Institutional Learning in Service-Learning

At the centre of the popular image of service-learning are the students who carry out the service.  People who are more familiar with the more rigorous, academic service-learning, particularly those that are credit-bearing, realise that the teachers/professors are more critical for service-learning to be successful and sustainable.  Generally it is the teachers who identify the issue to address, the target community to serve and the framework of the service.  It is also the teachers who stay when the students graduate and pass on, to carry the vision forward.  

Yet the teacher does not work alone.  Often the teacher work with assistants, even professionals, who work out the technical details of the solution, to figure out the logistics, and supervise and support the students. This is particularly important when the number of students is large, the solution involves practical, professional skills, or travelling.  

Academic service-learning is generally embedded in a credit-bearing course/subject, as part of an academic program of study, for a major/degree in an academic discipline.  For that to happen, the program and/or departmental management must be somewhat knowledgeable and supportive of service-learning.  The expertise and passion of the subject teacher is paramount. But without the support of management, what teachers and the students can do would be severely constrained.  Obviously, support is needed beyond the department, from the faculty, and even university-wide if service-learning is to make a wider impact.  

There is still much that may not be immediately obvious.  Service-Learning often require varying amount of funding, for equipment, material, transportation, meals, accommodation, etc.  The need is the greater the further away from home it is carried out.  Ideally, students who are financially less well off should also be given the opportunity to participate.  A university that considers service-learning an important pedagogy to nurture social responsibility should be willing to fund at least part of the expenses for sending students on SL projects away from campus, away from their city, or even country.  

Donations from alumni and other funding sources is another possibility.  For that to happen, the alumni office and other relevant units of the university has to be made aware of the nature of SL, its contributions to the students’ education and the reputation of the university.  

Using the funds in the project in accordance to the policies and procedures of the financial office can also be challenging.  The challenge is particularly complicated when the project is carried out in locations and countries where the practice is different from the home country.  In some countries, the banking and financial systems and practices may not be the most modern and efficient.  Something as simple as getting a receipt with all the requisite information required by your financial office may not be as straightforward as many imagine.  Hence getting your finance office familiar with the practices and needs of SL may make the life of a professor much easier.  In turn, it may smooth the adoption of SL by more professors.  

SL often operate in a schedule different from a normal academic course/subject.  Particularly if the team has to travel away from campus, for any length of time.  It may complicate the management of the courses, the students’ attendance at other courses and commitments, reporting of grades, student progression, eligibility for other courses, graduation, etc.  If the academic registry can be made familiar with the needs and practices of SL, and become active in facilitating, it can be of significant help in embedding SL into the regular academic programs.  

Then there is the matter of the health of the students while on project or travelling.  What are some of the risk factors, and measures that should be taken to mitigate against the risks?  What about insurance coverage for the students and staff involved?  What are the policies and measures for emergency handling?  

Service-Learning involves much more than the students and the professors.  A significant portion of the campus has to be educated on the vision, conceptual underpinning, the practice and the scholarship of service-learning, for it to flourish.  When that happens, SL truly become a part of the campus culture, and the whole campus benefit from it.  Then it is not only the students who learn to be socially responsible.  The whole campus does.