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Global service-learning (GSL) course offerings have expanded rapidly in the last decade at U.S. universities and colleges, yet faculty are not always prepared for the ethical challenges of development work with disadvantaged communities in international settings. Based on a qualitative study of 25 GSL faculty across a range of higher education institutions in the United States, this article describes what drives faculty members to participate in GSL, analyzes the community engagement principles that guide their GSL work, and assesses how they cope with the dissonance that arises when striving to meet the sometimes-conflicting needs of students, communities, and educational institutions. We find that these faculty employ a "transformative GSL ethics" to realize their motivations and visions for a counter-normative approach to community engagement. We argue that higher education institutions must shift their norms, values, and practices with respect to professional development and pedagogy if they are to continue promoting the GSL agenda.

The article presents the replicable model of Curriculum and Community Based Academic Learning with Research, Action and Service (CCBALwRAS) through a framework of '2 Cs', the 'curriculum' and the 'community'. It puts forth a support strategy for participatory community-based interventions by formally inducting higher education institutions (HEIs) to achieve long-term sustainable, workable solutions for local communities. The study is based on a multi-stakeholder partnership, facilitated through partnerships between the HEI, committed faculty-student participation and civil society, executed between 2015 and 2020. The article draws from the execution and actual field experience of the partnership, along with qualitative data from the evaluation and assessment of the programme delivered. Given that the model developed is based on the experiences of a private fee-dependent HEI in a metro city, the study does not take into consideration infrastructural and resource constraints of other HEIs. The article focuses on the role of HEIs as fulfilling dual responsibilities of knowledge creation and dissemination while addressing socioeconomic, developmental and environmental needs within their immediate communities. The resultant pedagogical shift and the model proposed is an effective solution for equity, capacity building and civic-mindedness, which will nurture socially aware and critically conscious global citizens.

Displaced learners, uprooted because of conflict, poverty, or other major traumas, are often shut out of opportunities to learn engineering. At the same time, fragile contexts demand engineers' expertise, but experts and their engineered solutions are often called in from outside the community. In this article, we examine engineering learning as a vehicle for development in displaced communities by expanding the representation of engineers to explicitly include refugees and formerly homeless youth. We describe an alternative, co-created approach to providing authentic engineering learning through a framework called Localized Engineering in Displacement. Grounded in principles of critical pedagogy and social justice, this framework is structured to integrate technical content, professional skills, and engineering design, all focused on needs identified by the local students themselves. The Localized framework encompasses the curriculum itself, the collaborative attitudes and humility of partners involved, the prioritization of local engineers' learning pathways, the pedagogical capacity building of local instructors, and the institutional partnerships required to recognize and implement students' work. In addition to describing our framework and situating it in the literature, we document two major program outcomes: empowered identity and community impact. Refugee learners and former street youth in the community develop their self-image as engineers, especially after being in positions of low levels of agency or control over their lives. The keystone to the program is our collaboration with local learning spaces (usually in-country implementing NGOs) and community institutions to invest in long-term implementation of solutions. We discuss multiple aspects of community impact, including the engineered products that student members of low-resource communities create, ongoing community teacher development, and collaborative research.

In this paper, we describe an innovative design for a multidisciplinary service-learning course on supply chain management in the industrial distribution program housed in the College of Engineering at a large research university in Texas. The purpose of this course was to increase students' technical expertise and build a mindset and skills needed to tackle current societal issues, raising their social responsibility and enhancing civic-mindedness. The course combined curricular learning with community service, applying the content of academic disciplines to practice. It brought students from industrial distribution and sociology together to help food pantries to improve their operational efficiencies so that the food pantries can serve more people and work toward their goal. In this project, student groups identified the specific needs of community food pantries. They recommended solutions to improve operational efficiency so that they could use their technical skills to address the challenges and make an impact on the communities. In addition, student groups interacted with partner agencies via technologies that aided distance communication, which facilitated partnerships in remote locations. We also evaluated this project. The results reveal that this project had an impact on students' personal and professional development as well as the community.

This practice-based approach argues service learning can teach social justice in parks & recreation management education. The US parks system creation and history is rooted in injustice. Use of US parks and park service employment remain inequitable today. Significant work must be done in the provision of recreation and park services to all members of the community, including those who have been traditionally marginalized or underserved. The industry requires recreation and parks professionals at all levels who are informed and intentional about inclusion and social justice, which starts with parks and recreation management education. Service-learning, a form of experiential learning allows students to participate in an organized service activity, meeting identified community needs and reflecting on the service activity, to further understand course content, foster a broader appreciation of the discipline, and enhance their sense of civic responsibility. The paper describes a semester long service learning example. Upper-level undergraduate sport management and hospitality and tourism management students at a small, private college in the Southeast adopted a park in collaboration with the local Parks & Recreation department. The students created a new recreational amenity site plan including access for persons with disabilities, designed new educational signage, and removed invasive flora species. The course contained content modules on social justice issues, including the history of Native Americans and the parks systems, racial discrimination in parks and parks administration, and recreational access for persons with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students met content knowledge learning objectives and reported skill acquisition and application of course material outside the classroom. With revision to improve student satisfaction, expand coverage of other marginalized groups in parks and recreation, and more explicitly connect course activities to equity and inclusion, this model can be replicated to successfully teach social justice.

The EPICS Program was created in 1995 with the dual purposes of improving engineering education and addressing compelling needs within our communities. The model broke with many traditional academic traditions, involving students in multidisciplinary teams of students from first-year to fourth years for multiple semesters or even years on projects with local and global community partners. EPICS has been recognized as a model within engineering education and community engagement. The EPICS model has been adapted by several other institutions at the undergraduate and pre-university settings. There are currently 38 active higher education institutions with each adapting the model to their own institutional culture. This paper highlights the EPICS model and how four institutions that are recognized global leaders in engineering education have collaborated and adapted the model to their own institution's goals and culture.

Nursing educators wrestle with preparing the future nursing workforce to meet the needs of underserved, vulnerable populations in marginalized communities who suffer significant health disparities and social injustices. This article illustrates the integration of engaged civic learning (ECL) within a social justice framework that prepares baccalaureate nurses as global citizens to provide culturally congruent health care around the corner in local communities and learning abroad programs across the globe. Multiple partnerships with local organizations were strengthened, with ECL integrated across the nursing curriculum and aligned with local needs of community housing, schools, churches, shelters, and fitness centers. The nursing faculty at Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden collaborated with language professors to develop a Spanish for Health Professions program to increase communication between students and the high percentage of Spanish-speaking populations served locally and globally. A mixed-methods design evaluated program outcomes using descriptive data, student reflections, and the Global Perspective Inventory (GPI) to assess students' experiences and global learning related to learning abroad during their college experience. Results from presurveys to post-survey results showed significant improvement (p < .05) in global learning in 16 of 35 question items. As students journey from entrance into nursing school until graduation, ECL develops them into engaged global citizens.

Purpose: A primary responsibility in health education is to assess community health needs, which is often a difficult skill to master for the entry level health educator. This article outlines the outcomes of a long-term study of an undergraduate needs assessment course where students completed a real-world assessment with a community partner focusing on action and service-based learning. Methods: Through student reflections, survey of community partners, and instructor reflection, outcomes of the course are reported from multiple views. Results: Students showed improved problem-solving, better understanding of community and needs assessment process, and better understanding of importance of teamwork skills in this context. Conclusion: By navigating a real community health assessment, students benefited from a deeper learning experience. Community partners benefits included assistance in program planning and prioritization of health programs and events. Recommendation: This method is beneficial to both students and partners but it is important to prepare students well for this challenging work.

Community engagement and philanthropic learning have gained traction in university settings as a method to help prepare students for both workplace competency and citizenship. Experiential student philanthropy is a learning method that offers students an opportunity to examine community and social issues and nonprofit organizations while providing them with the unique opportunity to invest funding in nonprofit organizations. This study examined the impact of an experiential student philanthropy project in a graduate-level social work course at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) through the use of a pretest and posttest administered to involved students. The results indicate that incorporation of the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project (MSPP) with this class ultimately strengthened learning outcomes as related to both course engagement and community engagement.

This paper describes the impact of using Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) to enhance a campus-community partnership. The key stakeholders, who are also the participants, share how learning from the reflective journals, collaborative sessions, and interview data analysis transformed their practice. The collaborative partnership was designed to allow prospective teachers from a School of Education at a U.S. liberal arts college the opportunity to teach Diverse language learners (DLLs) who were attending a summer program at a nearby community learning center. The teacher educators responsible for teaching the prospective teachers, the director of the community learning center, and a student researcher joined the project as collaborative participant researchers. Together they analyzed the data collected from various participating groups, which included their own work and reflections, as well as those of the prospective teachers and prevention specialists who were employed by the community learning center. The findings from this study revealed that all participants benefited from the campus-community partnership because it was built on trust, mutual respect, reciprocity, and the use of shared language among key stakeholders. This CPAR project provides specific ideas and steps implemented to develop a well-functioning and reflective partnership between a community learning center and a local college. Examples of the specific praxis involved in such partnerships are often absent from the literature.

This study at a university in Slovakia asked two questions: (1) Does completion of a service-learning course lead to changes in students' social and personal responsibility and their attitudes toward community service? (2) Are personal and social responsibility and attitudes toward community service correlated? Service-learning and the third mission of the university are almost unknown in Slovak higher education, and likewise no relevant test instruments adapted to Slovak conditions currently exist. Consequently, we adopted a scale from abroad--Conrad and Hedin's (1981) Social and Personal Responsibility Scale (SPRS). We also used qualitative research methods. Compared to a control group, the service-learning students had statistically significant higher posttest scores in the Social Welfare, Duty, Performance of Responsible Acts, and Global Responsibility subscales. The research results revealed a need for new measuring tools that are sensitive to the specific context of service-learning implementation in Slovakia.

Interest in the implementation of service-learning (SL) in university courses in psychology has risen in recent years. SL allows the students not only to read and talk about social problems, but also to act upon them and thus to learn from practice as well. The aim of this work is to present the service-learning experienced in psychology courses at the University of Turin, Italy. The experiences--named "The Volunteer's Helpdesk" and "Service Learning: Urban Area Analysis and Proposals for Action"--were analyzed following the Comprehensive Action Plan for Service Learning (CAPSL) model proposed by Bringle and Hatcher (1996) for implementing SL in higher education. The work presented is intended to contribute to laying the foundation for a broader reflection on how to implement SL in university courses in psychology.

Undergraduate-Community engagement is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs. In Malaysia, most undergraduates have at one point or another taken part in community engagement activities. However, the outcome of participating in community engagement has not been properly measured. This study was conducted to investigate the benefits undergraduates gain as a result of community engagement experience, as there is limited studies done in the Malaysian context. This study adopted Student Community Engagement Benefits Questionnaire (SCEBQ) by Chung and Coates (2016). SCEBQ has four benefit constructs, namely career skills, diversity skills, interpersonal skills and civic skills. A total of 143 responses were analysed and results showed that female undergraduates, those who participated in voluntary projects and respondents between 21 to 23 years old reported higher mean gains across the four benefit constructs. Nevertheless, these mean gains did not show any statistically significant difference between gender, community engagement projects types, except age groups. The study is important as it lays the foundation in the process of creating a better understanding of what students learn outside the classroom and it contributes to the practical knowledge of undergraduate-community engagement experience in the context of Malaysian higher education.

The increase of chronic disease in the United States has created a strong demand for health education specialists (HESs) who are trained to facilitate behavioral, environmental and policy changes through program implementation and evaluation. However, it is difficult for colleges and universities to prepare future health educators to be competent in such skills by classroom methods alone. Moreover, by utilizing the skills and talents of university students there is the opportunity to improve the resources and services available in the community. This paper describes how a Midwestern, public university met this challenge by developing a "hub model." Through the creation of this model over a five year time period, over 7,000 people were educated on chronic disease prevention, more than 800 individuals received screening mammograms or clinical breast exams, and dozens of cancer survivors received supplemental survivorship services. Colleges and universities through the United States involved in preparing health education specialists should consider replicating this model/center and applying the lessons learned by the authors.

In response to requests for assistance from a Tibetan refugee community in Mainpat, India, Northern Arizona University developed a unique service-learning experience, the Mainpat Project, to provide health and other services. The project continued for 4 years despite the limited infrastructure and resources of a small public university and the complexities of working with a host community in a remote area. The Mainpat Project brought together community leaders and multidisciplinary teams of students, faculty, and staff. Based on various types of assessments, observations, and direction from the community, activities focused on needs identified by the Tibetan refugees and interventions to enhance their quality of life. This reflective essay presents results of an exploratory study of community needs, community-university interactions, interventions built on new understandings, challenges, intended and unintended outcomes, and lessons learned from this experience. Proposed strategies for future work in Mainpat build upon existing models of global service-learning.

Service-learning is a pedagogical approach with documented effectiveness for building civic engagement and promoting awareness of social justice issues. Little attention is given in the literature to the design processes that undergird the development of effective service-learning projects. In this case study, authors report on their application of the backward design process to develop and implement a service-learning project. Thirty-seven preservice special education teachers participated in the project to support community needs at an afterschool program. Data sources included planning notes, project meeting notes from the university instructor and the afterschool program director, preservice teachers' guided written reflections, student attendance logs, and responses to open-ended survey questions from community center stakeholders. Participation in service-learning affirmed preservice teachers' readiness for meeting the needs of diverse learners. Community stakeholders reported satisfaction with the project's goals, procedures, and outcomes. Implications relate to the utility of using the backward design process to develop service-learning projects.

Service-learning methodology makes a connection between student classroom learning and the application of knowledge to solve community needs. The present study was carried out with the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente (Colombia) community by environmental engineering students enrolled in a Chemistry 2 course. The students helped the Universidad Autonoma de Occidente community reinforce criteria for separating solid waste generated in the cafeteria. To carry out this project, the students had to appropriate concepts from the chemistry course such as functional groups, types of polymers, and the biodegradation process of materials and its relation to the principles of solid waste separation. Once the concepts were learned, students developed strategies to guide the community in the correct separation of solid waste using a simple vocabulary so that people unfamiliar with chemistry could understand and apply the concepts. The project positively impacted student learning and promoted personal satisfaction as a result of performing useful service and using their knowledge to solve a real worldwide problem.

Service learning--sometimes known as community engagement--is a well-documented pedagogical approach with a long history, a strong theoretical basis, a specific ethos, and many passionate advocates. Yet it is conspicuously underused as a teaching method in the worldwide field of English language teaching. In this article, I argue that English teachers could gain significant benefits from using service learning more extensively, whatever their operational context may be: online, face-to-face, secondary school, college, language school, rural school, evening class, and so on.

"Service-learning" is a multilayered term with a complex historical evolution. In the last two decades, service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) have flourished in higher education as staff, faculty, and students have realized it can be a high-impact teaching and learning practice to promote student learning and development. While many SLCE courses and projects adopt this student focus in undertaking and reflecting upon useful service activities with community organizations, it can be difficult to implement them in ways that explicitly engage with the historical and contemporary systems of oppression--such as racism, classism, and sexism--that created the need for SLCE efforts in the first place. The authors' vision for the future is a radical re-centering of SLCE within social justice collectives (SJCs), such as the organizers of the Movement for Black Lives, led by people from marginalized groups and addressing the systems of oppression most relevant to their own lives. Within this new structure for SLCE, colleges and universities, along with other stakeholders/partners, would follow the leadership of these off-campus collectives working on the frontlines of social justice movements.

This study investigates the ways students' disposition toward solidarity can be fostered during a community-based service-learning (CBSL) project performed remotely, not requiring direct contact or interactions with community members. Seventeen students were enrolled in an advanced Spanish grammar course section with a service-learning component and collaborated throughout the semester to translate documents from English to Spanish for three local non-profit organizations. The analysis of their end-of-semester reflection papers reveals that the high stakes of the outcome (facilitating the local Spanish-speaking population's access to essential social services) influenced students' engagement in the task, triggered by an emotional buy-in with the nonprofit organization's missions. Participation in the CBSL project fostered solidarity disposition as students considered opportunities to get involved and reflected on how they might be able to support Spanish speakers in their future jobs. The article concludes with suggested guidelines for the design of remote CBSL opportunities to nurture solidarity disposition as a primary objective.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the broad concept of university-community partnerships as it applies to creating sustainability initiatives. The benefits of university-community partnerships are increasingly recognized, and this paper offers direct insights from community stakeholders on the principles, functions and activities they see as foundational to effective university-community partnerships in northern British Columbia. Design/methodology/approach: CommunityStudio was a co-learning partnership that sought to place students into the community and region to collaborate with community/government partners on interdisciplinary projects identified by the city, regional district or other community stakeholders. Through key informant interviews and a thematic analysis, the authors examine the expressed needs that CommunityStudio partners identified as key to ensuring such collaborations are mutually beneficial. Findings: Within the community/regional development context of northern British Columbia, community experience highlights the importance of equity and inclusion, flexible programme design and an institutional culture that supports risk taking in teaching and learning as keys to the success of university-community partnerships. Originality/value: This work contributes to calls for knowledge-based institutions such as universities to act as catalysts for social innovation within regional contexts outside of major metropolitan urban centres.

Purpose: This study aims to analyse the essential characteristics for the success of social projects developed with undergraduate students of higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach: A case study was conducted to verify the main characteristics of projects in a social entrepreneurship initiative. These features were used to perform a survey with experts to understand which of these items are essential for social projects success, through Lawshe's method. Findings: Of the ten items evaluated, two were considered essential by the experts: "Proper alignment between project scope and actual local community needs" and "Good level of interaction between students participating in the project and the local community". Practical implications: These findings can be useful for professors and coordinators to prepare future projects in HEIs. They may also be advantageous for researchers who may use them as a starting point for future studies. Originality/value: The novelty of this study is the methodological approach used: a case study of projects in a social entrepreneurship initiative in a relevant Brazilian university; and a Lawshe's method analysis of responses of experts in social projects developed in HEIs. The findings can greatly contribute to the debates in this field. No similar research was found in the literature.

Service-learning has been gaining traction in Singapore, with many educational institutions integrating it into their curriculum. In the National Institute of Education (NIE), the Group Endeavours in Service-Learning (GESL) is an experiential learning opportunity for all student teachers (STs) to collaborate with the community to address local needs. GESL endeavours to build character, and develop positive values and social-emotional competencies. Hence the purpose of this study is to explore how GESL enhances pre-service teacher education in relation to teacher training. Eleven GESL groups were selected, with 12 members from each group randomly recruited to participate in the focus group interviews. A total of 15 focus group interviews were held. The interview data was transcribed, coded and presented in themes by using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Overall, there seemed to be a greater level of self-awareness and understanding of the community needs. Participants reported getting to know themselves better, in terms of their strengths and weaknesses and how they can contribute to the community. There was also enhancement of collaboration, communication and people-management skills. These findings suggest that GESL may be an effective channel to imbue attributes that NIE has identified as important for teaching professionals.

Background: To prepare students to become productive 21st century citizens, universities have to be more engaged with society. Shifting towards community service learning (CSL) enables students to participate in, and reflect on, services that both benefit the public and also contribute to their own learning. There has been considerable research conducted on the improved student competencies, both academic and personal, resulting from CSL. There is, however, no consensus on how to integrate CSL into courses successfully, owing to the diverse contextual factors that influence implementation. Purpose: By means of conducting a review, this study aimed to establish general design principles to help guide course coordinators in implementing CSL in their academic courses. Design and methods: A systematic review was conducted of articles describing the implementation of CSL in academic courses within various disciplines. Implementation elements and principles were extracted from the articles and inductively grouped together, thereby identifying various design principles. Findings: Our analysis of the literature highlighted three steps that, according to the literature, are important in the implementation of CSL: (1) aligning course objectives and format; (2) establishing a relationship with the community partner; and (3) defining a reflection and evaluation strategy. We found that the nature of the design principles and specific approaches underlying these implementation steps should depend on the students' capabilities, which include their pre-CSL experiences. Conclusion: The implementation steps and underlying design principles uncovered by this review may help guide and support course coordinators in their efforts to integrate CSL in their academic courses. The diverse range of design principles makes it possible to acknowledge students' pre-CSL experiences and, thus, construct appropriate scaffolding, which is necessary for students to attain the improved academic and personal competencies envisaged through CSL, and ultimately to become productive 21st century citizens.

Service-learning projects, especially the ones focused on the community, and on the Hispanic community in particular, need to be based on real felt and documented needs, and the outcomes need to be assessed in order to decide the worth and possible sustainability of the projects. This paper will focus on service-learning samples from my courses, addressed to the Hispanic Community in the Upstate of South Carolina. The projects have been implemented as part of the assessment criteria used to assign students' grades. A needs assessment survey was conducted earlier to determine the areas of work that students would address in their service-learning projects. At the conclusion of each semester students are required to provide a written page about their projects, not only from the point of view of application or enrichment of their learning, but also from their attitude and feelings about the service provided. Using students' reflection documentation, a qualitative analysis and conclusions will be provided to document the relative importance and worth of the different service-learning projects analyzed.

The concept of and approach to service-learning across higher education has changed dramatically over the last two and a half decades. Historically, one of the primary goals of service-learning was to prepare undergraduate students to become engaged citizens and to introduce them to the challenges experienced by individuals from marginalized or disenfranchised communities ("Dunlap, 1998"; "Shadduck-Hernandez, 2005"). Now, 25 years after the implementation of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, many universities are shifting this focus to include meeting community needs, accomplishing graduate and undergraduate student learning outcomes, and establishing reciprocity of respect.

Traditional service-learning pedagogy assumes that learning occurs when contact between relatively advantaged students and a relatively disadvantaged service population reduces prejudice. However, little is known about how students whose backgrounds are similar to the populations they serve process this learning experience. This study explores the connections between socioeconomic status and learning trajectories within service-learning. Students provided written reflections on a service-learning experience focused on food insecurity as part of course requirements. Analysis reveals that students with low socioeconomic status (SES) demonstrate different learning processes than medium- and high-SES students. Namely, low-SES students were less likely than high-SES students to hold prejudiced attitudes prior to service, and low-SES students emphasized a systemic understanding of food insecurity and poverty, while medium- and high-SES students were much more likely to emphasize an individualist understanding. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research to improve service-learning pedagogy for students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Background: Global learning outcomes (GLOs) are increasingly emphasized within higher education because of the advantages they provide in navigating globalized contexts. The process of global learning may be understood through Mezirow's theory of transformational learning, in which presentation of dissonant information results in more open, inclusive frames of reference. Purpose: We propose that local community-based experiential learning may facilitate development of GLOs through a process of transformational learning. Methodology/Approach: We used consensual qualitative research-modified (CQR-M) method to describe outcomes of a service-based experiential learning opportunity called "Community Kitchen." Findings/Conclusions: Our analyses yielded seven domains within participant responses, many of which align with GLOs: impacting knowledge and skills, changing attitudes through transformational learning, contributing to personal benefit, facilitating relational connections, influencing vocational identity, engaging with the community, and providing a unique experience. Implications: Experiential learning may be a viable avenue through which global learning occurs locally through service-learning experiences.

The Virginia Commonwealth University/A Grace Place Caregiver Telephone Support Pilot Program was developed as a service-learning experience for graduate students to address the need for family caregiver support services. The Telephone Support Program was developed by the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology, in collaboration with A Grace Place Adult Day Center, as a pilot project that introduced a low-tech telephone outreach initiative in which trained students provided weekly caregiver support through active listening. Uniting students with family caregivers provided a challenging learning experience for students that enriched students' personal and professional development, provided an important service for caregivers, and met a critical community need. The findings demonstrate that a telephone support format offers a positive educational experience for graduate students and essential psychosocial support for family caregivers. (Contains 3 tables.)

The purpose of this paper is to share my experiences as the instructor of a full-time, single semester, service-learning capstone course. In this innovative course students already volunteering in the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization work in teams to identify community needs and address them using their business skills and knowledge and an entrepreneurial approach. The student teams are responsible for all phases of the work, from working with the community to identify needs through planning solutions to implementation and measurement. The students' work is assessed through presentation, report, reflection and peer evaluation.

For six years the Food Security Research Network at Lakehead University, Canada, has been engaged in an interdisciplinary theme-based service-learning initiative focusing on food security. Informed by complexity theory, the contextual fluidity partnership model brings community partners, students, and faculty into a nexus through which new knowledge focused on addressing food security can emerge. This approach to public scholarship diminishes boundaries in the location and forms of knowledge, opening up space for community knowledge to be a genuine part of the knowledge mix. For the last six years we have blurred the lines between community (public, private, and social sectors), students, and academics to create an "in community" focus to service-learning. This article highlights how the themed approach to service-learning using a contextual fluidity partnership model impacts faculty members and their involvement in public scholarship, and leads to innovation and new knowledge that is grounded in place and context.

This article describes the manner in which an authentic and culturally engaging service-learning model was infused into a multicultural education course for pre-service teachers. Service-learning programs integrated into education courses are often approached from a deficit perspective with pre-service teachers perceiving themselves as the privileged providing a service to diverse communities in need. Models of this nature tend to reinforce personal bias and stereotypes. The service-learning framework presented in this article is comprised of the following seven elements: (a) investment in community needs, (b) preparation and planning, (c) community engagement and empowerment, (d) curricula infusion of multicultural education, (e) bridging theory and practice, (f) recognition and celebration, and (g) reflection and evaluation. Infusing this model into a teacher education course engages pre-service teachers toward recognizing, appreciating, and understanding students who are racially and culturally different from themselves. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes the author's reflections on a service-learning course at Penn State Lehigh Valley, a campus of The Pennsylvania State University. The author provides background about the university, the community need, and the service-learning course. Reflections from assessing two semesters of the service-learning course are provided.

This article explores how 12 classroom teachers, enrolled in one of the author's graduate social studies methods course, used service-learning as an instructional tool to help students practice active participation in their community and beyond, while also recognizing the relevance of academic coursework as they applied their knowledge and skills to meaningful issues and contexts beyond the four walls of the classroom. This study is separated into two distinct, but related phases. Phase 1 includes data collected from the twelve teachers. First, the authors present the methodology, findings, and conclusions for phase 1 in a sequential manner. Next, the data for phase 2 is presented, which emerged from one of the graduate student's projects discussed in phase 1. Phase 2 includes data collected from the classroom teacher's 4th and 5th grade students and uses narrative inquiry to tell the story of how the project developed and the impact it had on the students. The teachers involved in the service-learning projects evolved through reflecting on the process of implementation. Based on the findings, the authors conclude that the teachers in this study gained the skills to: (1) effectively integrate civics-centered curriculum and meet state content standards through service-learning projects; (2) facilitate student-led instruction in a democratic classroom; (3) increase effective communication and build partnerships beyond the classroom; and (4) use structured reflections as a tool for growth and evaluation. Based on reactions from their respective students, the teachers were encouraged by student leadership, collaboration, motivation, engagement and meaningful learning experiences. All 12 teachers in this study reported improved teacher dispositions and increased confidence regarding the implementation of a civics-centered curriculum. Findings from the second phase of the study suggest that projects that are situated in a real-world context focusing on community needs and student interest can impact students' level of involvement and sense of agency. Service-learning projects may have a catalytic ability to motivate students into using active democratic skills to better their surrounding community. (Contains 1 note.)

This article describes a case example of a pedagogical approach that successfully integrates teaching technical skills, knowledge, and civic engagement. Students embarked on a semester-long project to assess the complexities of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, develop a response to address the concerns of community constituents, and engage in advocacy with local legislators. (Contains 1 endnote.)

This study focuses on the effect of service-learning on 5 students with disabilities in an inclusive 6th grade class. As students participated in service activities which met a community need and were linked to the curriculum, they achieved learning goals and were provided the real life applications of their learning. Students experienced the excitement of helping others, which increased motivation, willingness to help, and concern for others. Service-learning projects bolstered my students' self-confidence, helped them realize that they each have something to give, and that they can make a difference. Service-learning projects seem to be a powerful tool to improve students' motivation, academic success, social skills, and self-confidence. Service-learning may be particularly effective in the inclusive classroom.

This article describes a particular endeavor, the Bridge Builders Academic Mentoring Program (BAMP), a partnership between a school of education in a Catholic university in the Northwest and a community-based rites of passage program for adolescent African American males. The partnership exemplifies tenets of Catholic social teaching, in that it is community-based, justice-oriented, and in many ways countercultural. The pedagogy aligns with the goals of service learning; that is, the service extended by university students satisfies a genuine community need, and at the same time affords those engaged in service an opportunity to acquire crucial knowledge, skills, and dispositions to which they would not otherwise have access. Implications for translating this program to other contexts are provided.

Service learning projects were incorporated into the curriculum of an undergraduate course entitled "Biology of Women". The goals of the service learning projects were: 1) to provide students with the opportunity to consider issues pertaining to human biology in real-world settings; 2) to foster student engagement with the community; and 3) to promote student awareness of community resources that are directly relevant to women's health issues. The success of the service learning projects in meeting these goals was assessed via analysis of student reaction papers, classroom presentations, and surveys administered at the end of the semester. Assessment results indicate that the service learning projects promoted student awareness of community needs and resources, demonstrated the relevance of course content to real life, and led some students to consider future service opportunities and/or careers in the field of women's health. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

Background: Service-learning is a pedagogical practice which requires students to learn through engaged service-based community activities. Service-learning requires students become active members in their community. Through this practice student influence their communities, putting their knowledge to use. As a method of instruction, service-learning emphasizes both the service and the learning goals in such a way that both occur and are enriched by each other. This approach helps students realize the importance of learning and the meaning behind curricular choices. Focus of discussion: The current paper discusses the power of service-learning as a transformative educational practice. Many believe that service-learning empowers students to do their best work. Students can affect their communities in unimaginable ways. Through the integration of quality service-learning practices, teachers and students realize the importance of being active citizens. Comments: Students make significant impacts on their communities by participating in service-learning programs. Such programs transform curriculum, realigning learning with experience and empowerment. Yet, such programs are not merely community service; the practice connects the classrooms and curriculum to community needs. Conclusion: From the experience of the author as a practicing service-learning professional and facilitator, information is provided which can assist teachers at all levels of education to initiate service-learning as a pedagogical practice. In this way teachers can become stronger facilitators of students' learning and stewardship.

Although medical education has long recognized the importance of community service, most medical schools have not formally nor fully incorporated service learning into their curricula. To address this problem, we describe the initial design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a service-learning project within a first-year medical school course. Medical students (eight women, eight men) screened clients of a community agency for high blood pressure and educated them about the effects of hypertension on health. Results of the project indicated significant increases in students' attitudes, knowledge, and skills related to community health, resources, and service. Infusing medical education with service-learning activities can both meet community needs and enhance student education about the health of the public. The present findings support continued development and evaluation of service learning projects within medical school training programs. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes a course in the City and Regional Planning program at the Ohio State University. Its overarching goal was to offer service-learning by providing students with an opportunity to apply what they learned in the classroom by meeting community needs following Hurricane Katrina and to reflect on their experiences through journaling. This article describes the theoretical basis for the course and its structural features, then presents evidence of the impact on both students and the communities served. Attention is focused on student responses to service-learning, the studio experience, and both intended and unintended outcomes. The course includes two unique features, the integration of professionals into the role of educators and a heavy reliance on technology. Recommendations based on feedback from students and the communities are offered to help other institutions implement service-learning courses involving projects at a distance.

Globalization is a multifaceted phenomenon that does not yield easy definitions. The author examines three of its interconnected faces--neoliberalism, time-space compression, and globalism--to trace their implications for two principles of service-learning practice: reciprocity and meeting community needs. The article reconceptualizes these two principles, concluding that interdependence is a better fit with the values and practices of the field than reciprocity; conceptions of community should emphasize difference and intersection of public and private spaces; and community needs should be defined to support citizenship action, public work, and social justice. (Contains 1 figure and 17 notes.)

Service-learning has the power to transform K-12 and higher education and local communities. This paper details three suppositions about service-learning and community action based on experiences working with K-12 and higher education: (1) service-learning works best when it covers an overarching theme, (2) multiple models for working with K-12 schools are useful, and the choice of model(s) should be based upon the needs articulated by the K-12 school and community, and (3) new models to integrate corporate giving with community action are needed because funding is an integral part of the process. The model of a K-12 school as a local center for community action can be critically important for ensuring the future success of the public school system and the surrounding community through hands-on, community-based teaching and learning.