Issues Relating to Service Learning

Discussion Question #1

Service learning is an integrative experience that enables students to understand how education can be used as a tool for serving communities. As a result, this approach to learning seeks to promote academic and civic engagement, which implies that the latter is a major area of focus in service learning. According to Strait & Nordyke (2015), the major goal of civic engagement is to generate meaningful service and experience for the involved parties. Therefore, teaching civic engagement is critical to the achievement of service learning outcomes. The process of integrating civic engagement into service learning requires incorporating all the elements listed by Strait & Nordyke (2015).

Personally, I would first focus on developing campus-community partnerships in effort to ensure successful outcomes are achieved in service learning. Such partnerships would help enhance the achievement of learning outcomes by providing students with field experience. I believe that campus-community partnerships give students numerous opportunities to engage in field experience and learn how to collaborate with community members. In addition, such partnerships serve as platforms through which students can apply approaches that make sense to them when carrying out service learning activities. This implies that such partnerships are avenues for experiential education that enables students to develop practical skills relating to service learning.

Secondly, I would encourage students to engage in extensive research to enhance their understanding of theoretical approaches to service learning and civic engagement. The enhanced understanding of theoretical approaches would enable them to improve their knowledge and competencies in service learning. Through this, they will identify meaningful concepts and approaches that reflect their own beliefs and values relating to service learning.

Discussion Question #2

Strait & Nordyke (2015) seemingly contend that powerful pedagogical tools of service learning can be provided online. Online learning provides an avenue for educational institutions to offer different programs including service learning to a wide range of students. According to Purcell (2017), existing evidence shows that community-engaged or service learning pedagogies are as effective in online courses as conventional learning models. Therefore, online learning offers more opportunities than conventional learning because it offers students a more transformational experience.

A college can maintain its commitment to maintain or strengthen service learning as its offerings and students shift to online learning by integrating online service learning into online leadership education. The viability of community-engaged pedagogies in the virtual classroom is well established in existing literature. As educational programs and students shift to online learning, leadership educators have the opportunity to enlarge their impact through online service learning pedagogies. Integrating community-engaged pedagogies into online leadership education provides a means for colleges to demonstrate their commitment to service learning in virtual classrooms. This process involves adopting hybrid and fully-online service learning courses that mirror conventional models.

Using hybrid models, educational institutions can honor the values of service learning and continue to foster engaged students-citizens through an online medium. Hybrid models help in developing and strengthening campus-community partnerships and relationships that, in turn, foster engaged students. By adopting hybrid models, colleges enhance collaborations that provide meaningful service learning experience to students. Hybrid models represent a shift in service learning educational landscape as they refine core values and pedagogical considerations.

Discussion Questions #3

Rodela & Bertrand (2018) state that marginalized students are oppressed by school policies, practices, and interactions. While these policies and practices continue to harm marginalized students, school administrators and teachers do not know how to intervene. However, addressing the different forms of oppression in schools is critical to enhancing the learning experiences and outcomes of all students. As noted by Rodela & Bertrand (2018) dealing with the different forms of oppression in schools requires collaboration between different stakeholders within and outside the school setting. Some of these relevant stakeholders include school administrators, teachers, parents, community members, and youth from marginalized communities.