Using eService-Learning to Practice Technical Writing Skills for Emerging Nonprofit Professionals

Abstract

Undergraduate students entering the nonprofit sector receive theoretical information on working in nonprofits but may need practical skills. Universities can assist in developing these practical skills through service-learning opportunities. Nonprofit courses and programs are increasingly being offered online and students may lack the opportunity to participate in traditional service-learning classes. Service-learning— linking service to course learning outcomes—as a pedagogy is transforming to meet the needs of these virtual classrooms. One key transformation is the rise of eServicelearning, a method that is mediated by technology and is delivered online. This paper discusses ways that eService-learning was effectively utilized in an online nonprofit course by students to practice technical writing skills. It provides an example of a project in which students developed practical skills and created a professional product for nonprofits. The paper also discusses challenges and successes with the project with recommendations for use by others.

Students’ Perception Towards Engaging Factors of Extreme e-Service Learning Design for Computer Network Course

“…The ability of online platform that can provide feedback interestingly with point excites student and motivate them to show more positive behaviour in online classroom. Just like what has been highlighted by Bharath [7], the most challenging part in implementing e-Service Learning is time commitment and with this application, it actually saves a lot of students' time because of the simple and straightforward features. Time was a common barrier to reflection [32] as students need to think and gather their thought then putting in into words that can express their thinking.…”

“…Last but not least, student often disconnect in this Type IV setting due to lack of student-to-student interaction, student to client and/or student to instructor. In recent study by Bharath [7], he identified that time commitment was the greatest challenge while implementing extreme e-Service Learning, fewer active participants came second, and another challenges such as undervalued the Service Learning opportunities and therefore, caused the students to have lack of interest in Service Learning.…”

“…Flexibility enables instructors to think creatively and work through unforeseen situation, meanwhile students can benefit from this as this is the opportunity to nurture resourcefulness and creative thinking skills among them. Major concern for students' disconnection can be overcome with learning activities that require teamwork among students, live with client sessions and having breakout discussions, choose client that is willing to work with technology, allow opportunities for reflection and archive synchronous events for later student viewing [3].Apart from this, Bharath [7] assert that thorough planning and constant communication is one of the key for successful e-Service Learning. It is essential for instructors to regularly communicate with students and community partners through whatever communication medium that are available to ensure to that projects were moving forward.…”

A Large-Scale Study of Students’ E-Service-Learning Experiences and Outcomes During the Pandemic

“…However, the online context brings about unique challenges with communication (Smeltzer et al, 2020) and technology (Bharath, 2020), in addition to the usual challenges of workload and student motivation (Guthrie & McCracken, 2010; Waldner et al, 2012). As a result, e-service-learning is still uncommon, even in online education (Strait & Nordyke, 2015).…”

Evaluation of an Electronic Service-Learning Course Utilizing Regular and Intensive Delivery Modes: The Hong Kong Experience

“…Yet, Faulconer (2021) reviewed published papers in the last decade on e-SL and only identified 14 studies that reported the effectiveness of e-SL for student development in multiple aspects, such as personal development (e.g., empathy and self-efficacy) and academic growth (e.g., better mastery of knowledge). The major obstacles in e-SL came from technology, communication, and course design (Bharath, 2020;Waldner et al, 2012).…”