In the 21st century, universities must prepare students for a complex, rapidly evolving, and increasingly challenging world. Modern societies require adaptable citizens who can solve problems and collaborate with diverse others, and who have a strong sense of social responsibility that extends beyond their own immediate circumstances.
This means that graduates need to be not only competent professionals, but also civic-minded. But teaching civic thinking involves more than just imparting knowledge. A civic mind means being able to empathize with others and accept one’s social responsibilities. This is done by taking students out of the classroom and into the community, where they are exposed to real-world social issues, interact with people from different backgrounds, and lead them to connect their experiences with the school’s intended learning outcomes. I believe this is the most effective way to teach. academic subject.
“Service learning” is an experiential pedagogy that combines academic learning and community service and employs critical reflection to connect the two. Many universities are integrating service learning as a core teaching strategy. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), where I work, requires all students to pass her 3-credit service learning course. In this subject, students deepen their understanding through knowledge gained in the classroom and apply it to real-life projects aimed at improvement. especially supporting underserved and disadvantaged populations. Students learn to collaborate, solve problems creatively, think critically, and build character. These are all important skills for 21st century global citizenship.
Service learning involves a variety of stakeholders and requires a comprehensive organizational strategy to make this vision a reality. For example, quality assurance is needed to ensure that students are achieving their intended learning outcomes and that the community is benefiting from the service projects they undertake. Service learning is foreign to many academics, so professional development is also needed to ensure teachers are adequately prepared, while administrative support can help network with communities and local organizations.
The factors identified above suggest that fostering citizenship requires a shift in institutional culture. At our university, for example, we have faculty-led committees to establish and enforce guidelines and standards, and non-academic departments to lead necessary efforts across campus. We have created a structure that allows quality assurance and staff support to be carried out in parallel. We provide support through community engagement and teacher education. Here are some of the steps required:
− Communities of Practice: Establish communities of practice where teachers can develop and experiment pedagogically through workshops, seminars, and experience-based professional development programs.
− Visit a colleague’s service project: Teachers interested in service learning are provided with funding to visit a colleague’s service project and gain practical experience in the field.
− Regular feedback collection: Establish a system to regularly collect feedback from students and community partners and encourage evidence-based improvements through funding small-scale action research and community-based research.
− Service-learning scholarships: Establish service-learning scholarships and develop exchange initiatives and capstone projects.
− Recognition of Awards: To recognize the contributions of teachers, since the program’s inception in 2012, we have recognized 47 teachers through various teaching and service awards, primarily for excellence in service learning.
Service learning brings university expertise to the community. The PolyU student has given more than 1.3 million hours of service to communities in Hong Kong, mainland China, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Africa since 2012. Projects range from languages and his STEM education to ambitious multi-year engineering projects designing and installing energy. Providing efficient stoves and solar power to rural villages in East Africa. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, our service learning projects continued online, providing 35,000 hours of service.
Regular monitoring through rigorous evaluation and research is essential to program improvement. Our evaluation shows statistically significant levels of student learning, and feedback from our community partners demonstrates the impact of our project. Remarkably, our data show that students who are reluctant to participate in community service do not statistically learn less than those who actively participate. . Even students who are hostile to the concept of social engagement can change their perceptions if they have a positive learning experience, and their learning outcomes last beyond graduation. Our excellent research not only strengthens our own programs, but also contributes to the growth and strengthening of international scholarship and the international service-learning community.
conclusion
Service learning has become a core feature of the PolyU undergraduate program. Moving forward, the university has begun efforts to expand its existing non-community service learning project offerings to educate students in global awareness, cultural competency, and socially responsible global citizenship. Non-local service learning is a particularly powerful form of learning in which students and teachers spend seven to 10 days intensively focused on a project with a common purpose larger than themselves, conducted in a difficult and unfamiliar environment, and achieve outcomes. Experience has proven that. Influence that is deeply valued by the target community. It is an experience that achieves multiple educational goals simultaneously. It also leaves unforgettable memories and creates bonds that last a lifetime.
Grace Ngai is the Director of the Office of Service Learning and Leadership at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
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