After working for years to create a sustainable community development course that makes a lasting positive impact in Honduras, Instructor Howard Greene never imagined launching it online, during a pandemic. But the lessons learned by overcoming this challenge will benefit Ohio State students taking the course and the communities they serve for years to come.
The Sustainable Community Development – Honduras course enables students to use problem-solving mindsets to develop and support community-driven development initiatives. Students work in collaboration with third-year environmental science and development students from Zamorano University in Honduras and the nonprofit Heart to Honduras.
“This is the most cutting-edge thing from an outreach, service and engineering education perspective that I have ever been involved with,” said Greene, director of K-12 education outreach for the College of Engineering. “Co-teaching a service learning course with a non-English speaking university and collaborating remotely on development work flies in the face of what one would think possible during a pandemic.”