Keywords: Experiential learning, practicum, service learning Robin Rothberg, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Sayde J. Brais, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Alan R. Freitag, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Journal of Public Relations Education - JPRE Vol 2 Issue 2 2016

1. Journal of Public Relations Education
2016, Vol. 2, No. 2, 54-67
Improving Grease Disposal Behavior: Combining
the Classroom, Real-World Experience and Service
Learning in a Public Relations Practicum
Robin Rothberg, Sayde J. Brais and Alan R. Freitag
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Abstract
In 2011, the North Carolina Urban Water Consortium approved a grant
funding a communication planning project by University of North Carolina
at Charlotte researchers aimed at addressing the problem of improper
disposal of fats, oils and grease (FOG) by population segments in Char-
lotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, North Carolina. The research results,
summarized in a 157-page report, led to additional funding to support ini-
tial implementation of elements of the strategic communication plan. Fac-
ulty in UNC Charlotte’s Communication Studies Department undertook
this phase of the project and crafted a Public Relations Practicum course
to support it. This paper describes the course structure and evaluates its
effectiveness as measured by both student outcomes and client satisfac-
tion. Results point to the academic and professional development value
of a course that combines classroom structure, practical experience and
service learning. Initial responses from clients suggest satisfaction with
the quality of products and services as well.
Keywords: Experiential learning, practicum, service learning
In its landmark 1999 report, the Commission on Public Relations Education (“Port of En-
try”) called for PR programs in universities and colleges to develop curricula responsive to
the dynamic needs of the profession. The report, an initiative of the Public Relations Soci-
ety of America, noted the rapid growth and acceptance of public relations as a management
and leadership function increasingly indispensable and valued, requiring commensurate
improvements in higher education programs graduating new generations of entry-level
practitioners. Among the Commission’s guidelines is the call for curricula to produce
graduates “well-prepared in public relations theory and practice, tested not only in the
classroom but in the field” (p. 1). Among the report’s recommendations regarding modes of
instructional delivery, emphasis is placed on experiential learning, supervised work experi-
ence and service learning in addition to more traditional, classroom-based pedagogies. In
a subsequent 2006 report (“The Professional Bond”), the Commission reported continued
academic and professional support for experiential learning, noting “…public relations
education should include an internship, practicum or other work experience in the field”
(p.20).

2. Rothberg, Brais and Freitag 55
The Certified in Education for Public Relations-certified undergraduate public
relations program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is designed to be in
compliance with “Port of Entry” and “The Professional Bond” guidelines and includes
requirements for experiential learning along with a comprehensive agenda of public rela-
tions, communication and liberal arts courses. The university’s proximity to a large and
rapidly growing metropolitan area makes it an internship-rich environment. Despite the
large number of public relations undergraduate students, only about one-third of available
internships can be filled each academic term, so abundant are the opportunities in the met-
ropolitan region. Students are required to complete one internship and are encouraged to
complete more if their schedules permit. Still, as valuable as internships are to a student’s
professional development, the lack of direct and frequent faculty engagement in the intern-
ship experience introduces a level of uncertainty regarding the usefulness of each individ-
ual internship. Of course, each internship opportunity is carefully vetted and monitored,
but the program still relinquishes a degree of control. The challenge is to craft additional
opportunities that combine real-world experience with a higher degree of qualified faculty
guidance and involvement. Two years ago, UNC Charlotte’s program benefitted from just
such an opportunity.
In spring 2013, nine undergraduate public relations students at UNC Charlotte
were competitively selected for a PR Practicum course offered as the third and tactical
step in an ongoing, collaborative project involving the university and the North Carolina
Urban Water Consortium (UWC). The overarching aim of the project was to address the
problem of improper disposal of fats, oils and grease (FOG) by population segments in
Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh, North Carolina. The UWC identified two groups
for researchers to target: multifamily housing residents and Latinos, populations identified
by the Consortium as potentially contributing disproportionately to problems caused by
improper FOG disposal. Sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) often result from improper FOG
disposal, incur significant corrective costs for water utilities (costs that must be passed on
to customers) and pose potential public health issues. Consequently, reducing SSOs is in
the interest of community members both as residents and utility rate payers. The aim of the
project was to gauge levels of issue awareness among the target populations, identify con-
straints preventing desirable behavioral changes and craft a strategic communication plan
to encourage proper FOG disposal. Thus, the first two project phases involved extensive
research followed by the development of a comprehensive, strategic communication plan
to address the issue. For a full description of the initial research and planning phases of
the overall project, see Freitag, Rothberg and Brais (2014). This report addresses the third
phase – initial, tactical implementation of the plan – and describes how this aspect was
undertaken in the context of an undergraduate public relations elective course.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Two primary conceptual approaches to public relations education are at play in
the context of this case: experiential learning and service learning. Of course, scholars
nearly universally agree that effective programs successfully blend the theoretical with the
applied. In fact, Motschall and Najor (2001) believe, “The orientation of an entire under-

3. Vol. 2 (2), 2016 Journal of Public Relations Education 56
graduate public relations program or curriculum should reflect this same effort to blend
theory with application” (p. 6). Most scholars agree that for a program to be successful,
instruction must contribute to students’ application beyond the classroom, into the real
world through the use of practical application in the form of service-learning activities, us-
ing the client-centered approach, and a response-oriented approach to experiential learning
(Gleason & Violette, 2012; Motschall & Najor, 2001). It is through these approaches that
teaching becomes “…more relevant, predictable and scalable” (Gleason & Violette, 2012,
p. 281). UNC Charlotte’s goal was to introduce this applied element but within the frame-
work of extensive faculty engagement to ensure participating students grasped the direct
correlation between abstract theory and a real-world problem.
Experiential learning opportunities strengthen the connection between theory and
application for greater student understanding. As Gleason and Violette (2012) note, “The
study of Public Relations is not abstract or idealized, but rather is most effective when
it takes place in the context of its real-world application” (p. 280). Experiential learning
allows for the blending of theory and application to take place through simulations, re-
al-life experiences, client-based cases, and more. When applying to practical problems the
principles they’ve learned in the classroom, students experience a shift in meaning, and
they begin to tangibly recognize public relations as having importance and value in society
because they see the function it serves (Motion & Burgess, 2014).
Experience is a crucial credential for any professional, but accumulating it early,
even before completion of an entry-level degree, can be challenging. Accumulating ex-
perience requires opportunity, and that’s not always practical in many higher education
settings. Gleason and Violette (2012) acknowledge the importance of scholarship but judge
experience to be even more useful for practitioners aiming to provide wise counsel to
clients. Thus, courses that provide students with experiential learning opportunities will
benefit the student both academically and professionally.
The Experiential Learning Model, developed by Kolb (1984), provides a frame-
work for the assessment of the association among education, work and personal develop-
ment. Kolb maintains that the retention of abstract concepts is significantly enhanced when
those concepts are presented and demonstrated in the context of real-world experience
along with reflection and experimentation. Experiential learning, through the form of sim-
ulations or client-interaction, can help students gain professional knowledge, while also
engaging students in active learning, defined as “anything that involves students in doing
things and thinking about the things they are doing” (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 2).
The “Client-Centered Approach” amplifies the concept of practical application
through the use of simulations and classroom exercises and allows students the opportu-
nity to develop materials for an often real-life client. The approach applies the knowledge
and skills foundational to public relations to a real-world problem (Motschall & Najor,
2001). Often described as a service-learning approach (Gleason & Violette, 2012), work-
ing toward something tangible for an actual client provides for a re-conceptualization of
“public relations as a communicative function that is deployed not only by corporations,
but also by local community organizations and even by individuals” (Motion & Burgess,
2014, p. 530). Although this client-centered model may be advantageous, even preferable,
it is not always a plausible option due to budget (unless the client can underwrite costs),

4. Rothberg, Brais and Freitag 57
class size (less feasible in large classes), or other constraints. In fact, Miller and McCain
(2012) maintain that the biggest challenge faced by curriculum planners lies with lower
enrollment cap requirements for these classes, creating budgetary pressures. Further, there
is a sensitive dimension to working with real clients because of the need for the instructor
to monitor carefully all interaction between multiple individuals and teams. Demands on
client time can quickly become unmanageable, there may be breeches in customary busi-
ness protocol by inexperienced students, and relationships can become strained. Oversee-
ing these dynamics even on a modest scope can be trying, yet most courses are taught by
a single instructor with no assistance (Motschall & Najor, 2001). In this case, the authors
felt teaching a practicum course using the client-centered model, led by an instructor and
aided by graduate assistants, provided the best model for students. Not only does it provide
real-world practice, but in many cases it also provides students an opportunity to improve
the community. Additionally, the use of real clients positively affects student perception
of the instructor’s credibility (White, 2001). Further benefit accrues because students can
exercise an assortment of real-life tasks and scholastic skills such as research, writing,
speaking and team-work (Miller & McCain, 2012). In fact, these experiences “allow stu-
dents to begin to develop an instinct for appropriate action based on ‘real-life’ situations”
(Motschall & Najor, 2001, p. 7).
Benecke and Bezuidenhout (2011) consider experiential learning to be crucial for
students’ career preparation, but lament that its use is not widely employed. Bringle and
Hatcher (1996) felt so strongly about the value of experiential learning that they outlined
the Comprehensive Action Plan for Service Learning (CAPSL), a guide for creating and
implementing service learning programs on campuses, programs that focus on strategies
to engage the institution, faculty, students and the community in a cooperative approach.
Nearly two decades later, Hatcher and Studer (2015) assessed service learning as a process
for developing “civic-minded graduates” (p. 12), finding service learning curricula to be of
crucial value to students and communities. This was further confirmed by Novak, Markey
and Allen (2007) in their meta-analysis of service learning literature. They found a posi-
tive relationship between service learning and development of students’cognitive capacity,
understanding of subject matter, skill acquisition, and “ability to apply knowledge and
reframe complex issues” (p. 153).
Swords and Kiely (2010) provide a model for service learning aimed primarily
at faculty, whom they see as pivotal to the service learning approach. They cite four key
components of their model: pedagogy, institution/organizational learning, research, and
community development. Further, they suggest such a model can lead to faculty becoming
change agents, building and strengthening relationships between the institution and the
community. This model is mirrored in the Kolb and Kolb (2011) observation that learning
is best conceived as a process and that knowledge is gained through transformative experi-
ences.
Based on this understanding of the value and framework for experiential and ser-
vice learning, the authors saw in the FOG project an opportunity to develop a public rela-
tions practicum course that would allow students to work for an actual client and toward
addressing a societal issue – in this case, an issue involving both public health and mone-
tary costs. Student participation in such an act of “civic responsibility,” the literature sug-

5. Vol. 2 (2), 2016 Journal of Public Relations Education 58
gests, helps to build mutually beneficial relationships with multiple stakeholders beyond
that of the client themselves (Motion & Burgess, 2014). While challenges would remain,
the confluence of opportunity and support compelled the authors to proceed.
To gauge the value of experiential and service-learning approaches for public re-
lations curricula, the following research questions were posed:
RQ1: To what extent will students report that this PR Practicum met their academic
development expectations?
RQ2: To what extent will students report that this PR Practicum met their profes-
sional development expectations?
RQ3: In what ways did the course meet those expectations?
Within the scope of these RQs, we were interested in learning whether students viewed
favorably the structure of the course, such as its emphasis on laboratory time, the presence
of two instructors and the participation of client representatives. We also wanted to deter-
mine if students believed the PR Practicum improved their confidence and marketability
as communication professionals, and we hoped to learn what important concepts and skills
the students felt they acquired from the experience. We also sought to gauge the value of
the practicum to the client:
RQ4: To what extent will utility representatives find materials created by UNC
Charlotte students potentially useful for FOG-related communication?
RQ5: To what extent will utility representatives report they have employed and
implemented materials and concepts developed by students in this PR Practi-
cum?
METHOD
Fundamentally, this is a case study following the model employed by Wooddell
(2009) called action research. This qualitative approach might be encompassed within the
broader parameters of participant-observer research, but action research has, as Wooddell
explains, several unique characteristics: the researcher is not merely observing but is ac-
tively engaged, the intent is to effect improvement of some condition, and there is attention
paid to the learning cycle of the project under observation – the process of feedback and
reflection. O’Brien’s (2001) definitive description of action research credits German re-
searcher Kurt Lewin with introducing the method to social science during the late 1940s
and says the process requires that “a group of people identify a problem, do something
to resolve it, see how successful their efforts were, and if not satisfied, try again” (p. 2).
O’Brien lists EducationAction as one of four streams of action research and says advocates
of this stream maintain that “professional educators should become involved in community
problem-solving” (2001, p. 7). This project follows that admonition.
Within O’Brien’s (2001) concept of action research, however, the researchers also
employed two surveys comprising closed-ended and open-ended items to collect and an-
alyze quantitative data and additional qualitative data. Students involved in the class and
representatives of municipal utility offices were separately surveyed via Survey Share 6
months following the final, in-class student presentations to utility clients. Survey instru-
ments were simple: 10 items on the student survey and nine items on the utility representa-
tive survey. Each survey used 5-point Likert scales for valence items and nominal response

6. Rothberg, Brais and Freitag 59
options for others, but the instruments also sought narrative elaboration on selected items.
All nine participating students completed their surveys, and 4 of 12 utility representatives
responded. Although the overall response rate was perfect for students and marginally ac-
ceptable (roughly 33%) for utility representatives, the low census numbers preclude the use
of measures of statistical strength or inferential statistical projections. We can report that
all nine students in the class were female, upper-level undergraduate students following the
public relations concentration within a broader communication major. The selection of all
female participants in the class was not purposeful but rather reflects the gender imbalance
typical of undergraduate public relations programs in the U.S. The small number of survey
participants precluded collection of further demographic data because its collection would
have diminished anonymity and, therefore, candid responses.
Survey items for utility representatives asked respondents to identify and priori-
tize their target publics, list their greatest needs in terms of FOG-prevention communica-
tion, suggest the degree to which student-designed collateral materials would contribute to
FOG-prevention efforts, and identify those student-created materials they found the most
promising. The survey also asked which materials and student recommendations had been
implemented during the 6 months since the in-class presentations and asked for initial as-
sessments of the effectiveness of those items and tactics. Survey items were derived from
analytical and evaluative instruments used previously for similar projects by the Energy
and Environmental Assistance Office (EEAO), an agency of the researchers’ home univer-
sity. The EEAO was awarded the original grant for the FOG research project and engaged
the authors’ academic department in carrying out the project.
The student survey’s 10 items asked students to list positive and negative factors
about their experience in the class; how the class affected their aspirations for a career in
public relations; their assessment of the value of small class size, client in-class participa-
tion, and the self-paced class structure; the degree to which the class experience improved
their “marketability” as entry-level job seekers; self-assessment of the quality of class-gen-
erated products; and whether they would recommend a similar class to other students. The
survey also asked each student if he or she had been offered and had accepted a full- or
part-time position in public relations or a directly related field. Student survey items were
adapted from standard student course evaluation instruments and tailored to the practicum
setting. As with the utility representative survey, quantitative and qualitative survey re-
sponses were entered on Excel spreadsheets for analysis.
Planning the Class
The authors were actively engaged in the initial FOG research and planning proj-
ect that had begun more than a year before this class started and recognized within it
the opportunity to incorporate a service/experiential learning opportunity for advanced
undergraduate public relations students. Two of the authors of this report were directly
involved in developing and delivering the course and conducted the active research com-
ponent of this report. The elective course the researchers designed was promoted as a
“beyond books” opportunity to develop public relations materials for water utilities across
North Carolina promoting proper disposal of FOG. Applications required qualified stu-
dents to address several essay questions regarding their level of commitment, expectations

7. Vol. 2 (2), 2016 Journal of Public Relations Education 60
and qualifications. Applicants were winnowed to result in a small group gifted in writing,
editing, and graphic design/layout, along with qualities such as creativity, passion, detail
orientation and leadership. The class was further aligned in three smaller teams. A portion
of the grant from the UWC allowed the teams to create FOG-related materials for 12 of
the largest UWC utilities as well as for up to 300 smaller utilities across the state. Funding
support enabled access to professional-level stock photography, printing and other resourc-
es. Importantly, the grant also funded a graduate student to meet with each of the 12 pri-
mary utilities before the class began to ascertain unique expectations for materials students
would create through Public Relations Practicum coursework.
One full-time lecturer and one graduate assistant led the class and guided student
efforts. Graded items included: attendance, each student group’s calendar/plan for the
term, two student-written critiques of their group’s progress, two peer grades extracted
from the student-written critiques, the group’s final set of documents/materials, and the
group’s client presentation.
To address research questions, students and utility representatives received on-
line surveys via Survey Share 6 months after the students presented their work to utility
representatives. Because all students in the practicum were graduating seniors, the survey
also occurred roughly 6 months following their completing their bachelor’s degrees. All
students responded to their 10-question survey, while four utility representatives responded
to their nine-question survey.
Conducting the Class
In their semester of work, students worked in teams of three to craft FOG edu-
cation materials in English and Spanish including door hangers, brochures, instructional
videos, bill stuffers, grocery store receipt advertisements, infographics, social media out-
reach concepts, T-shirt designs, PSA storyboards, and teacher lesson plans. Students also
created display items for utilities’in-person interaction with customers (often from a booth
at county fair-type events) such as a clear plastic tube filled with glue substituting for FOG.
A student-made cookbook offered recipes that replaced store-bought oils with a consum-
er’s own leftover cooking grease, and a student-designed website consolidated utilities’
disparate and fragmented FOG concepts into a single, statewide message. All materials
and concepts followed strategies prescribed in the planning document that constituted the
initial deliverable of the grant project and which led to the creation of the PR Practicum
course.
Students met with utility representatives at the beginning and middle of the course
for guidance. At the beginning of the course, the purpose of the meeting was to understand
the utilities’ unique needs so students could customize materials for statewide use. The
purpose of the mid-semester meeting was for students to show drafts of concepts. Most
utility representatives drove – some for more than 2 hours each way – to meet with students
in person, though Skype allowed for interaction with utility representatives who could
not come to the computer lab where the class met. The class also collectively chose one
student representative to present at the 15th Annual Water Resources Research Institute
Conference in Raleigh, N.C., in March 2013, where she showcased a poster depicting work
common to all groups.

8. Rothberg, Brais and Freitag 61
At the end of the course, nearly all of the 12 major UWC utilities sent at least
one representative to student team presentations of finished, professionally printed sets of
materials. Those attending utility representatives said they planned to re-present all three
teams’ concepts to utilities’ respective legal and corporate communications departments.
Students had believed utilities were looking for one, coherent, statewide message regard-
ing FOG. Surprisingly, though, many utilities said they planned to use materials from all
three groups, despite the groups’ slightly different approaches, with one utility member
noting: “I’ve been saying, ‘Don’t pour grease down the drain’ for 5 years – now I have
three new ways to say it!” Utility representatives expressed plans to offer the cookbook to
cooking shows on local and network TV stations, as well as to restaurants in Leadership in
Energy & Environmental Design-certified buildings.
Although utilities have already used multiple student-created items in their out-
reach efforts, coursework for this class was designed both to educate students and to satis-
fy the needs of potential employers, as the principles underlying experiential and service
learning would attest. So, a full estimation of this Public Relations Practicum requires a
gauge of student satisfaction and learning outcomes from the practicum-delivery model.
Additionally, a measure of utility satisfaction with student-created materials will help as-
sess the value of this pedagogical approach.
FINDINGS/RESULTS
The surveys yielded qualitative and quantitative data for each research question.
RQ1: To what extent will students report that this PR Practicum met their academic
development expectations?
RQ2: To what extent will students report that this PR Practicum met their profes-
sional development expectations?
RQ3: In what ways did the course meet those expectations?
Six of the 9 students, surveyed 6 months following the course (and their own graduation)
had been offered and accepted professional positions in public relations. All responding
students agreed that the course resulted in improved professional portfolios. Seven of 9
said the course improved their presentation skills, and 8 of 9 reported improved self-con-
fidence. Similarly, 8 of 9 students said they advanced their ability to work in teams and
acquire other skills that helped in their job searches. Eight of 9 also said they had improved
their client relation skills such as participating in meetings and processing feedback. Seven
of 9 responding students said there were no negative aspects of the class. Only one student
reported not having improved teamwork skills. Asked their strength of agreement with
the statement, “PR Practicum was a worthwhile course that improved my confidence and
marketability as a communication professional,” 7 of 9 students “strongly agreed” and 2
“agreed.”
Key qualitative findings among students revealed their impression that the unique
benefit of the classroom setting and low student-faculty ratio was the students’ ability to
discuss work in progress immediately with the lead instructor or graduate assistant. Sam-
ple survey responses include:

9. Vol. 2 (2), 2016 Journal of Public Relations Education 62
• “Having laboratory time twice a week with two professors was a huge plus. They
were always there to oversee our work as well as answer our questions.”
• “[B]eing able to get individual time with teachers to help direct your work on a
professional level is something students don’t get too often in undergrad, and that
was extremely helpful!”
• “The ratio gave us a sense of one-on-one mentoring. The workshop style allowed
us a ‘true’ PR professional atmosphere.”
Of note: Though two teams always met in the assigned classroom, one did not. In
that regard, a former student praised the flexibility of class laboratory time, as her group
was the one that used a few class sessions to work off-site to create a conceptual display
model based on clear plastic tubes with “FOG” glue. Because it would be impractical to
bring to a classroom tubes and glue that then had to set as the glue dried, the group crafted
the items at a student’s off-campus apartment. Those students used the cameras on their
smart phones to send course instructors real-time photos and videos of the production pro-
cess. This allowed instructors to offer instant feedback, even though the students were not
in the classroom.
To understand why students deemed the course successful in improving their
confidence and marketability as a communication professional, it is necessary to under-
stand how the items created affected the students’ professional aspirations, qualitatively
and quantitatively. Qualitative results suggest this student satisfaction took the form of
empowerment, as student responses to the open-ended survey question, “How did the FOG
items you created in PR Practicum, individually or as part of a team, affect you as an aspir-
ing professional communicator?” include:
• “Creating these materials allowed me to tap into a creative gene in me that I never
knew existed.”
• “The FOG items I created helped me realize new skills such as graphic design
and helped me realize the communication skills needed to go into such projects.
It helped improve my confidence and hone my skills to make me a well-rounded
employee.”
• “My group took a very modern approach to the course, with upbeat content and
[visually] appealing design to cater more toward women. I think it’s safe to say we
all left our presentation feeling confident in our campaign and our presentation.”
Empowerment isn’t useful without being underpinned by specific knowledge,
skills and abilities, so Practicum students needed to be queried on this aspect of the class.
In response to the open-ended question, “What important concepts did you take away from
PR Practicum?” the students surveyed described how the PR Practicum enhanced their
knowledge, skills and abilities in areas such as time-management, group communication
and collaboration, adaptation to client needs, speedy subject matter assimilation, and pre-
sentation skills. One student captured the sentiment of numerous responses: “In my current
job, I make presentations, communicate with clients and create similar materials. Without
the practice in PR Practicum, I would have had a really hard time. I started my job with a
major advantage.”
Other responses frame this student satisfaction with the course in terms of career
aspirations and encouragement to other students considering enrolling in a similar course:

10. Rothberg, Brais and Freitag 63
• “The skills I developed and used in the PR Practicum are skills I now use every
day in my [job]. I strongly encourage all students serious about landing a job right
after graduation to enroll in this class.”
• “Because of the work experience I gained, and the professional-grade materials I
created in PR Practicum, I was able to land a job before graduation at one of the
top agencies in the U.S. I also started on a level above most college graduates.”
Another value a surveyed student reported was client feedback in the beginning,
middle, and end stages of the class: “Having different clients with different needs and
tastes was definitely a challenge, but it helped me to learn how to take one overall product
and mold it to what everyone else wants.” One responding student noted the professional
lesson inherent in client feedback: “The client time was extremely helpful.” The student
also wrote:
It was hard hearing criticism, but it was probably the most important lesson
learned in class. Real, constructive criticism is something you’re not exposed to
normally in college, and it is definitely something you’ll be exposed to in a career.
It helped because I was able to learn how to take such criticism and improve my
work.
This client interaction leads to the research questions posed to the utility representatives.
RQ4: To what extent will utility representatives find materials created by UNC
Charlotte students potentially useful for FOG-related communication?
The survey of municipal utility representatives began by asking them to identify
the primary audience segments they hoped to influence with FOG materials and strategies
developed by the student teams. Of course, this basic question was integral to research con-
ducted at the outset of the multi-year project and refined by students in the PR Practicum.
The item was included in the survey to provide a region-specific benchmark for potential
future research and to reinforce the core aim of the communication effort. Nominal re-
sponses included: “General Community,” 3 of 4 respondents; “Restaurants and Restaurant
Owners,” 3 of 4 respondents; “Subsidized Housing/Apartments,” 3 of 4 respondents; and
“Latinos” and “Local Schools,” 1 respondent each. Given the option, no respondents added
any audience segments under the “Other” category. These results confirmed findings of the
initial project research preceding the PR Practicum course.
To further frame the context for this research question, one of the survey items
asked utility representatives to indicate their municipality’s most important needs in terms
of FOG communication materials. From a nominal list of collateral materials, respondents
reported needs for “bill inserts,” 3 of the 4 respondents; “fact sheets,” 3 of the 4 respon-
dents; and “event displays,” 3 of the 4 respondents. Two of the 4 respondents reported a
need for “post card/infographics” and “door hangers.” One in 4 respondents reported needs
for “brochures,” “educational activities,” “fliers,” “potty pamphlets” (on what should prop-
erly be disposed of in a toilet) and “other” (without elaboration). None of the respondents
selected from the nominal options “blog templates,” “cookbooks,” “contest layouts,” “PSA
storyboards,” “receipt stamps,” or “T-shirt designs.”
To determine the degree to which respondents were satisfied that PR Practicum
student teams had addressed their needs, the survey used two Likert-scale items. Of the

11. Vol. 2 (2), 2016 Journal of Public Relations Education 64
4 utility survey respondents, 3 “agreed” with the statement: “With the UNC Charlotte
student materials, I feel my municipality is adequately prepared to reach out to its target
audience(s).” None “strongly agreed,” and 1 checked “other” but did not elaborate. Two
respondents agreed and 1 strongly agreed (the 4th indicated “undecided”) with the state-
ment: “The materials the UNC Charlotte students created are useful for my municipality’s
FOG communication.”
The respondents who “agreed” that materials were useful explained, “They cre-
ated materials that we might not have the time to develop,” and “Obtaining a different
perspective from the students’creation of material helped in having new thoughts and ideas
being brought to the FOG control issue. As regulators we sometimes lose sight of what
residents and citizens know or think about FOG.” The respondent who “strongly agreed”
with the usefulness of the materials said they “conveyed a given message with the benefit
of ‘new eyes’ on the issue,” while even the undecided respondent reported, “The material
helped us re-evaluate our current educational materials.”
RQ5: To what extent will utility representatives report they have employed and
implemented materials and concepts developed by students in this PR Practi-
cum?
Two of 4 responding utility representatives indicated their agencies were using
student-developed postcard/infographics, and 1 in 4 indicated they were using brochures,
door hangers, fact sheets, fliers, the “potty pamphlet” and event displays based on concepts
and designs developed by the student teams. One respondent expressed frustration in the
municipality’s inability to use more of the student-created items: “Staffing levels do not
facilitate the amount of time needed to implement more. We have used the postcards for
small geographic areas (a condominium complex) that experienced a sewer overflow due
to grease. Again, more materials would be integrated if we had the manpower to spread the
word. We appreciated all their hard work!”
For other utilities, red tape seemed to be a barrier: “We have included some of the
educational approaches found in the materials, just have not been able to incorporate [the]
town’s seal for official use. We have used the grease/debris pipe display for our events.
Good visual.”
DISCUSSION
As measured by student satisfaction and learning outcomes, as well as utility/
client satisfaction with student-created materials, this Public Relations Practicum appears
to have been a useful course offering. Student responses to their survey favorably gauge
the practical/applied aspects of the course, and the authors can attest to the theoretical di-
mensions they addressed in class in the form of principles and guidelines of practice. This
fulfills the tenets of experiential learning as described in the literature review, and this PR
Practicum addresses the challenge for public relations students of acquiring and refining
relevant skills while still in their academic, pre-professional stage. The context of a
real-world issue of consequence fits squarely with Kolb’s (1984) Experiential Learning
Model and bridges theory and application. Thus, the course design appears to satisfy Glea-
son and Violette’s (2012) concern that limiting public relations education to traditional

12. Rothberg, Brais and Freitag 65
classroom curriculum designs risks restricting student understanding to abstract and ideal-
ized contexts.Additionally, the combination of close attention from the course instructor(s),
experience in multiple client-involved discussions and presentations, and the development
of professional-quality portfolio items serves Kolb’s (1984) standards of reflection and
experimentation; for example, recall one student’s recognition that constructive criticism
from the client was useful not only in the development of strategies and tactics but also in
preparing the student to face and benefit from such feedback in future professional settings.
As students reported and Practicum instructors observed, the course contributed
to student development in skill sets specifically cited in the 2006 report of the Commission
on Public Relations Education (“The Professional Bond”): presentation skills (beyond the
traditional assignment reports); audience segmentation; problem-solving and negotiation;
and working with current issues. The authors acknowledge, of course, that the practicum
approach would be difficult, even ill-advised, to duplicate in course settings such as Public
Relations Writing or Public Relations Campaigns where students initially acquire funda-
mental craft skills. The practicum model, as applied in this case, requires that students enter
the class with reasonable public relations skills nearly approaching professional entry-level
standards.
The practicum setting certainly appears to support Bonwell and Eison’s (1991)
contention that active learning adds value to the curriculum, and it does so in ways a tradi-
tional internship cannot. A public relations internship site supervisor could not be expected
to work with a student to the same degree or with the same intent as a seasoned facul-
ty member. This practicum framework offered a number of advantages when compared
to an internship: students reinforced each other’s learning experience through teamwork;
students had daily access, if needed, to instructors; and students had immediate access
to university amenities such as the library, computer laboratories, meeting rooms, media
production facilities, etc. Still, the authors certainly agree with the Commission on Public
Relations Education in maintaining that at least one professional internship should be re-
quired in the undergraduate public relations curriculum. Internships bring their own unique
benefits: individual student responsibility for assigned tasks; exposure to a full range of
organizational functions beyond public relations; engagement in the professional public
relations community; and supervision by a full-time public relations practitioner. Although
the PR Practicum richly supplements experiential learning through internships, it should
not be viewed as a substitute or replacement.
Considering Swords and Kiely’s (2010) model for service learning, this Practicum
course successfully positioned faculty and students as change agents and contributed to
strengthened relationships between the university and the community. Through the active
engagement between faculty and students on one hand and water utility representatives
throughout the state on the other, the university’s identity as a contributor to community
improvement has been reinforced. Utility representatives were clear in expressing their
intention to employ student-generated materials and concepts in their ongoing quest to
stem improper cooking grease disposal, and that bodes well for continuing engagement
with the university in refining and reinforcing communication efforts. It is encouraging,
too, that students would overwhelmingly gauge the experience to have been professionally
beneficial, despite involving sewage. This further suggests that the course achieved Kolb

13. Vol. 2 (2), 2016 Journal of Public Relations Education 66
and Kolb’s (2011) transformative criterion.
This Practicum was made possible through a substantial multi-year grant that be-
gan with extensive research and planning for a state-wide project. The unpredictable nature
of the grant application process means this model would be difficult to incorporate reliably
into a set undergraduate public relations curriculum. However, the model does point to the
merits of considering the inclusion of a practicum component in grant proposals. In many
cases, the prospect of experiential learning, service learning and community engagement
may well strengthen the competitiveness of a grant proposal. When funding is available,
a Public Relations Practicum course, particularly one working in the public interest and
thereby combining experiential learning with service learning, can be highly valuable on
several levels. The students gain experience and confidence, the client/community receives
professional-quality work with relatively minor investment in money and time, and the
instructors gain credibility along with consultative experience.
Public relations pedagogy can benefit from PR Practicum courses. The course be-
longs within a framework of skills and concept courses such as those recommended in the
1999 CPRE “Port of Entry Report.” The PR Practicum blends tactical and strategic skills in
an experiential and service learning context while it benefits students eager to expand their
portfolios.
Limitations and Implications
The benefit of outside funding facilitated this course, but public relations faculty know the
scarcity of such funding is a barrier to predictable inclusion of the PR Practicum in stan-
dard curricula. Pressures on class size as well as the cost of funding stock photography and
professional printing could singularly or cumulatively constrain the possibility of offering
such a course. Another limitation is client selection. The principles of service learning
favor projects that meet a public need, and clients representing those needs often face the
same financial constraints faced by college and university public relations programs. Of
course, a single case study based on the happy confluence of several enabling circumstanc-
es is hardly representative, but perhaps it encourages faculty to seek similar opportunities
more aggressively.
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