 Petso Mokhatla
|
My experience at the KAALSPRUIT farm near Bloemfontein in the Free State Province of South Africa was just as Prof. Robert Bringle (Director: Service and Learning, Indiana University–Purdue University - IUPUI, Indianapolis) explained in the COMM TALK issue of 01-2004, where he explained what really are the intensions of the Community Service Learning, namely:
|
Student learning – “Students will master the course content better if community learning is part of the curriculum." This is just as Prof. Bringle explained and my lecturer, Dr Nell, will agree with me when I say since we went to the KAALSPRUIT farm most students improved on the 2nd term test because it was integrated with the service learning and the general interest on the course improved.
|
Student Development – “ Community service has the capacity to permanently influence the capacity to permanently influence the person doing the course and not just the student who is a transient being.” I strongly agree with this statement because, like I said previously, service learning ensures that students learn more effectively because they get to apply what they have learned. If that is the case, the information learned will not be easily forgotten because different methods, including the most effective method, which is application, was used in the learnership process.
|
Student Attitudes – "Service learning undoes prejudice and changes attitudes about community service.” When students participate in community learning they turn to see the importance of Community Service. For instance, some of the students in my class offered to provide help (to do a fodder-flow planning for the farm) for the farmers even after the program was over. This shows how service learning can change attitudes of students.
|
Student Retention –“ Universities are interested in service learning if students have a learning experience that encourages them to continue studying.” I totally agree with this statement because because of this service learning experience I am motivated to continue with my studies as a Strategic Manager because most problems at the KAALSPRUIT farm are the problems most farmers to whom land were issued by the government through the land distribution program, faces. This experience won’t just be helpful for my studies but it also gave me a feeling of which challenges I will be faced with at the work place.
|
This experience really integrated very well with my course because as we have learned in the Strategic Management course that if you don’t have a proper management system it will be very difficult to manage the farm.
|
The situation at KAALSPRUIT FARM is as follows when looking at the Strategic management Perspective.
|
The farm has no or lacks an efficient management system, so basically management at this farm is not good because there are twelve (12) workers on the farm and they all fall in the same category, as a person I fell that this is not good because task can’t be handled effectively and efficiently because the work force is not distributed evenly in tasks that have to be performed and according to the Strategic Management this is not good. But we also have to consider the fact that the farmers at KAALSPRUIT lack funds but the students showed the farmers some way in which they can improve their situation without basically getting funds from the government e.g. The Students said if the farmers can sell some of their unused equipment they can be able to buy maize and other supplements needed to improve their income generated mainly from their milk production.
|
My overall experience of the Service Learning at KAALSPRUIT:
|
My general experience at the KaalspruIt farm was a very rewarding, challenging and an eye opener. First of all, the students contributed something to these service learning tasks and the farmers welcomed us with warm hands. Basically, as much as we learned from farmers they also learned a lot from us. It will be very beneficial not only for the farmers but for the University of the Free State and the Department of Agriculture, for our lecturer Dr. Wimpie Nell, to continue visiting the farm and invite them to the short courses that he offers at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences to help them with strategic management aspects which will be very helpful to them.
|
This service learning should not only end with this years students it has to continue with the next years students also because there are a lot of things we can learn from such an experience as students.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
|
|||