Experiential Learning and Service Learning

Omaha is a city where a wide variety of languages are spoken and many cultural backgrounds are present.

In response, the Department of World Languages and Literature sees this as an educational opportunity, and every semester, we offer multiple language courses that incorporate service-learning. This not only gives students a chance to use and apply the knowledge and language skills that they are learning, but also allows them to connect with the relevant local communities. Through experiential learning and service learning, students meet academic objectives while performing meaningful community service.

Benefits of Experiential Learning and Service Learning

The benefits for students are numerous:

they practice the target language,
form long-lasting relationships with community members,
develop leadership skills, and
gain a sense of civic duty that lives within them long after leaving UNO.

Many of our projects seek to expand access to information and educational resources specific to non-English speaking communities in Omaha and the state of Nebraska. Students who participate in these projects are able to achieve first-hand knowledge of field-specific practices.

These collaborations between students and community partners allow for future career opportunities that will be mutually beneficial.

Past Projects

2021/2022 | 2020/2021

Fall 2024 WLL Experiential & Service Learning Projects

Overcoming Linguistic Barriers | SPAN 4060/8066, field Club Elementary and Glacier Creek Preserve

Students in Dr. Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch's SPANISH 4060 / 8066 are completing two projects that relate to overcoming linguistic barriers and facilitating access to Spanish speakers in Omaha. In October, students will participate in parent-teacher conferences in Field Club Elementary; they will fulfill several functions including interpreting for parents and teachers and helping in the book fair. During the second half of the semester, students will complete a translation project of a guided tour for Glacier Creek Preserve, so more Spanish-speakers can have access to information usually provided on the guided tour including the historical significance of the place.

Well-Being Skills for Language Learners + Outreach/ Service and Community-Based Activities | SPAN 1110-004 with Bellevue East High School Spanish Students & Schuyler High School ESL Students and

It is a series of community learning interventions, which focus on the connection between emotional well-being, experiential instruction, and motivated language learning. The Practices of Happiness Project was started by Dr. Garcia in the fall of 2020, in partnership with UNO SLA, Bellevue East and Schuyler Central HS, and the Learning Community Center of South Omaha (LCCSO). In this 5th iteration of the Practices of Happiness, the project will include outreach activities, with each partner completing specific service activities. We (SPAN 1110) will participate in a “Better Environment” Cleanup Service in partnership with Keep Omaha Beautiful, Blue Bucket Project and Benson First Friday Cleanup.

Language Learning Collaboration | SPAN 2120 and Latino Center for the Midlands

Students in Profesora Toscano's SPAN 2120: Intermediate II are partnering with Latino Center for the Midlands to engage in a language exchange. UNO students will help to facilitate English language learning and have opportunities to engage in conversation in Spanish. Students will reflect on their experiences throughout this project. This porject meets the goals of learning about different cultures and traditions through conversations; sharing in the language learning journey of others; creating connections between individuals and learn different perspectives. At the end of the semester ESL learners will be invited to a project celebration at UNO where students will lead a tour of the UNO campus in Spanish.

Cultural Event/Evento Cultural | SPAN 1110 and 1120

Over the course of the semester, students in SPAN 1110 and 1120 attend one or more events organized within the Spanish-speaking community or relating to Latino topics at UNO , locally in Omaha, in the state of Nebraska, or where they reside in the US. This course component has been repeated every semester since Fall 2021.

The purpose is for students to get acquainted with local US Latino and worldwide Spanish-speaking cultures and histories. This exposes them both to the language and those who speak it within their own community and helps connect them to everyday opportunities to use the language and immerse themselves in the culture.

Student Samuel Logeman had a very memorable experience while attending a cultural event. He had an unexpected meeting across four generations:

“ Turning the corner to see the first installation my mom exclaimed “That’s my grandma!” and sure enough there was a large black and white framed picture of my great grandma, Juvencia Reyes, hanging on the wall. […] Next to her picture was a transcript of an interview from her. […] There was also an audio recording of my great grandma which we listened to. It was honestly amazing to hear my great grandma’s voice for the first time […] It was also emotional for my mom because she had not seen a picture of her grandma or heard her voice in over 20 years.”

Community Exploration/Exploración de la comunidad | SPAN 2120

Every semester, students in SPAN 2120:Intermediate Spanish II visit a Spanish-speaking area in the city of Omaha, or the city where they reside, and complete a scavenger hunt. This allows them to see first-hand that Spanish is not just a language that we study in our little bubble in the university. This language and these cultures are alive in our country and our city. This course component has been repeated every semester since Fall 2021.

The area that students visit is La Veinticuatro (24 th Street, between L Street and Q Street). During the Community Exploration, students eat at a local restaurant, go to a grocery store and find specific products and publications in Spanish, etc. This assignment includes an action report with pictures, as well as a group discussion in which students reflect on this intercultural experience in their own hometown.

Spring 2024 Experiential & Service Learning Projects

Community Learning Project (CLP): El último sueño de Diego y Frida in Conversation | SPAN 3050 with Opera Omaha and One World/LCCSO

The project is a collaboration of Dr. Claudia Garcia's SPAN 3050: Latin America in Context students with Opera Omaha and One World’s LCCSO adult ESL learners around the opera El último sueño de Diego y Frida.

The opera, composed by Gabriela Lena Frank, with a libretto by Nilo Cruz, and interpreted by an all Latinx cast, will have its Midwest opening in Omaha in May 2023. In support of this event, Opera Omaha will host a series of pre-viewing and cultural activities over the spring, including our CLP, which is a conversation with LCCSO learners facilitated by SPAN 3050 students.

As a follow-up to this discussion, students of both institutions will be attending the opera together on May 5 at the Orpheum Theater.

Planning and Supporting 2024 Language Celebration at UNO | SPAN 4760/8766 /CRCJ 4800 and UNO

Students in Dr. Tocaimaza-Hatch's Forensic Linguistics course (SPAN 4760/8766 /CRCJ 4800) supported the Language Celebration event on March 1, 2024 in various capacities, including serving as judges in different events, such as skits and singing, where high school students performed and competed in the target language that they are studying.

Practices of Happiness/Prácticas de felicidad |SPAN 1110 and Schuyler Central HS

Now in its fourth iteration, Dr. Garcia's SPAN 1110 class will participate in the this project that consists of 2 parts:

Doing the Practices of Happiness: All students participating in this project will complete the same set of Prácticas de Felicidad in their classrooms (in either Spanish or English). In each Practice we explore a simple prompt or activity which has the purpose of enhancing emotional and psychological well-being. Most of the prompts are taken from the Greater Good Science Center. We will talk about our experiences with our classmates in English and we will do a simple recap activity in Spanish.
Sharing with Schuyler Central HS: Each student in the class will be assigned a Schuyler Central HS partner. We will “meet” virtually with our partners by using Padlet and by posting contributions in English. You will receive specific instructions for each share.

Why are we doing this?

To promote wholesome emotional and mental-health habits
To reduce stress and discomfort
To rediscover our common humanity
To build trust in others
To embed language practice in the wider context of body-mind balance
To meet members of the Nebraska Latinx community and learn about their countries and cultures of origin.

Fall 2023 Experiential & Service Learning Projects

Practices of Happiness/Prácticas de felicidad | SPAN 1110, SPAN 3030 and Schuyler Central High School ESL Students, Bellevue East Spanish and Learning Community Center of South Omaha

The Project of Happiness Service Learning Project, now currently in its third iteration, is based in the practice of simple activities to promote emotional well-being, and in sharing these experiences with other community members. This fall, the project involves the UNO students in Dr. Claudia García’s SPAN 1110: Elementary Spanish I course and Dr. Jose Sequeros-Valle’s SPAN 3030: Conversation course that have partnered with Schuyler Central High School ESL students, five students from Bellevue East Spanish and the Learning Community Center of South Omaha adult ESL students.

At the end of the semester, we will write reflections that describe personal experiences doing the Practices and taking part in the SL Project. They research the home country of one of the Latin American ESL partners, including information about the country’s arts, culture, foods; business and economy; sciences, health, technology; sports and environment; politics and society.

Spanish-English Conversation Exchange | SPAN 2120 and South High School Adult ESL

Profesora Tara Toscano's SPAN 2120 students are partnering with Omaha Public Schools Title 1 Parent Engagement Program in their Adult ESL classes at South High School. They help to facilitate English language learning and have opportunities to engage in conversation in Spanish. The parents group up with UNO students and participate in roundtable conversations, chalk talk, or other collaborative activities that allow for communication and support learning in both languages. The objectives of this project include engaging parents in school and community; highlighting differences between high school and university through collaboration; learning about different cultures and traditions through conversations; giving parents a better understanding of college life and students an understanding of first-generation families through learning their stories; creating connections between individuals and learning different perspectives. Once the ESL course has concluded, adult learners are invited to tour the UNO campus and celebrate their language achievements.

Spanish for Healthcare Professionals & Project Harmony |SPAN 3570 and Project Harmony

Students in Dr. Ashlee Dauphinais' SPAN 3570 have partnered with Project Harmony , a child advocacy center that serves as a resource for our surrounding communities. Students worked in partners to translate 18 different modules in a series of online learning activities about mental health and therapy for children from English into Spanish. Students use their Spanish skills related to healthcare and medicine to create age-appropriate content for children of different ages and their families. Students visited Project Harmony’s campus and have an in-person celebration at the end of the semester.

Art Workshop at the Intercultural Senior Center | SPAN 3410 and Intercultural Senior Center

Throughout the course of this project, UNO students in Dr. Steven Torres's SPAN 3410: Spanish Civilization course make weekly visits to the Intercultural Senior Center to actively assist seniors in the creation of canvas art that symbolizes someone or something that has made a significant impact on their lives. This initiative not only allows students to integrate their academic coursework with practical, hands-on experience but also enriches the lives of older Spanish-speaking adults by providing engaging activities.

Language Celebration Preparations | FLNG 8020 and UNO

Dr. Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch's graduate students in FLNG 8020: FL/TESOL Research course are working on planning and organizing organizing a Language Celebration on March 1, 2024 that is hosted by the Department of Foreign Languages & Literature. This event will be hosted at the UNO campus and it seeks to create a space for students in middle and high school to showcase their language learning and for them to continue to be engaged and excited about becoming bi/multilingual.

As the Fall 2023 semester begins, a few items will have been planned in preparation for this event. In this class, students will take over the planning and use their own expertise as teachers and language practitioners to give the Language Celebration a more defined profile and to continue organizing the event. When the Fall semester ends in December, the SL experience will end for this class, however, everyone in this course is invited to continue to be involved in the planning of this event in Spring semester.

Spring 2023 Experiential & Service Learning Projects

Assessment & Curriculum Design |FLNG 8040 and One School, One Book

The service-learning project in FLNG 8040 is a continuation of the project initiated by SPAN 3010 students. In this course, we will develop reading materials for more books, in English, Spanish, French, or German, and we will make them available online for school administrators and teachers to use, at no cost, for their One School, One Book programs (or any reading initiative they might have!).

One School, One Book is a reading program where all the students in one school read the very same book and engage in the same reading tasks. You can learn more about the One School, One book program.

Schools usually purchase the books and accompanying materials from companies that deliver: reading quizzes, chapter summaries, a letter to parents, a reading calendar, bookmarks, and other items that are useful to schools as they implement the One school, One book program.

Recently, undergraduate students in SPAN 3010: Spanish for Heritage Speakers in the World Languages and Literature department created a reading package for a book called Esperanza Rising that was used in a school in OPS that includes a dual language program.

UNO students completed this project as a service-learning initiative for their SPAN 3010 course, and created all reading materials in both English and Spanish so children could choose to complete the reading and other activities (e.g., reading quizzes) in the language of their choice.

Language Learning Exchange | SPAN 2120 and South High School ESL Adults

span2120esl

SPAN 2120 students will be partnering with Omaha Public Schools Title 1 Parent Engagement Program in their Adult ESL classes. They will help to facilitate English language learning and have opportunities to engage in conversation in Spanish. The parents will group up with UNO students and participate in roundtable conversations, chalk talk, or other collaborative activities that allow for communication and support learning in both languages.

The objectives of this project include engaging parents in school and community; highlighting differences between high school and university through collaboration; learning about different cultures and traditions through conversations; giving parents a better understanding of college life and students an understanding of first-generation families through learning their stories; creating connections between individuals and learning different perspectives. In April once the ESL course has concluded, adult learners will be invited to tour the UNO campus and celebrate their language achievements.

Fall 2022 Experiential & Service Learning Projects

Felicidad para compartir/Happiness to Share |SPAN 3050 & SPAN 3020

In this Community Learning project, UNO students from SPAN 3050 and SPAN 3020 are teaming up with community partners Bellevue East High School, Schuyler Central High School, and Learning Community Center of South Omaha (LCCSO) to practice the “12 Practices of Happiness” in their classrooms. All students will also participate in “Happiness Support Teams”, under the leadership of UNO students.

Each team, consisting of 5-6 students, will meet virtually through Padlet three times during the semester to share their experiences as practitioners of these very simple happiness enhancement techniques. An in-person celebration is scheduled for November 17 at the UNO campus. All activities will be carried out in Spanish.

The project involves around 120 students from Omaha, Bellevue and Schuyler. We are expecting over 60 individuals on November 17. LCCSO parents will be accompanied by their young children, so we are hoping our project will reach people of all ages, spreading happiness all around us.

Our goals for this project are:

To promote wholesome emotional and mental-health habits
To reduce stress and discomfort in everyday social situations
To rediscover our common humanity
To build trust in others
To enhance awareness and well-being inside and outside the classroom To embed language practice in the wider context of body-mind balance

Advanced Spanish Conversation | SPAN 4030/8036 and Heartland Workers Center

SPAN 4030/8036 students are participating in a service-learning project developed in conjunction with the Heartland Workers Center to promote voter registration and voter participation. The project requires students to conduct group canvassing in South Omaha, which is the part of the city with the greatest concentration of Spanish speakers. Students have an opportunity to converse in Spanish with a broad array of Hispanic citizens, under supervision at first and eventually on their own.

During their visits, students ask people whether they can vote in the U.S. and, if so, if they are already registered to vote, if they intend to vote, or if they need additional information on the voting process. Through this project, students provide non-partisan information, such as dates, eligibility requirements, registration instructions, information on how to go about voting on Election Day, as well as information on early voting, which can be particularly important to citizens with limited mobility or with work scheduling conflicts.

Introduction to Translation | SPAN 4060/8066 and Omaha Public Schools and Lauritzen Gardens

Students in Spanish 4060/8066 are completing a service-learning (SL) project in partnership with several local organizations, including Omaha Public Schools (OPS) and Lauritzen Gardens. The purpose of the SL collaboration is twofold: (a) to provide UNO students with opportunities for real practice interpreting and translating (English-Spanish), and (b) to meet a need in the community by facilitating means to overcome linguistic barriers.

For this SL project students engage in two activities, including interpreting at parent -teacher conferences in Field Club Elementary, and translating materials for the various organizations that they can then use in promoting their services or knowledge among Spanish-speaking individuals in Omaha.

Spring 2022 Experiential & Service Learning Projects

Structure of Spanish

SPAN 4220 students will develop an interactive activity (e.g., scavenger hunt, guided walking tour) that features and teaches about the rich culture, history, and traditions of Latinx peoples in Nebraska. The finished activity will be used in the future by students enrolled in freshman Spanish courses.

Through this activity, students in SPAN 4220 will put to use their Spanish skills by either reading, writing, or speaking in Spanish, and they will increase their knowledge about Latinx individuals living in Nebraska. At the same time, they will create an artifact that will help beginning Spanish students learn more about Nebraska and the presence of Latinx peoples living in the state.

ONE SCHOOL, ONE BOOK PROGRAM and SPAN 3020: Heritage Speakers II

SPAN 3020: Spanish for Heritage Speakers II undergraduate students will have the opportunity to engage in a Service Learning project encompassing interdisciplinary collaboration with Crestridge Elementary School students. This Service Learning project has UNO students identify limitations in book translations and design supplementary materials such as lesson plans, quizzes, letters, and bookmarks revolving around the book Esperanza Renace. Crestridge students will have the opportunity of engaging and further their learning with these materials as part of their curriculum during the Fall 2022 semester.

Linguistic Justice & Latino Health | Span 4970 and The Wellbeing Partners

Students in Dr. Dauphinais’ SPAN 4970 class partnered with The Wellbeing Partners . Students worked with the community partner to conduct health narrative interviews among the Spanish-speaking community in Omaha about language and mental health.

Students analyzed transcribed, translated, and analyzed these narratives to look at ways health communication from healthcare providers can reduce language barriers and incorporate greater cultural humility. These interviews and narratives were then used by The Wellbeing Partners to create a social media campaign within the Omaha Latino community to increase mental health awareness and access to mental health resources.

Fall 2021 Service Learning Projects

Research Methods | FLNG 8020 and Anti Defamation League

In Fall 2021, the graduate students enrolled in Dr. Cecilia Tocaimaza-Hatch's FLNG 8020 partnered with ADL (Anti Defamation League). ADL hosts a walk every November where people are able to visit sights in Omaha that are significant to the civil rights movement. With the COVID pandemic, starting in 2020, ADL looked to provide participants with a virtual alternative for the in-person walk where people could learn about historical places in Omaha online.

Students in FLNG 8020 contributed to this project by researching sites in Omaha that have historical significance to the civil rights movement and designing lesson plans and materials that high school teachers can incorporate into their curriculum. All the materials produced by FLNG 8020 students will be featured in ADL’s site supporting the November walk.

Latino Business Data Collection and Research | SPAN 3030, SPAN 4030 and State of Nebraska

Since the state of Nebraska has funds to help small and medium-sized businesses, as well as self-employed workers affected by the pandemic, it is urgent to produce a quantitative and qualitative study that records the adverse effects of the pandemic on those businesses whose owners are Latino, in order to justify that a portion of available state funds can also reach this segment of the population.

Thus, Dr. Steven Torres and Dr. Jose Sequeros-Valle's SPAN 4030 & 3030 students participate in a community engagement and research project in South Omaha that will primarily benefit the Latino population. Students work in pairs to complete interviews and surveys to collect data.

Fall 2020 Service Learning Projects

Prácticas de Felicidad/Practices of Happiness Community Outreach Project

Dr. Garcia’s Fall 2020 SPAN 3050: Latin America in Context class included a weekly exploration of simple mindfulness practices which have a positive impact in our levels of happiness, especially during the COVID pandemic before vaccines became available.

As part of this Community Outreach Project, students created a YouTube playlist, sharing in Spanish their favorite Practices of Happiness, encouraging Spanish-speaking community members to take simple but effective steps to improve emotional and physical wellbeing.