Civic Education through Service Learning

A framework for occupational enablement to facilitate social change in community practice

“…Reciprocity is expressed as a defining characteristic of community engagement endeavours (Bringle et al, 2013; Petersen & Osman, 2013; Smith-Tolken, 2010), yet it remains an elusive concept on both definitional and operational levels (Erasmus, 2011; Jacoby, 2009; Smith-Tolken, 2010). One application of reciprocity has a strong focus on an interconnected relationship, which aligns well with the value of interconnectedness proposed in the first level of the framework.…”

“…In fieldwork education, the emphasis is primarily on the learning outcomes of the student in a “real-world” context. However, service learning is distinct from traditional forms of fieldwork in that service goals are developed around the needs and goals of the communities in which service learning takes place, as opposed to prioritizing student learning outcomes (Bringle, Clayton, & Hatcher, 2013; Felten & Clayton, 2011; Petersen & Osman, 2013). Thus, a balance between benefit to the student and benefit to the community is sought.…”

Designing Programs with a Purpose: To Promote Civic Engagement for Life

“…Furthermore, IUPUI takes seriously its mission to be civically engaged. To promote civic engagement, IUPUI formed the Center for Service and Learning (CSL), a centralized unit in Academic Affairs that parallels a Center for Teaching and Learning and a Center for Research and Learning (Bringle & Hatcher, 2004;Bringle, Hatcher, & Holland, 2007). CSL contains offices focused on service learning, co-curricular service, community-based Federal Work Study, and community partnerships.…”

Representations of 'The Public' in Learning Through Service (LTS) Versus 'Mainstream' Engineering Foundational Professional Documents

“…This code was entirely absent from "mainstream" engineering documents. Although it aligns with the LTS ideal of cultivating empowering and transformational relationships with communities 27 , its presence in only one of the three LTS documents makes it difficult to assess its overall prominence as a core LTS value. An example excerpt with this code is "EWB-USA's vision is a world in which every community has the capacity to sustainably meet their basic human needs" 11 .…”

“…Affect change [19] b. Build capacity/empower [20] c. Communicate/interact [21] d. Consider societal impacts/context [22] e. Create a better world [23] f. Ensure sustainability [24] g. Enter public sphere/public policy [25] h. Establish partnerships [26] i. Exchange/share knowledge [27]…”