Purpose: Measurable results of efforts to teach empathy to engineering students are sparse and somewhat mixed. This study's objectives are (O1) to understand how empathy training affects students' professional development relative to other educational experiences, (O2) to track empathy changes due to training over multiple years, and (O3) to…

Community engaged learning has demonstrated educational benefits and is an especially promising method to engage a diverse group of students in engineering. In this work, we present toy adaptation for children with disabilities as a novel community engaged learning tool. According to students surveyed, this process is enjoyable, demonstrates the…

This study aimed to examine the effects of different service experiences on the social justice beliefs of 60 Chinese college students with mixed methods. The quantitative results indicated that the participants in two service groups (i.e. for at-risk adolescents and adolescents with cerebral palsy) demonstrated a more significant promotion of…

Biases against the elderly and people with disabilities can lead to discriminatory behaviors. One way to conceptualize attitudes toward the elderly and people with disabilities is through the differentiation of explicit (conscious) and implicit (unconscious) factors. Although both explicit and implicit attitudes and biases contribute to the full…

Words and labels used about a person inevitably have an impact, whether intended or unintended. This article discusses the need for intentional and overt, critical reflection and discussion in higher education regarding the language faculty and students use. The authors provide language examples commonly used in courses that could have varied…

This research uses contact theory to examine the impact of a service learning class on college students' attitudes toward people with disabilities. Students were involved in both lecture material and working directly with people with disabilities in a therapeutic camp environment. Eighty-four students responded to the questionnaires at three time…

Previous research suggests that high quality contact between people from different groups is a relatively consistent way of decreasing stereotypes and prejudices. The authors determined that a very short-term, service-learning project with people with developmental disabilities (DD) could reduce college students' fear of this population. In…

Service-learning has become a popular pedagogical tool to promote academic and civic learning. One form of service-learning provides physical activity for underrepresented community groups, including children with disabilities. Using experiential learning theory, the purpose of this descriptive case study was to evaluate college students'…

Community engagement is a common course in college curricula of computer science and information systems. In this study, the authors analyze the benefits of digital storytelling, in a course engaging college students with high school students with disabilities. The authors discover that a project of storytelling progressively enables high…

This article describes the development and use of a program evaluation tool designed to support self-assessment of college-based dual enrollment transition programs serving students with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 18-21 in college settings. The authors describe the need for such an evaluation tool, outline the areas addressed by…

This article highlights the potential for service learning as a pedagogy and intervention for students with disabilities. The article also conceptualizes the role of a school social worker in contributing to the development and implementation of an inclusive service-learning program. Findings are based on a qualitative study involving nineteen…

This article examines the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, an IRS-sponsored initiative designed to help those who cannot afford professional tax assistance, people with disabilities, people uncomfortable speaking and understanding English, the elderly, and others with special needs. The author discusses its implementation at a small…

The outcomes of a two-pronged "real-world" learning project, which aimed to expand the views of pre-service teachers about learning, pedagogy and diversity, will be discussed in this paper. Seventy-two fourth-year and 22 first-year students, enrolled in a Bachelor of Education degree in Queensland, Australia, were engaged in community…

The Students and Technology in Academia, Research, and Service (STARS) Alliance is a nationally-connected system of regional partnerships among higher education, K-12 schools, industry and the community with a mission to broaden the participation of women, under-represented minorities and persons with disabilities in computing (BPC). Each regional…

Sixteen occupational therapy students participated in service learning with older adults in nursing homes and 20 with people with disabilities. Both groups were aware of reciprocal benefits from service learning. Older adults seemed unaware of their own efficacy as educators. (SK)