scholarly journals Qualitative Assessment of the Learning Outcomes of an International Service Learning Project in Civil Engineering

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Jeffers ◽  
Paul A. Beata ◽  
Beverly Strassmann
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Global Competency ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service

A qualitative study was performed to determine the learning outcomes of an international service learning project in civil engineering. The university program involves the student-led design and construction of suspended pedestrian bridges in rural Bolivia. Five students traveled to Bolivia for a period of four weeks to oversee the construction of a bridge. The students were asked to keep reflective journals that were guided by a series of writing prompts. We analyzed the qualitative data within a phenomenological framework, which allowed common themes to be identified from the data. The measured learning outcomes include technical competency, adaptability, creativity, global competency, cross-cultural communication skills, and teamwork and interpersonal communication skills. The data are examined in relation to relevant literature and supporting quotes from the students’ journals are provided. Our findings support the ideas that international service learning experiences in engineering strengthen global competency and communication, improve mastery of technical skills, and instill an understanding of the social context of engineering work. Additionally, complications that arose in the field taught the students adaptability, which is defined here as the ability to modify an engineering design to meet the constraints imposed in the field. As a result of our analysis, we propose reflection questions that allow the assessment of technical and non-technical learning outcomes. 

A Qualitative Approach to the Assessment of International Service-Learning

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Humphrey Tonkin ◽  
Diego Quiroga
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
American Students ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
History Of ◽  
Target Culture ◽  
Conventional Study

International service-learning combines aspects of conventional study abroad with aspects of conventional service-learning,1  offering an exceptional degree of integration into a target culture and an intensive experience of community service. The present study describes an effort to establish, through qualitative assessment, the degree to which such integration and experience actually take place, and their effects on the students involved. The target group is a single organization (the only such organization) with a twenty-year history of providing a range of intensive service-learning programs for American students outside the United States.

scholarly journals Developing Contemporary Engineering Skills through Service Learning in Peru

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline D. Johnson ◽  
Philip Johnson ◽  
Noam Shaney
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
University Of Alabama ◽  
Traditional Classrooms ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Global Society ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
The University

International service learning at The University of Alabama engages students in leadership and teaming roles. In Peru, students practiced skills that meet challenges of engineering in a global society and demonstrate accreditation learning outcomes not easily taught in traditional classrooms. Students in settings like this also get first-hand experience in what engineering is ultimately about: building things that make people’s lives better. Assessing the experience in a post-trip survey, students rated teaming lessons, communications, and experiential learning skills as particular strengths.

scholarly journals International Service Learning: Analytical Review of Published Research Literature

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-131
Author(s):  
Brett Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
International Education ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Analytical Review ◽  
Ebsco Host ◽  
Year 2000

International service learning (ISL) is an emerging area of international education.  This paper summarizes scholarly journal articles on ISL programs, organized by academic disciplines and service-learning project areas.  Who administers ISL programs and how, the countries in which these projects have occurred, and the outcomes and benefits of the projects discussed in this literature is presented.  Relevant literature on “International Service Learning” from full-text scholarly peer-reviewed journals on 67 EBSCO Host databases published from 2000 to 2013 served as the basis for this literature review.  No returns were found in this search before the year 2000.  Of 96 returns, 41 of them, published from 2003 to 2013, were relevant for this review.

Community Involvement and Benefits From an International Service Learning Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lata A. Krishnan ◽  
Christi Masters ◽  
Jennifer M. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Short Term ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
Service Activities ◽  
Study Abroad Program

Service learning (SL) is a form of experiential learning in which students are involved in community service activities that are related to academic course objectives. A key aspect that separates SL from other forms of experiential learning is the mutually beneficial nature of the service activities. Much of the SL and international SL (ISL) literature has focused on positive learning outcomes for students, with much less focus on the benefits of SL to the community. Speech, Language, and Hearing Services (SLHS) in Zambia is an intensive SL short-term study abroad program. This paper describes the benefits to the community via the SLHS in Zambia program.

scholarly journals Using Campinha-Bacote's Framework to Examine Cultural Competence from an Interdisciplinary International Service Learning Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth DeVane Wall-Bassett ◽  
Archana V. Hedge ◽  
Katelyn Craft ◽  
Amber Oberlin
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Cultural Competency ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
International Service Learning ◽  
International Service ◽  
Reflective Journals ◽  
Interdisciplinary Programs ◽  
Nutrition Science

The purpose of this study was to investigate an interdisciplinary international service learning program and its impact on student sense of cultural awareness and competence using the Campinha-Bacote’s (2002) framework of cultural competency model. Seven undergraduate and one graduate student from Human Development and Nutrition Science disciplines participated in the program. Reflections from a synthesis paper post-travel were analyzed using an inductive approach. Six themes emerged from the reflective journals and were applied to Campinha-Bacote’s cultural competency constructs. Participating and learning together while reflecting helped deepen and progress this process for ISL students. Overall, the experience proved to be an effective educational tool for sensitizing students towards cultural competency within interdisciplinary programs.

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