Search results

1 – 10 of 11
Article
Publication date: 16 November 2023

Audrey F. Falk, Martina Jordaan, Sameerah T. Saeed, Madasu Bhaskara Rao and Nour El Houda Chaoui

This program evaluation aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience involving youth and higher education…

Abstract

Purpose

This program evaluation aimed to investigate the benefits and challenges of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience involving youth and higher education students. The authors sought to understand the meaning that participants would make of an international, intercultural, e-community-engagement experience.

Design/methodology/approach

The program evaluation component of this project was qualitative, participatory and action-oriented. It was composed of online reflection sessions with small, international groups of higher education students from Iraq, India, Morocco, South Africa and the USA immediately following each of five interactive exchange sessions with youth from South Africa. It also included one culminating reflection session to which all of the higher education student participants were invited and a written questionnaire that was completed by the youth participants at the conclusion of the project. The reflection sessions were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts and survey data were reviewed for emergent themes.

Findings

Cultural exposure emerged as the primary theme with participants valuing the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to connect with individuals from across the globe.

Research limitations/implications

This program evaluation was not designed as a generalizable study. This pilot initiative provides evidence of the potential value and importance of international, intercultural e-community-engagement experiences for youth and higher education students.

Practical implications

The potential value of technology to build exchange opportunities for young people is immense and largely untapped. International, intercultural e-community-engagement initiatives can be made available to students globally with relatively limited resources. A highly structured and focused plan provides clarity about expectations and requirements for students. A high level of commitment is required by all participants, including the faculty coordinators.

Social implications

Although the project was brief, exposure to numerous countries and cultures allowed participants to challenge their assumptions about different peoples and places in the world. The potential benefits for greater compassion and understanding of communities and cultures in an international context are high.

Originality/value

This program evaluation contributes to and extends the literature on the possibilities and challenges of international e-community-engagement; it demonstrates the potential for e-community-engagement across multiple countries to broaden students' exposure to and interest in global perspectives.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 February 2022

Katharina Resch, Andrea Hoyer-Neuhold and Ilse Schrittesser

This study aims to examine how lecturers in European higher education institutions perceive the service-learning approach as a teaching concept and feel prepared for its…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how lecturers in European higher education institutions perceive the service-learning approach as a teaching concept and feel prepared for its implementation after a short-term training. Service-learning connects theory and practice by allowing students to participate in a service that meets community needs, reflect on this experience and gain an enhanced sense of civic engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

The evaluation study drew on data from four focus group discussions with n = 21 lecturers from five European countries following a Winter School on service-learning in 2020. The qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Findings

The findings indicate four themes of preparedness: (1) overall conceptions of service-learning, (2) continuum of preparedness for service-learning, (3) influential factors for preparedness and (d) transfer to home universities. The participants viewed themselves as multipliers for service-learning in their home universities; however, they were skeptical about being able to fully implement the service-learning approach after only one training and without a community of practice with lecturers with similar experiences in their home universities.

Originality/value

This study complements previous studies by adding a cross-national perspective of higher education lecturers. It underlines the importance of continuing training in didactics of university lecturers and a support network for the implementation of complex teaching concepts in higher education.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 June 2022

Natalia Garcia Cervantes and Karen Hinojosa Hinojosa

The purpose of this article is the discussion of a service-learning experience in architecture pedagogy, based on two core courses at a private university in Mexico. The aim is to…

1689

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is the discussion of a service-learning experience in architecture pedagogy, based on two core courses at a private university in Mexico. The aim is to identify learning opportunities, challenges and implications arising from engaging with inhabitants of an informal urban settlement with limited digital resources in La Campana-Altamira in Monterrey, Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology selected is a case study approach, chosen for its effectiveness in architectural pedagogy to create knowledge through exposure to a particular phenomenon, as well as highlight positive teaching practices to facilitate replicability. Case-study methodology was also beneficial in this case because its openness and flexibility allowed for research of a variety of phenomena simultaneously, in this case, both the effects in the informal settlement community and in the academic one.

Findings

Findings revealed that opportunities outweigh challenges, and meaningful service and learning are possible in an online context, even when the service aspects take longer than the course length if there are long-term relationships between communities and institutions.

Originality/value

The value of the article lies in the need for flexible and sensitive approaches that put communities in the center, a critical path to identifying and understanding their needs and improving their contexts. This holds especially true given the rapid pace of worldwide urbanization and the ubiquity of informal urban settlements. Implementing service-learning approaches in informal settings using online tools, while sanitary restrictions are in place shows that meaningful experiences can be achieved, even when courses are short and resources are limited.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 October 2021

Justin Greenleaf and Brent Goertzen

This case study explores student learning outcomes from a student-led eService-learning (SLESL) course. The researchers interviewed 12 participants in addition to evaluating final…

Abstract

This case study explores student learning outcomes from a student-led eService-learning (SLESL) course. The researchers interviewed 12 participants in addition to evaluating final reflection papers. Data analysis yielded three general categories including leadership insights, personal growth and development, and overcoming community obstacles. Leadership insights were comprised of five emergent themes such as leadership lessons learned, collaboration, communication, influence, and other leadership theories. Personal growth and development included seven themes such as personal challenge, personal awareness, practical application, personal affect, personal self-efficacy, self-efficacy toward future involvement, and service-learning insights. The final category, overcoming community obstacles, was encompassed by three themes including community challenge, insights about others, and innovation. Transferability of the findings along with implications for practice are discussed.

Details

Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1552-9045

Article
Publication date: 27 December 2021

Marlen Gabriele Arnold

Service learning is not comprehensively developed in economics such as the implementation of the 17 sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030 – although this would be beneficial as…

Abstract

Purpose

Service learning is not comprehensively developed in economics such as the implementation of the 17 sustainability goals of the Agenda 2030 – although this would be beneficial as experiential learning is linked to democratic education goals. Service Learning offers itself as a didactic design for this purpose. The paper aims to discuss how service learning can be used to work critically and reflexively on sustainability issues in a cross-university context.

Design/methodology/approach

The cross-university teaching-learning project brought together students of industrial engineering and economics. The idea space “sustainable city” was to be developed together with practice partners with the help of the practice-relevant project management method scrum and methods of sustainability assessment in the sense of service learning. Evaluating the project, a written and a qualitative survey were conducted and analysed by means of descriptive statistics as well as content analysis.

Findings

Success factors include the regular feedback by practice partners and lecturers including reflection questions. Student heterogeneity can hinder effective project work. Complexity can deter effective and successful service learning. The use of scrum in service learning contexts cannot be fully recommended. Although scrum contributes to service learning concepts in economics, in complex sustainability projects either the method should be in focus or prior knowledge of scrum should be mandatory.

Originality/value

The paper discusses how service learning can be used to critically and reflexively address social and practical challenges in a cross-university context. The study contributes to the fact that the complexity of education for sustainable development competencies requires the teaching of knowledge- and fact-based fundamentals as well as methodological-research procedures for research-based and at the same time practice-oriented learning.

Details

Journal of International Education in Business, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-469X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Raina M. Rutti, Joanne LaBonte, Marilyn Michelle Helms, Aref Agahei Hervani and Sy Sarkarat

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the benefits of including a service learning project in college classes and focusses on benefits to all stakeholders, including students…

1373

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the benefits of including a service learning project in college classes and focusses on benefits to all stakeholders, including students, community, and faculty.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a snowball approach in academic databases as well as a nominal group technique to poll faculty, key topics for service learning across college disciplines are presented.

Findings

Findings include a wide range of service learning projects across disciplines.

Research limitations/implications

Areas for future research are identified to expand the service learning topic list as well as guide studies on the long-term benefit of service learning for each identified stakeholder.

Practical implications

For new faculty or faculty new to service learning, the list of paper ideas is a good first step to identify projects. While not comprehensive, the list serves to stimulate topic ideas and fills a void in the service learning literature.

Social implications

Service learning exists to provide real-world learning for students, but the projects provide benefits for community groups, agencies, and organizations. Societal benefits from the student effort are numerous and there are little or no costs to the agencies who participate.

Originality/value

The abundance of service learning literature has studied learning across disciplines and has quantitatively and qualitatively presented benefits, but no studies have worked to compile project ideas across major college disciplines. This research addresses this issue and provides the key first step to implement the service learning pedagogy: the topic idea.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 58 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 December 2021

Kaushik Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, Kasturi Das and Ritika Mahajan

The paper makes an endeavour to explore the efficacy of service learning (SL) pedagogy in inculcating the value of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with a focus on management…

988

Abstract

Purpose

The paper makes an endeavour to explore the efficacy of service learning (SL) pedagogy in inculcating the value of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with a focus on management education in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology comprises a systematic survey of select relevant literature on SL and applying a novel approach to bring out certain key traits of SL initiatives. The paper also tries to decipher how the identified key traits could be regarded as contributing to the ethos of DEI among the learners. Based on insights from the systematic literature review and identified research gaps, an in-depth study of three SL initiatives in India, have been undertaken to demonstrate how implementation of the SL pedagogy in management education creates an impact on the attributes of DEI and inculcates an inclusive mindset.

Findings

Although the design, process and learning outcomes of SL pedagogy varies depending on the context, there is commonality in the core attributes that emerges from the literature review which has a potential impact on inculcation of the values of inclusion and appreciation of diversity. The select case studies successfully expand on the list of these identified relevant attributes. The findings have also been corroborated by participants' reflection.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is, however, limited in its scope of assessing the impact in creating an inclusive mindset. To gauge whether such impact is pervasive and persists in the long run, one needs to examine if these values are carried forward by the participants in their professional and daily life. It would, therefore, be more meaningful to carry out a primary survey of the participants, who took part in such SL initiatives, to understand whether the values have really been assimilated in the real life. This is outside the scope of this paper but does open the scope for further research.

Practical implications

The paper would be highly relevant for the accreditation agencies who are increasingly prescribing the role that business schools can and should play towards inculcating the ethos of diversity and inclusion among future business leaders and managers. For the administrators of business schools and other higher education institutions who may be considering how to incorporate the ethos of diversity and inclusion in the curriculum and pedagogy, the paper will provide some direction through the SL route. The detailed exposition of the three SL initiatives will enlighten the administrators or the faculty responsible for designing and delivering any SL programme in other business schools or higher educational institutions as to how to go about developing and delivering such an initiative. To the extent such SL initiatives succeed in leaving a lasting impact on the participants regarding ethos of inclusion and diversity, the business implications in the long run could be immense.

Social implications

The purpose of the paper by itself establishes its social relevance. The very fact that the paper is focused on SL initiatives that involve social problem-solving approaches through hands-on working on social projects and working with communities the social implications are rather obvious.

Originality/value

Given the paucity of information and analysis on potential fit of SL for fostering DEI especially in developing countries, the present paper contributes to the existing body of literature and aptly fills the void. It builds a theoretical construct relating SL with the traits of DEI and then bridges theory and practice by demonstrating the efficacy of three SL programmes in Indian context to internalise the elements of DEI.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2010

Amber Dailey‐Hebert and Emily Donnelli

The purpose of this paper is to offer the proposition that by marrying service‐learning and eLearning pedagogies, educators can devise innovative pedagogical approaches that…

1110

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer the proposition that by marrying service‐learning and eLearning pedagogies, educators can devise innovative pedagogical approaches that respond to the personal characteristics and educational preferences of today's “millennial” learners.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the complementary pedagogical theories of service‐learning and eLearning in the context of preparing millennial learners for an increasingly “unscripted” future.

Findings

Research suggests that learners today must be equipped to make knowledge applicable in any setting, to gain the dispositions needed to effectively communicate globally, and to operate within advanced technological systems. Technology is not only a part of what shapes and defines learners' unscripted future; it is likewise essential to education within the context of that unscripted future. When considered in light of the unscripted future faced by millennial learners, service‐learning can gain greater relevance when merged with eLearning pedagogy.

Originality/value

The paper presents an integrative pedagogy of service‐eLearning, offering a discussion of both the theoretical frameworks and practical considerations undergirding this approach.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2023

Julianna Paola Ramirez Lozano, Leslie Bridshaw Araya and Renato Peñaflor Guerra

The study analyzed how the service-learning (SL) methodology can become a university social responsibility (USR) strategy that generates shared value for the university and its…

Abstract

Purpose

The study analyzed how the service-learning (SL) methodology can become a university social responsibility (USR) strategy that generates shared value for the university and its stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative and exploratory–descriptive research had a nonexperimental field and cross-sectional design that used field techniques such as focus groups and in-depth interviews with the participants of the USR program “MIPyME vs COVID-19” in two Latin American countries.

Findings

This study revealed the perceptions of students who participated in the USR program on how a virtual service-learning (vSL) strategy related to the use of technology generates a positive impact on the development of shared learning between students and micro-entrepreneurs from a global and Latin American perspective, as well as for the internationalization of their study plans.

Research limitations/implications

The field study was conducted in only two Latin American countries; however, the USR program has been implemented in eight universities from eight Latin American countries with very similar social, political and health contexts.

Originality/value

It is one of the first studies on SL used in a strategic and articulated way in universities with a USR approach. It analyzed traditional evaluations of this methodology, incorporating others such as virtuality (produced by the effects of the COVID-19), which led the authors to generate methodological innovations based on new ways of connecting, linking and generating shared learning and value for all.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2016

Wen-Hai Chih, Ling-Chu Huang and Tsung-Ju Yang

The purpose of this paper is to explore the prior knowledge perspective on e-business environments to maintain expertise by firms. The perspectives indicate the crucial of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the prior knowledge perspective on e-business environments to maintain expertise by firms. The perspectives indicate the crucial of e-service innovation and emphasize the transformative learning in the model.

Design/methodology/approach

The model proposed in this study examines the relationships among customer empowerment, normative pressure, innovativeness, transformative learning, and performance. This study presents empirical results from benchmark services in e-markets of Taiwan. There were 225 valid samples to test the proposed model with SEM.

Findings

Customer empowerment has significant and positive effects on innovativeness and transformative learning, respectively. Normative pressure has significant and positive effects on innovativeness and transformative learning, respectively. Innovativeness has significant and positive effects on transformative learning. Transformative learning has significant and positive effects on financial, customer, and business performance, respectively. In addition, innovativeness mediates the effects of customer empowerment and normative pressure on transformative learning.

Research limitations/implications

This study finds that transformative learning is a crucial role on customer performance. Firms should emphasize on transformative learning of prior market and technological knowledge to achieve customer performance.

Originality/value

Customer empowerment is the technological knowledge innovation of e-business environments. However, normative pressure has to implement the market knowledge orientation on e-business environments. Besides, transformative learning has the largest effect on customer performance.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 116 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

1 – 10 of 11