A Case Study of a Multidisciplinary Service-learning Project in an Appalachian Regional College Campus on a Health-related Community Awareness Campaign

Abstract In this case study, faculty from Communication Studies, Biological Sciences, and Management & Information Systems combined resources of six courses and approximately 135 students in a health-related service-learning project during Fall 2010. The project focused on Cystic Fibrosis (CF) concluding with a public event that attracted audience members from two Appalachian Ohio counties. The project’s goal was to disseminate CF-related information to the surrounding communities in order to improve the lives of CF patients and/or their caregivers. This article describes the connection between the students’ lives and the information. Communication Studies and Biology students were given lectures on CF theme-specific information and then, conducted research using published literature, Websites, and interviews of biology students and CF caregivers and CF patients. Management & Information Systems, Communication Studies, and Biology students delivered a semester-ending summation presentation for the general public which included an original student-written play, a lecture by a prominent CF researcher, informational posters, and audience interaction. This project provides a template for future service-learning projects in this close-knit family-oriented Appalachian region, offering interactions between different disciplines within the university, patient/advocacy groups, and research/health care foundations