Barbara Berthold, Ph.D.

Senior Lecturer, Department of
Modern Languages, College of Arts and Sciences

Service Learning Course(s):

• TBD

“I'm a big believer in reflection and reflection is a big part of the whole service learning experience."

Prior to joining UTA, Dr. Barbara Berthold ran a community-based nonprofit organization that focused on teaching German to adults and children, which provided her first experience with service learning. She started teaching German at UTA in 2016 within the Department of Modern Languages, and became aware of the Service Learning Faculty Fellows Program while working at a student engagement fair.

In 2020, she became a faculty fellow and incorporated a service learning component into her German language course. Her exposure to community service and service learning comes from being actively involved in community service as well as having students work on community-related projects. She believes that service learning causes learners to have a holistic grasp of the materials taught in class and can aid in creating a positive connection between them and their environment.

Barbara feels that faculty members can benefit from service learning by assessing the positive effects that it has on the engagement of others. She advises faculty to talk to others who have done service learning and observe a course for a semester to learn about it. Dr. Berthold encourages applying for the faculty fellows program where you can meet experienced faculty members as well as others who are just starting out. In this program, you receive the help needed to incorporate service learning into your course.