Service-learning is integral to most American higher education institutions' mission in fostering community and civic engagement in a democratic society. Service-learning designation courses are mechanisms used to link courses to communities and to integrate experiential learning into education. The effects of the courses on student outcomes are…

Decades of scholarship on teaching and learning affirm the benefits of public service internships on student learning outcomes. Studies emphasize how hands-on fieldwork can increase students' substantive knowledge, political efficacy, trust in government, and civic participation, among other factors. However, most articles treat internships…

Background: Limited research has examined how service-learning (SL) outcomes align with learning goals proposed for the undergraduate psychology major by the APA Board of Educational Affairs Task Force on Psychology Major Competences. Objective: To obtain student perspectives of SL, and to evaluate learning and inform curriculum development of SL…

This study examines a student-created "pop-up museum" about the opioid epidemic that was part of a project-based service-learning (PBSL) experience in a college course. A survey of student perceptions of the learning experience, a course evaluation, and a survey of museum visitors' perceptions of their experiences with the museum…

While studies have examined the outcomes of interprofessional service-learning activities, the use of interprofessional, community-based health programming as an opportunity for fostering civic engagement in today's public health students is less studied. This article examines the benefits of a student-run exercise and nutrition program as an…

The unique characteristics of the training needed for today's biomedical engineers can represent a challenge in curriculum design. Practical experiential learning for biomedical engineering undergraduates is important to prevent under-developed professional skills. In this teaching tips article, we provide an example of how to incorporate…

This phenomenological study explores how undergraduate students, who are learners of Spanish as a foreign language, perceived an experience of service-learning and the impact it had on their intercultural competence. Participants were undergraduate students at a public university in the United States who completed a Hispanic culture course. The…

Service-learning is an educational innovation in schools and colleges across the United States of America (Billig & Waterman, 2013). Scholars agree that service-learning is defined as a form of experiential learning centered around community service (Celio, Durlak, & Dymnicki, 2011; Fertman, 1994; Shumer, 1994; Shumer & Belbas, 1996).…

This study aims to understand better how undergraduate students become civically engaged graduates. Three Pennsylvania-based institutions were identified to be the focus of this research. These institutions each have less than 5,000 undergraduate students, are part of a small city with under 100,000 residents, and have a civic-engagement component…

Understanding the factors that affect student engagement remains important in service-learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between purpose in life, civic mindedness, class engagement in service-learning, and personal need for structure. Especially, this study investigated the moderating effect of personal need for…

Background: Service-learning is a widely adopted approach in higher education institutions globally, integrating civic engagement experiences into academic curricula while being responsive to the development of local communities. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact on students in participating in voluntary semester-long service-learning…

Service learning (SL) is often considered a powerful way of reforming education practices by connecting communities and schools. The majority of colleges and universities in the U.S. offer students some form of SL experience during their undergraduate education. Students who take SL courses in college have demonstrated gains above and beyond those…

Rural communities face incredible challenges and emerging opportunities. Land-grant universities are well-positioned to assist by developing new approaches to inspire university students to become civically engaged, rural community members. With this aim, the Rural Scholars program at Oklahoma State University was developed as an opportunity for…

Service learning can prepare undergraduate students with the necessary civic capacities and commitments for today's solutions to wicked social problems. However, most studies on the civic outcomes of service learning, such as civic-mindedness, are student self-reports on surveys given at the end of an academic term. A more nuanced understanding of…

This case study investigated the transformative learning outcomes for undergraduate students enrolled in two sociology courses taught by The State University of New York at Albany, at an urban ecoliteracy environmental justice center. Authors conducted participant observation and gathered data from surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus…