Incorporating Service-Learning in People-Centered Sciences

Abstract

For an instructor in higher education, implementing service-learning (S-L) into a new or existing course can simultaneously be an exciting but potentially challenging experience. While S-L has the potential to make positive impacts on both the community of interest and subsequent students, instructors implementing S-L may face challenges such as project and partner identification. Another potential challenge for the instructor is determining which type of instructional approach they should select to implement S-L. To help guide higher education instructors in this selection process, this chapter features a collective case study of S-L projects conducted within three different undergraduate courses, using three different instructional approaches, at the University of Central Arkansas. Each of these courses has successfully utilized a different instructional approach: 1) collaborative consultation, 2) guided discovery, and 3) learner-centered. Using a collective case study of S-L courses, this chapter discusses in detail the implementation of each S-L project from start to finish.