Service-Learning

A unique component of our Gerontology 2100 Aging and the Lifecourse course is the opportunity for students to participate in research based service-learning. UNC Charlotte’s Gerontology Program has incorporated this type of experiential learning into this introductory course for over ten years. While the experience and requirements have continued to evolve, each semester students are highly trained to engage in comfortable conversations with older adults, most of whom are living in long-term-care communities. A discussion of our service-learning model appears in Balancing Structure and Choice in Intergenerational Service-Learning (Hancock, Shenk & George (2013). Gerontology and Geriatrics Education. Vol 34:2, pp.115-13).