Service-learning: A survey of experiences in Spain

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Folgueiras ◽  
Pilar Aramburuzabala ◽  
Hector Opazo ◽  
Aitziber Mugarra ◽  
Antonio Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Ethical Commitment ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Learning Projects

Service-learning is a teaching methodology that promotes students’ learning through active participation in experiences of community service. This methodology allows students to engage directly with those to whom it offers a needs- and context-adapted service, very often outside the classroom. While there are numerous projects that follow the service-learning methodology, surveys of experiences carried out at higher education level remain scarce. We performed a survey study with 424 undergraduate students participating in service-learning projects in order to identify the type and level of student participation, the skills and competences acquired; the characteristics of services provided; and the levels of satisfaction of students taking part. We found that the students had a positive perception of the effects of their participation; that the skills and competences developed were primarily teamwork, ethical commitment, adapting to new situations and problem-solving; and that the usefulness of the service was mainly in moral development and commitment.

Ethnographic Service Learning: An Approach for Transformational Learning

Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie A. Medeiros ◽  
Jennifer Guzmán
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Transformational Learning ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
The United States ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
The Social ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Transformational Experiences ◽  
Learning Projects

Trends in higher education pedagogy increasingly point to the importance of transformational experiences as the capstone of liberal arts education. Practitioners of ethnography, the quintessential transformational experience of the social sciences, are well-positioned to take the lead in designing courses and term projects that afford undergraduate students opportunities to fundamentally reshape their understanding of the social world and their own involvement within it. Furthermore, in the United States, colleges and universities have become proponents of service learning as a critical component of a holistic educational experience. In this article, we describe how service learning can be incorporated into training students in ethnographic field methods as a means to transformational learning and to give them skills they can use beyond the classroom in a longer trajectory of civic participation. We discuss strategies, opportunities, and challenges associated with incorporating service learning into courses and programs training students in ethnographic field methods and propose five key components for successful ethnographic service learning projects. We share student insights about the transformational value of their experiences as well as introduce some ethical concerns that arise in ethnographic service-learning projects.

Community Service Learning Increases Communication Skills Across the Business Curriculum

1998 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary L. Tucker ◽  
Anne M. McCarthy ◽  
John A. Hoxmeier ◽  
Margarita M. Lenk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Elementary Students ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Learning Projects

Community service learning offers a unique and rewarding way for business students to reinforce communication capabilities while developing lifelong career and social skills. This article defines community service learning, dis cusses its importance to business as well as higher education, and describes three community service learning projects. Students in these projects taught elementary students, designed a computer system for a community nonprofit, and developed accounting systems for university divisions. In doing so, they enhanced their understanding of classroom theories and communication skills through service-learning.

Service Learning in Undergraduate Audiology Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 508-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lata A. Krishnan ◽  
K. Andrew R. Richards ◽  
Mary Bajek
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Civic Learning ◽  
Band Students ◽  
Hearing Assessment ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Learning Projects

Purpose The purpose of this study was to incorporate a service learning project in an undergraduate audiology course and evaluate how it affected student learning in the class. Method The study involved partnering with a group of students enrolled in a band learning community. Students in the audiology course learned about hearing assessment procedures in class and practiced the procedures on each other in labs. Toward the end of the semester, they assessed the hearing of the band students and provided counseling regarding the importance of hearing protection. Qualitative data were obtained in the form of preflections and final reflection papers completed by the students in the audiology course at the start and conclusion of the semester. Quantitative data included completion of the Community Service Attitudes Scale (CSAS; Shiarella, McCarthy, & Tucker, 2000) prior to and at the conclusion of the course. Results Results revealed overwhelmingly positive comments from the students in their final reflections, although there were no significant changes in the pre- and post-administration of the CSAS. Conclusion Incorporating service learning projects into undergraduate curricula in speech and hearing has the potential to enhance academic and civic learning while also benefitting the community.

scholarly journals An exploratory study on the value of service learning projects and their impact on community service involvement and critical thinking

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Joseph ◽  
George W. Stone ◽  
Kimberly Grantham ◽  
Nukhet Harmancioglu ◽  
Essam Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Learning Projects

scholarly journals Incorporating a Practicum in TESOL Methodology Courses to Promote Service Learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Peter Tze-Ming Chou
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
School Students ◽  
English Teaching ◽  
Service Learning Projects

This study examined student attitudes toward teaching from their practicum experience and how their experiences met the requirements of service learning, which is defined as a curriculum-based community service that integrates classroom instruction with community service activities. Service learning also provides opportunities for students to interact directly with the local community. In this study, 27 students who enrolled in an English Teaching Methodology course participated in a 12-week project in which they taught beginning and intermediate English to elementary school students as part of an afterschool program. A survey was conducted at the end of the semester and student teaching reflections were collected for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results of the study indicated that the students had a favorable experience regarding the practicum requirement in the English Teaching Methodology course. Among the students, 85% (n=23) expressed that a practical teaching experience should be part of the curriculum and that a requirement of 3–4 hr of teaching is appropriate for a hands-on teaching experience. The paper ends with a discussion of methods for including a practicum requirement in the syllabus and what instructors should focus on when establishing service learning projects.

scholarly journals Integrating Service Learning Projects into Civil Engineering Courses

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqi (Jackie) Zhang ◽  
Nathan Gartner ◽  
Oguz Gunes ◽  
John M. Ting
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Traffic Signal Control ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Heritage Foundation ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Course Objectives ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
The City ◽  
Learning Projects

Three service-learning projects of various content, workload, and community partnering were identified and implemented in two core and one elective undergraduate courses in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2005. This paper presents how these service learning projects were seamlessly integrated into existing courses without removing pertinent course materials and without a significant increase in time commitment. Details on the course contents, course structure, projects implemented, and how each project was used to address certain course objectives were presented as well. The selected projects were as follows: (1) Davidson Street Parking Lot Redesign for the City of Lowell; (2) Intersection Analysis – Traffic Signal Control for the City of Lowell; and (3) Preliminary Building Structural Evaluation for the Architectural Heritage Foundation in Lowell, MA. Over 80 undergraduate students ranging from freshmen to seniors participated in these community-based projects. Course objectives and ABET program outcomes were evaluated by a course-specific survey questionnaire. Students’ experience on the S-L project was assessed by a newly developed survey instrument. The survey demonstrated that service learning had several positive impacts on the students.

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