Abstract
The Institute for Latin American Concern emphasizes the importance of global vision and understanding in the process of educating well-rounded individuals. Service, rooted in Catholic/Jesuit tradition, is one vital component to forming the whole person. Like many service-learning opportunities offered at Creighton, ILAC receives feedback about how its programs in the Dominican Republic have transformed students' and professionals' lives, but how can ILAC better measure their short-term service immersion experience? For the second time, ILAC used a survey instrument, based upon a four-point Likert scale. The survey, adapted from Fr. John Savard S.J.'s Service and Immersion Program Survey, measures the impact of international service immersion by touching upon seven categories: values, spirituality, compassion, social justice, cultural sensitivity, critical reflection, and sense of vocation. Six ILAC-Creighton student programs (Law, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Women's Health, Water Quality and Summer Health Care program) were surveyed pre-immersion and post-immersion. The first year of the study, results affirmed that students are transformed, specifically in regards to their faith, concern for the poor and marginalized, and desire to make an impact in the world. ILAC hopes that these results affirm not only the department's mission, but the larger university's mission to form tomorrow's whole person "[with] an educated awareness of [the] society and culture with which to contribute socially, generously, in the real world (Kolvenbach, 2000). The poster will present on the result of the pre and post immersion surveys for ILAC's 2016 groups.