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Community Engagement

Community Engagement

Course: B.Sc. Occupational Therapy
Year: Year 3 - mandatory module
Module Leads: Dr Hazel Killeen (hazel.killeen@nuigalway.ie) and Dr Sinead Hynes (sinead.hynes@nuigalway.ie)

The main teaching strategy in this module is service learning.  Service learning is described as a teaching strategy that ‘seeks to engage students in activities that enhance academic learning, civic responsibility and the skills of citizenship, while also enhancing community capacity through service’ (Furco & Holland 2004). Using critical thinking and problem solving the students identify and examine the impact of contemporary socio economic, political, and cultural influences that facilitate and inhibit occupational performance and participation. 

Students learn through active participation in community-based learning under supervision of a member of the module team/community representative.  Academic staff guide students learning through solution-focused problem solving and the use of group seminars to integrate theory and practice.  This module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to work in collaboration with community organizations/service providers to explore and address the social injustices and human rights issues that exist in our communities.  

This module changes regularly, depending on community needs, resources available, and student learning objectives. This academic year (2020/2021) the students worked on projects that aimed to reduce some of the negative consequences of COVID-19 on at-risk groups. A few examples of past projects include:  

  • Students worked with GiGSoc (now Brόd Soc) to advocate for gender neutral toilets on campus. They created a video which highlighted the issue and through working with GiGSoc and the Student’s Union they had a positive outcome with gender neutral toilets now provided on campus. 

  • Students went on Galway Bay FM to raise awareness of the issues faced by people with visual impairment using public transport in Galway. Link to video created here: https://youtu.be/W-769TTRMvo   

  • One student group advocated for a “Changing Places” bathroom for adults/teenagers with physical disability in Galway and received over 2,000 signatures on an online petition and had the matter raised at a City Council meeting. The issues is still ongoing. https://www.facebook.com/incLOOsion/videos/1842158495808132/ 

  • Students worked together with advocacy groups in Direct Provision to highlight important issues and develop resources in conjunction with community partners. One group also focused on issues on campus, in partnership with the University of Sanctuary, such as anti-racism campaigns and approaches to deal with related student issues. 

There are many other examples of high-quality projects produced by students each year and this was noted in the external examiner feedback: 

“The community engagement module included some extremely impressive work with laudable impacts on community life that are a credit to NUI Galway.”