Honoree
Robert L. Osgood
AWARDS
- Thomas Ehrlich Award for Excellence in Service Learning (2007)
- School of Education
- Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
BIOGRAPHY
The kinds of service-learning projects that Robert Osgood's students participate in don't just fulfill requirements and look good on resumes—they change lives. Take the ones who participate in School on Wheels, for example. Each year, more than 50 IUPUI education students volunteer at the Indianapolis nonprofit organization that provides tutoring services to children living in homeless shelters.
Such insights are exactly what Osgood hopes his students will gain from a service-learning experience. Since arriving at IUPUI in 1994, he has taught dozens of courses—and without exception, they have all included some aspect of service learning as either a course requirement, course assignment option, or feature of course content. Osgood, who is chair of graduate studies in the School of Education, was the first IUPUI faculty member to develop a series of classes to involve students in a service-learning program of studies. The most recent class he created, F200 Invitation to Teaching, is designed for first-year IUPUI students who are considering teaching careers, and it requires them to perform a minimum of 12 hours of service learning. Currently, more than 90 students are enrolled and engaged in service learning at more than 20 Indianapolis locations. Says Osgood about his passion for service learning, "I have included service learning in all my teaching for two fundamental reasons: it enhances the student learning experience to a remarkable degree, and it facilitates my ability to connect the School of Education with community service agencies of all kinds in meaningful ways."
Indeed. His students—preservice or inservice teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels—have not only volunteered in public and private schools in the region, but have participated in service-learning projects at agencies such as the Hispanic Education Center, Girls Inc., Hawthorne Community Center, School on Wheels, the Julian Center, Indy Parks, and the Indianapolis Police Department.
Not even a language barrier can stop Osgood's work. In 2005, he traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to help develop cultural immersion service-learning opportunities for IUPUI students. Despite being far from fluent in Spanish, Osgood was instrumental in establishing two partnerships with local schools and currently oversees the program for IUPUI education students.
Such insights are exactly what Osgood hopes his students will gain from a service-learning experience. Since arriving at IUPUI in 1994, he has taught dozens of courses—and without exception, they have all included some aspect of service learning as either a course requirement, course assignment option, or feature of course content. Osgood, who is chair of graduate studies in the School of Education, was the first IUPUI faculty member to develop a series of classes to involve students in a service-learning program of studies. The most recent class he created, F200 Invitation to Teaching, is designed for first-year IUPUI students who are considering teaching careers, and it requires them to perform a minimum of 12 hours of service learning. Currently, more than 90 students are enrolled and engaged in service learning at more than 20 Indianapolis locations. Says Osgood about his passion for service learning, "I have included service learning in all my teaching for two fundamental reasons: it enhances the student learning experience to a remarkable degree, and it facilitates my ability to connect the School of Education with community service agencies of all kinds in meaningful ways."
Indeed. His students—preservice or inservice teachers at the undergraduate and graduate levels—have not only volunteered in public and private schools in the region, but have participated in service-learning projects at agencies such as the Hispanic Education Center, Girls Inc., Hawthorne Community Center, School on Wheels, the Julian Center, Indy Parks, and the Indianapolis Police Department.
Not even a language barrier can stop Osgood's work. In 2005, he traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to help develop cultural immersion service-learning opportunities for IUPUI students. Despite being far from fluent in Spanish, Osgood was instrumental in establishing two partnerships with local schools and currently oversees the program for IUPUI education students.
