THURS-044 - Teaching, Learning, and Serving: Community Health Education in Appalachia

Brief Abstract Summary: This presentation showcases how combining service and cooperative learning in health education fosters student engagement and development and community impact. Students participated in a program planning course at Berea College, partnering with four Eastern Kentucky organizations and aligning with the College’s commitment to engage Appalachian communities in partnership for mutual growth and service. Students applied the PRECEDE-PROCEED model within cooperative groups, using Tuckman’s stages of development to navigate collaboration and leadership. Outcomes included strengthened program planning skills and professional competencies such as communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork. Partners benefited from student-designed interventions responsive to their missions and populations. Student co-presenters will share reflections on how these experiences prepared them to be adaptable, equity-driven health educators, rooting locally while visioning globally.

Detailed abstract description: Service learning and cooperative learning are well-established pedagogical practices, each with strong evidence that demonstrates their values and usefulness for enhancing student learning, civic engagement, and professional growth. When intentionally combined in health education instruction, these approaches create particularly powerful opportunities for students to connect with communities, collaborate with mentors, and practice the essential professional and leadership skills required of emerging health educators.
This presentation describes the design of an upper-level Program Planning and Evaluation course at Berea College that embedded service learning within a cooperative learning framework. Partnering with four community organizations in Eastern Kentucky, the course reflected Berea College’s mission to “engage Appalachian communities, families, and students in partnership for mutual learning, growth, and service.” Students worked in cooperative groups and applied the PRECEDE-PROCEED planning model to design, refine, and propose interventions tailored to the population needs identified by each partner. Tuckman’s stages of group development provided an intentional framework for guiding collaboration, addressing conflict, and navigating the dynamics of teamwork and shared leadership.
The presentation will highlight how this structure advanced both student and community outcomes. Students reported that the course strengthened their program planning skills, enhanced their confidence in applying theoretical models to real-world contexts, and deepened their professional competencies in areas such as leadership, conflict resolution, and communication. They also gained firsthand experience in community-driven health promotion, developing interventions that considered and respected social and cultural environments while addressing identified health needs. Community partners benefited from student energy and innovation, receiving program proposals and interventions responsive to their organizational missions and populations.
Three Berea College student co-presenters, Kaliyah Coats, Holden Stewart, and Shanija Walker, will share reflections on their learning, describe the missions of their community partners, and discuss the interventions they created. Together, the session will demonstrate how locally rooted service-learning experiences can prepare health educators for global impact by cultivating professionals who are adaptable, collaborative, and committed to equity and community engagement.