Training to Teach: Exploring the Feasibility of Service-Learning Projects to Prepare Undergraduate Learners to Be Community Health Educators

Undergraduate learners are ideal candidates for participation in service-learning projects, which allow learners to apply course concepts in a community setting where both the university and community benefit. In pre-health fields, undergraduate students can serve as teachers for concepts such as food literacy. This study examined whether a rigorous virtual professional development model would improve self-efficacy of undergraduate participants to teach food literacy to adolescents. A purposive sampling of participants (n = 12) from two universities participated in a yearlong virtual service-learning project and a community of practice professional development model. Tasks included virtual lesson modeling and virtual development of short, learner-centered activities for an adolescent food literacy curriculum. Informal interviews were conducted at the end of the academic year. Participants reported that the virtual service-learning project connected to their coursework, improved their confidence and professional communication, and was a safe space for growing their teaching practice. Findings were not generalizable due to the small n and purposive sampling, and participants were unable to teach adolescents during the pandemic. The service-learning project may be transferable to local health departments as there is a demonstrated need of alternative implementation models for health education interventions.