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Senior Citizens use Facebook and Homeless Gain Job Skills with Help from Westminster Students

Senior Citizens use Facebook and Homeless Gain Job Skills with Help from Westminster Students
Technical writing class is transformed into service-learning project

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Krista DeAngelis (801) 832-2682

Dec. 11, 2009

Media interested in covering the student’s final project presentation at Friendship Manor should meet at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, December 14 at their building located at 1320 East 500 South, Salt Lake City.

SALT LAKE CITY – Imagine a college course where you have the ability to teach senior citizens how to “friend” people on Facebook, as well as help the homeless prepare for a job interview. Doesn’t quite sound like your typical technical writing class? Thirteen Westminster students enrolled in Dr. Christy Seifert’s Communication 410 class not only learned the fundamentals of being a good technical writer, but had the opportunity to participate in two very special service-learning projects.

Throughout the fall semester, students in Seifert’s class worked on projects for two well-known organizations in Salt Lake, the Road Home homeless shelter, and Friendship Manor, a senior citizen home.

“Technical writing is perfectly suited for service-learning because it is all about people and helping them interact with the technology in their lives,” explained Seifert, an associate professor of communications at Westminster. “I didn’t want my students to come away from the class thinking technical writing is boring and dry, I wanted them to have an audience they cared about. I also wanted them to realize that not just anyone can be a good technical writer because in order to be successful, they need to be connected to their users.”

The project at Friendship Manor did just that. This hands-on experience allowed students to put together a guide to familiarize senior citizens with computer functions, and then sit down with them and teach them how to develop their computer skills. The interaction enabled the writers to gauge their audience and observe how the seniors learned and processed their instruction manuals.

“Several of the [Friendship Manor] residents had very specific requests about what they wanted to know…like checking their email and online banking,” said Sarah Pike, a Westminster student who spent many of her Fridays helping the Manor’s residents. “I’ve been working with one woman specifically on her Yahoo account…I had to help her learn how to log onto her account and use a mouse. She also wanted to learn about genealogy [on the Internet], so I had to figure that out as well.”

Students who observed the residents at Friendship Manor realized that the final instruction manual would need to include large fonts for those with poor eyesight, as well screen shots to demonstrate exactly what to do with the computer. Some of the information they decided to list included computer basics such identifying computer components and using email, as well as some “advanced” information like how to use Facebook, Flikr, online shopping, Microsoft Word and Snapfish.

At the Road Home, the students were not allowed to work directly with the homeless residents due to privacy reasons. However, they were able to tour the shelter and talk to some of the case workers to figure out their specific needs. During this project, students created a 130-page manual to assist the homeless clients with information on employment and life skills.

“We created a binder for case workers who meet with Road Home residents and divided it into five big chapters on shelter, medical, food, employment and clothing,” said student Jessica Smith. She explained the class not only put the manual together, but created handouts for each section so, for instance, people looking for employment could have a list of local libraries with computer access, and checklists such as how to follow up on employment prospects.

On December 14, a group of students will present their final products to the directors of the Road Home and Friendship Manor, both of which have been very pleased with the work thus far.

“The students were fabulous,” said Linda Cohen, the Friendship Manor coordinator. “This project helps our residents keep in touch with their grandchildren and families…this was a great project.”

Service-learning has been an integral part Westminster College for many years. Seifert’s class is just one of many that incorporates community needs into the academic experience.

“Service-learning gives students opportunities to become even more invested in their learning,” said Pike. “A larger picture is painted for students and the project purposes become more meaningful. I am a complete advocate for incorporating service learning in every course possible. It’s been a total gift to be able to link learning with community involvement.”

About Westminster:
Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information visit www.westminstercollege.edu or follow @WestminsterSLC or @WestminsterPR on Twitter.