scholarly journals A Hong Kong University first: Establishing service-learning as an academic credit-bearing subject

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Ma ◽  
Alfred Chan
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Voluntary Work ◽  
The University

Service-learning, where university students are trained to serve or educate the less able for a defined number of voluntary work hours and where the service experience is relevant to the course into which the service is integrated, can be an effective means of community engagement. Many universities in the US have factored in a term for credit-bearing service-learning courses, so that students are oriented to developing a service mentality and nurturing a ‘giving culture’ on campus. In the Asia Pacific region, Lingnan University, with its liberal arts ethos, is the first university in Hong Kong to use service-learning as a vehicle for knowledge transfer between university and community. The first service-learning program was offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences in 2004 as an optional learning experience, and the university is now moving towards making service-learning a graduation requirement that bears academic credits. Service-learning is currently integrated in the majority of disciplines of the university, as part of the undergraduate program. In addition to detailing the history, development and operation of the service-learning program, this article discusses the lessons learned in the institutionalisation of service-learning, as well as the way forward for service-learning in higher education in Hong Kong. Keywords: service-learning, knowledge transfer, whole-person education, experiential education, higher education, campus-community partnerships

scholarly journals Service-learning in the Philippines: The University of Santo Thomas’ National Service Training Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heiden C Anorico
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Training Program ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Loop Model ◽  
National Service ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Service Training ◽  
The University

Service-learning in the educational sector has shown increased impact on student lifelong learning and institutional commitment to the community over the past decade. Universities in the Philippines provide various service-learning programs for their partner communities, to address students’ understanding of real-life community needs. However, there has been little study on students’ service-learning in geriatric institutions. This article first discusses higher education in the Philippines, noting the impact of the National Service Training Program on institutions’ programs. It then describes how one university, the University of Santo Tomas, has responded to this policy framework with the development of community programs that also meet its goals for social transformation. One particular program is examined – a service-learning program involving college students and a geriatric institution in Manila. Early qualitative feedback provides an understanding of college students’ perceptions of the elderly and the service-learning implemented by the university. It also offers a strong foundation for continuing to improve the current service-learning program. From this study an 8-loop model has been developed for future evaluations of the service-learning program in this geriatric institution. Keywordsservice-learning, elderly, geriatric institution, Philippines higher education

scholarly journals Supporting Independent Living Through Interdisciplinary Service Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-76
Author(s):  
Nicole Janich ◽  
Natasha Mendoza ◽  
Cynthia Mackey ◽  
Nidia Hernandez ◽  
Abigail Henderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
University Partnerships ◽  
Clinical Supervisors ◽  
School Of Social Work

Service learning within independent living facilities may be a highly effective means to address the service gaps that challenge older adults and people who are disabled. We present a new approach to service learning by leveraging opportunities for community–university partnerships. The Community Collaborative Model (CCM) represents synergy between organized independent living and higher education at Arizona State University and led by the School of Social Work. The CCM is a unique collaborative service learning program aligned with current thinking about independent living, supportive services, and community-based service learning. We share lessons learned from the challenges of establishing this program, which included institutional hurdles, maintaining adequate physical space, student-focused planning, varying levels of preparedness, and stigma related to service use. In conclusion, we recommend means to (1) build interprofessional teams, (2) seek support and commitment of faculty partners, (3) ensure sustainability via community liaisons and clinical supervisors, and (4) create space for reflective practice.

scholarly journals Service-Learning in Asia

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Ma ◽  
Thera Chiu ◽  
Lim Tai Wei
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Christian Higher Education ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Charitable Organization ◽  
Christian University ◽  
Student Community ◽  
Academic Conference ◽  
Set Up

Although SL is primarily a western learning concept, it is widely used as a pedagogy among education and community sectors in Asia, especially after the academic conference on ‘Service-Learning in Asia: Creating networks and curriculum in higher education’ held in 2002 at the International Christian University (ICU) in Japan as this became an interconnection with other Asian HEIs (Xing & Ma, 2010). In 2004, ICU set up the Service-Learning Asia Network (SLAN) with support from the Japanese Government and the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (Ma, Chan, Chen and Fong, 2018). In 2004, LU received one million dollars (HKD) funding support from Kwan Fong Charitable Organization to start a Service-Learning and Research Scheme (SLRS) and then in 2006, received another ten million dollars (HKD) to set up the first Office of Service-Learning (OSL) in Hong Kong. With the aim of constructing a model for academy-student-community partnership, LU has made an attempt to truly put the inspirational slogan “Serving to Learn and Learning to Serve” into practice. With commitment from a dedicated SL team and support from local and regional partners, LU started taking the lead of SL development in both Hong Kong and Asia. LU even organized the first Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning (APRCSL) in 2007 and served as the secretariat for SLAN after the revitalization.

scholarly journals The Role of Service Learning in a ‘Future University’

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 01014
Author(s):  
Jekuk Chang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Early History ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Christian University ◽  
Development Path ◽  
Founding Principle ◽  
The University

In 2016, Dongseo University announced its vision of becoming a „Future University‟ in connection with a detailed plan involving ten changes for achieving that goal. This paper outlines the importance of service learning in the development path of Dongseo University. It begins with the university‟s early history, where service learning figured prominently as a founding principle. It then presents a specific example of a service learning program that has been successfully operated by Dongseo University and Petra Christian University for roughly 20 yr, namely the International Tech Corps. Next, the paper examines four potentially harmful societal trends and suggests ways they might be counterbalanced through innovative higher education. Finally, it provides an overview of some relevant aspects of Dongseo‟s vision of a Future University, including the role of service learning within that paradigm shift in the provision of higher education.

Advancing campus and community sustainability: strategic alliances in action

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Bilodeau ◽  
Jackie Podger ◽  
Alaa Abd-El-Aziz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Community Development ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
The University

Purpose – Universities can provide a leadership role to develop and mobilize knowledge to meet societal needs. In fulfilling this mission, universities can also serve as agents of sustainable development on campus and in communities they serve. The purpose of this article is to describe the drivers that have advanced the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus' operational and academic sustainability objectives; the initiatives and partnerships developed on campus and in the community in response to these drivers; and the outcomes and lessons learned. Design/methodology/approach – This article summarizes the experience of the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus in leveraging key drivers to develop sustainability initiatives and partnerships for greater operational efficiencies, cost savings, environmental stewardship and applied research. The university's leadership commitment to sustainability, economic opportunities and provincial legislative requirements are among the drivers discussed. This paper also provides an innovative partnership framework to support sustainable community development. Findings – Drivers of sustainability in higher education can contribute to the development of sustainability initiatives and partnerships that benefit institutions and communities and achieve operational and academic sustainability mandates. Practical implications – This article provides information that can be applied by institutions of higher education to advance sustainability within the context of current economic conditions and societal needs. Originality/value – The experience of the campus and the partnership framework presented in this paper is original. The framework provides a mechanism to engage students, faculty and the community in sustainable community development research. Key insights from multiple perspectives and lessons learned are shared.

Service Learning: The Peace Corps, American Higher Education, and the Limits of Modernist Ideas of Development and Citizenship

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-505
Author(s):  
David S. Busch
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Peace Corps ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
American Higher Education ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Work Abroad ◽  
The University

In the early 1960s, Peace Corps staff turned to American colleges and universities to prepare young Americans for volunteer service abroad. In doing so, the agency applied the university's modernist conceptions of citizenship education to volunteer training. The training staff and volunteers quickly discovered, however, that prevailing methods of education in the university were ineffective for community-development work abroad. As a result, the agency evolved its own pedagogical practices and helped shape early ideas of service learning in American higher education. The Peace Corps staff and supporters nonetheless maintained the assumptions of development and modernist citizenship, setting limits on the broader visions of education emerging out of international volunteerism in the 1960s. The history of the Peace Corps training in the 1960s and the agency's efforts to rethink training approaches offer a window onto the underlying tensions of citizenship education in the modern university.

scholarly journals Teaching civic engagement: Evaluating an integrative service-learning program

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jed Metzger
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Integrative Learning ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Community Environments

The demands on successfully teaching intervention skills in macro (community) environments are numerous and extend beyond the confines of any one academic discipline. In particular, when considering community, the compounding of the multiple factors of social economics, diversity, social policy, history and political agendas requires an integrative approach. This mixed-methods retrospective article analyses the use of service-learning in an advanced Master of Social Work community practice course. Special attention is given to the construction of academic and community experience that facilitates learning integration and understanding of the ways in which factors compound on community wellbeing. Specifically this project involved students in efforts constructed to address violence directed by and against inner-city youth in a mid-sized northeastern city in the United States that is beset with gang violence and has led its state in per capita murders for four of the past five years. Recommendations and lessons learned presented in this article are directed at exploring a construction of service-learning that could address integrative learning in community intervention courses. Keywords: Service-learning, teaching, macro practice, violence

scholarly journals Students’ Attitude toward Carbon Footprints of a Leading Private University in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Manvi Khandelwal ◽  
Vinamra Jain ◽  
Ashok Sharma ◽  
Sanjeev Bansal ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Private University ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Shared Services ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Education In India ◽  
The University

Asia-Pacific is currently in charge of almost half of the worldwide carbon outflows and thus causing harm to the environment. So, in order to reduce t he carbon outflow, it is important to calculate or know the carbon dioxide emissions of Indian students perusing higher education in India and analyze the attitudes of students to reduce carbon footprint levels in the university campus. For this purpose, data were collected by conducting an online survey from 200 students pursuing higher education in a leading private university to assess individual carbon footprint per student by using the calculator developed. Findings revealed that higher awareness level of individual footprints positively impacted their behavior toward carbon footprint reduction as students are willing to avail shared services available in campus.

Flexible and Adaptive Responsiveness – Disruptive Lessons from Higher Education in Refugee Contexts

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-27
Author(s):  
Paul O’Keeffe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Core Component ◽  
Educational Environments ◽  
Learning Ecosystem ◽  
Pedagogical Innovations ◽  
The University

The delivery of higher education in refugee contexts is no stranger to dealing with the unforeseen and responding to the needs of vulnerable learners. Being flexible and adaptable to a multitude of challenges and obstacles is a core component of any scaffolding that wishes to support refugee higher education programmes. InZone, an academic and humanitarian programme at the University of Geneva, has empirically developed a flexible and adaptable ‘learning ecosystem’ to scaffold its delivery of higher education programmes in Africa and the Middle East. This chapter explores how this responsive ecosystem has enabled top tier university programmes in some of the most challenging educational environments between 2017 and 2018. The functioning of the ecosystem is explored within the context of the lived reality of learners in the camps and course participation data is shared to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning ecosystem as a scaffold for enabling higher education in refugee contexts. Lessons learned point to recommendations for pedagogical innovations that could be employed to cope with pedagogical disruptions for the wider education world during testing times such as Covid19.

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