“…For instance, Hummert (2009) asserts that communication research and teaching must "cross the bridge from the academy to the community" (p. 220). Similarly, Kahl (2010) argues that "for students to use communication to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others, they must be engaged in communication scholarship beyond the classroom" (p. 299). Service learning is seen as a way to build that bridge; as a way to build community connections (Novek, 1999), to make coursework relevant to students (Koch, Lelle, Long, & VanBuren, 2003), and to help students use academic concepts to solve "authentic, real world problems with tangible outcomes" (Quintanilla & Whal, 2005, p. 67).…”