 300 student, you will receive a written copy of your completed nutritional assessment along with a verbal explanation of the results.

• Biology 300 students will learn the importance of confidentiality and informed consent when working with human subjects.
• Biology 300 students will learn to apply the principles of human nutrition.
• Biology 300 students will learn to teach the principles of human nutrition to another person.
• Both Biology 300 students and UMPI faculty and staff will learn about their own nutritional status and how food consumption and physical activity contribute to overall their energy balance and health.
• Wellness will improve among members of the University of Maine at Presque Isle campus community.
• As an optional finale to the activity, you and other participants will be invited to a meal of healthful food prepared by Biology 300 students and their professor. Displayed next to each food served will be a food label containing the same type "Nutrition Facts" found on commercially prepared foods.

Possible risks or discomfort as a result of your participation are:

• A negative psychological reaction upon learning that the status of your nutrition and energy balance is not healthful.

• A breach of your confidentiality if Biology 300 students and/or instructor do not follow the Institutional Review Board for Research on Human Subjects (IRB) guidelines for ensuring privacy of human subjects.
• Undermining of your dignity by having your height, weight, and body measurements as well as your seven-day food intake and exercise record scrutinized by a student.

• You need not answer any questions you consider inappropriate.
• You may stop participating in this activity at any point.
• If you decline to participate, any information that has been gathered about you will be returned to you or will be destroyed.

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5

 
 

FIGURE 6

 

FIGURE 7. OUTLINE FOR NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT

DATES_____________________

PARTICIPANT #____________ SEX: Male Female

HEIGHT (inches and centimeters):

WEIGHT (pounds):

WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (inches):

HIP CIRCUMFERENCE (inches):

RIGHT WRIST CIRCUMFERENCE (centimeters)

ELBOW BREADTH (inches) measured with calipers

HEALTHFUL WEIGHT ASSESSMENT

1. BODY FAT DISTRIBUTION
1. What is participant's waist-to-hip ratio?
2. Does participant have a healthful body fat distribution or do you recommend pursuing a program of weight loss or weight gain?
3. Is participant at a higher or lower risk for any chronic diseases due to his/her body fat distribution?
2. BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)
1. What is participant's body mass index (BMI)?
2. According to the standard BMI table does he/she have a healthful weight or do you recommend pursuing a program of weight loss or weight gain?
3. What are the disadvantages of using BMI to determine a healthful weight range?
3. HEIGHT-WEIGHT TABLES
1. Frame Size Estimate
1. Using both Method 1 (wrist circumference) and Method 2 (elbow breadth) in Appendix G of your textbook, estimate the frame size of participant.
2. 1983 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Height-Weight Table (Appendix G of your textbook)
1. According to this table, does participant have healthful weight or do you recommend pursuing a program of weight loss or weight gain?
2. What are the disadvantages of using this table to determine a healthful weight?
3. USDA/DHHS Dietary Guidelines Height/Weight Table (Figure 10.7 of your textbook)
1. According to this table, does participant have healthful weight or do you recommend pursuing a program of weight loss or weight gain?
2. What are the disadvantages of using this table to determine a healthful weight?

1. Estimation of participant's TOTAL ENERGY USE on a typical day during the seven-day recording period. (Show all calculations and steps to obtain the answer.)
1. Basal Metabolism
2. Physical Activity Kilocalories
3. Thermic Effect of Food
4. Total Energy Use (A + B + C)
2. Calculation of participant's energy use above compared to TOTAL ENERGY INTAKE on a typical day during the seven-day recording period. (Show all calculations and steps to obtain the answer.)
3. How do the estimates for total energy use and total energy intake compare? What are your recommendations?

1. Strengths and weaknesses of participant's the seven-day food record with respect to each of the following. Explain IN DETAIL the contribution of each of the nutrients listed below. Compare the recommended intakes to participant's intakes.
1. Kilocalories
2. Carbohydrates
3. Proteins
4. Fat
5. Saturated Fat
6. Fiber
7. Cholesterol
8. Vitamin A
9. Vitamin C
10. Calcium
11. Iron
12. Sodium
2. How can participant improve his/her diet? List SPECIFIC AND REASONABLE SUBSTITUTIONS to improve the diet.

1. Attach the completed DINE or Foodwise computer printouts for participants' seven days of food consumption and activity records.