2010 - Public Relations Society of America

Take It To The Extreme: Using Immersive Service-Learning To Build Students’
Multimedia Skills And Cross-Discipline Understanding
Kelly B. Everling, Ph.D., APR, and Lori Blachford
Drake University
kelly.everling@drake.edu and lori.blachford@drake.edu
Abstract
Can academic curricula keep up-to-speed with changing technologies in this fastpaced
media environment? Researchers created an immersive, 9-day “extreme” social
media experience to test just that. Students from each of Drake University’s School of
Journalism and Mass Communication’s majors joined together for an interdisciplinary
service-learning project in the university’s neighborhood. Through pre- and post-test
surveys, researchers examined students’ self-proclaimed understanding and their actual
ability to use social media as an effective communication tool. Managing Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube outreach, students were forced to approach their work in new
ways, challenging their understanding of the needs and roles of communicators in this
age of the smart phone and continuous news cycle. Among the largest changes in student
understanding were public relations and video gathering and editing. Researchers saw a
nearly 25% increase in the understanding of public relations among students, while 33%
of students reported a full understanding of video production at the project’s conclusion.
The immersive service-learning project provided a unique opportunity for
students to expand their knowledge and awareness through an intensive collaboration
among businesses, political leaders, nonprofit organizations and fellow students. This
project – which expanded the classroom onto the streets of the neighborhood – has led
many students to reflect on their professional skills as well as their responsibilities to the
community. Armed with valuable experience, the interdisciplinary team of students
proudly continues to communicate on behalf of various nonprofit groups and remains
engaged citizens in the community. Perhaps these outcomes represent the project’s most
valuable ROI.
Introduction
Students from each of Drake University’s School of Journalism and Mass
Communication’s majors, including public relations, magazine, news/Internet, radio/TV
broadcast, and advertising, joined together for a service-learning project in their own
neighborhood.
Partnering with Hubbell Realty and Anawim Housing, the students were charged
with managing the social media outreach for the “Hubbell Realty Company Extreme – 9
Homes in 9 Days” project. The initiative, which featured the 24-hour-a-day construction
of 9 low-income homes just three blocks from campus, provided an opportunity for
students to supplement their classroom learning with on-site communication experience.
Students were responsible for posting hourly tweets, more than 10 Facebook status
updates and a minimum of three YouTube videos daily. The amount and frequency of
daily content challenged the students to cultivate fresh stories regularly, engaging readers
consistently. Through pre- and post-test surveys of participants, researchers were able to
gauge student growth in their understanding of various communication disciplines, their
use of new tools and technologies, and the needs of those in their surrounding
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