The practice of professional skills and civic engagement through service learning: A Taiwanese perspective
20 Aug 2018-Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning (Emerald Publishing Limited)-Vol. 8, Iss: 4, pp 422-437
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the community service learning initiative among Taiwanese communication students by examining the link between the value of work-based learning and learning outcomes from the applied classroom projects.
Abstract: Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the community service learning initiative among Taiwanese communication students by examining the link between the value of work-based learning and learning outcomes from the applied classroom projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study involves the applied classroom projects. Data are captured in both quantitative (i.e. survey) and qualitative methods (i.e. reflective papers). The survey is designed to measure general attitudes and perceptions of service learning students. The reflective papers focus on the participants’ expectations of the service learning outcome.
Findings
The findings suggest that work-based and service learning projects are beneficial for the students, faculty, university and community partners. As an extension of experiential learning, students acquire a deeper understanding of the course material, gain practical expertise in the real world, develop interpersonal communication skills and engage in civic responsibility.
Practical implications
This study supports the notion that service learning engagements help students develop problem-solving skills. It is suggested that since the content of traditional learning in the discipline of communication has changed extensively over the past decades (i.e. from traditional media to new digital media), service learning can be a complimentary tool to not only broaden students’ learning, but to also expand their professional horizons and opportunities.
Originality/value
The current study expands existing theory and advances our understanding of service learning in the discipline of communication in a Taiwanese context. With practical roots embedded in Western educational initiatives linking service learning to higher education, this paper reveals that service learning does work across cultures as well.
Citations
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Book•
01 Jan 2012
Abstract: Experience and Educationis the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century. Written more than two decades after Democracy and Education(Dewey's most comprehensive statement of his position in educational philosophy), this book demonstrates how Dewey reformulated his ideas as a result of his intervening experience with the progressive schools and in the light of the criticisms his theories had received. Analysing both "traditional" and "progressive" education, Dr. Dewey here insists that neither the old nor the new education is adequate and that each is miseducative because neither of them applies the principles of a carefully developed philosophy of experience. Many pages of this volume illustrate Dr. Dewey's ideas for a philosophy of experience and its relation to education. He particularly urges that all teachers and educators looking for a new movement in education should think in terms of the deeped and larger issues of education rather than in terms of some divisive "ism" about education, even such an "ism" as "progressivism." His philosophy, here expressed in its most essential, most readable form, predicates an American educational system that respects all sources of experience, on that offers a true learning situation that is both historical and social, both orderly and dynamic.
10,294 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors consider the perceived impact of ESSA on 44 students through a thematic analysis of focus group discussions and student self-assessment reports produced during and after their participation in the USR audit.
Abstract: The long-standing vision of universities as the “alma mater” of students and graduates is a demonstration of its role as sustaining the person, the expert/professional and the citizen. This role has persisted in the face of rising global challenges such as the emergence of new learning spaces, the growing diversity of publics, the call for productivity and performativity, and the hope for a significant engagement with the community and the public good. These sometimes conflicting tendencies have also stimulated higher education institutions to further pedagogical strategies that articulate in novel ways the classical elements of learning: action/experience and reflection/theory. In this context, service-learning received a new impetus, particularly in the post-Bologna European Higher Education Area, as universities were looking for ways in which to articulate the social dimension of HEI and their “third mission” as institutions not only committed to addressing and solving societal problems, but also committed to fostering public-minded alumni through powerful experiences of engagement for both the students and the community. This paper is based on the experience of Erasmus+ project ESSA, a service-leaning based project focused on university social responsibility (USR). ESSA engaged four groups of students from three European universities (Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas) in conducting a one-week on-site USR audit based on an ecologic and situated concept of social responsibility. We will consider the perceived impact of ESSA on 44 students through a thematic analysis of focus group discussions and student self-assessment reports produced during and after their participation in the USR audit.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how students from three European universities (Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas) perceived the impact of their own involvement in the Erasmus + project ESSA through focus-group discussions, and pointed out the role of USR projects as an opportunity for students to improve transversal competencies aligned with articulation between the three cornerstones of the university: teaching, research and third mission.
Abstract: In the context of increasingly diverse issues that affect global society, the social responsibility dimension in higher education institutions is being called to the forefront of change, both in the sense of rethinking their internal practices (e.g. promoting the access and progression of students from different cultural backgrounds) and in their interaction with the surrounding community (e.g. through the establishment of stronger partnerships). The USR activities and projects are considered driving forces of change for universities, but the potential that the involvement of students in this area can have, in their academic and professional capacities, is not yet sufficiently studied.,This study examines how students from three European universities (Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas) perceive the impact of their own involvement in the Erasmus + project ESSA – an experiential training in university social responsibility audit – through focus-group discussions.,This analysis pointed towards the role of USR projects as an opportunity for students to improve transversal competencies aligned with articulation between the three cornerstones of the university: teaching, research and third mission.,The study rests on students' perceptions of personal change.,This research can help higher education institutions understand the potential of involving students in existing USR projects as a tool to promote their personal, academic and civic development.,USR is a core mission of higher education institutions that is beneficial not only internally but also in what concerns interactions with the community and the potential for developing “public-minded alumni”.,This paper provides an insight into how students perceive the impact of their involvement in USR projects as unique learning spaces.
8 citations
22 Dec 2016
TL;DR: The authors found that alumni who had worked for businesses in a town designated as an official community engagement partner had higher mean scores on three items: community involvement, strategic planning skills, and ability to work with others.
Abstract: This study replicated and extended Werder and Strand’s 2011 research by framing service-learning within the larger context of a university’s overall community engagement strategy and by including alumni within the survey population. The findings supported a general service-learning assessment instrument measuring students’ perceptions of their development of key public relations skills, along with citizenship and social responsibility mindsets, as a result of their participation in community-based projects in a public relations capstone course. While the results, overall, were consistent with Werder and Strand's study, there were notable differences. For example, this study found that there were no statistically significant difference in means— by gender, time, and client type—for most variables. However, alumni who had worked for businesses in a town designated as an official community engagement partner had higher mean scores on three items: community involvement, strategic planning skills, and ability to work with others. The findings contribute to the collective understanding of community engagement, public relations education and practice, and the lasting impact of service-learning on students post-graduation. Whether service-learning values such as citizenship and social responsibility "stick" after graduation is a key consideration for any profession, but especially for public relations.
3 citations
References
More filters
Book•
01 Jan 1938TL;DR: The best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century, is Experience and Education as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Experience and Educationis the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century. Written more than two decades after Democracy and Education(Dewey's most comprehensive statement of his position in educational philosophy), this book demonstrates how Dewey reformulated his ideas as a result of his intervening experience with the progressive schools and in the light of the criticisms his theories had received. Analysing both "traditional" and "progressive" education, Dr. Dewey here insists that neither the old nor the new education is adequate and that each is miseducative because neither of them applies the principles of a carefully developed philosophy of experience. Many pages of this volume illustrate Dr. Dewey's ideas for a philosophy of experience and its relation to education. He particularly urges that all teachers and educators looking for a new movement in education should think in terms of the deeped and larger issues of education rather than in terms of some divisive "ism" about education, even such an "ism" as "progressivism." His philosophy, here expressed in its most essential, most readable form, predicates an American educational system that respects all sources of experience, on that offers a true learning situation that is both historical and social, both orderly and dynamic.
12,403 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2012
Abstract: Experience and Educationis the best concise statement on education ever published by John Dewey, the man acknowledged to be the pre-eminent educational theorist of the twentieth century. Written more than two decades after Democracy and Education(Dewey's most comprehensive statement of his position in educational philosophy), this book demonstrates how Dewey reformulated his ideas as a result of his intervening experience with the progressive schools and in the light of the criticisms his theories had received. Analysing both "traditional" and "progressive" education, Dr. Dewey here insists that neither the old nor the new education is adequate and that each is miseducative because neither of them applies the principles of a carefully developed philosophy of experience. Many pages of this volume illustrate Dr. Dewey's ideas for a philosophy of experience and its relation to education. He particularly urges that all teachers and educators looking for a new movement in education should think in terms of the deeped and larger issues of education rather than in terms of some divisive "ism" about education, even such an "ism" as "progressivism." His philosophy, here expressed in its most essential, most readable form, predicates an American educational system that respects all sources of experience, on that offers a true learning situation that is both historical and social, both orderly and dynamic.
10,294 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1990
TL;DR: Boyer and Boyer as discussed by the authors discuss the impact of the early Carnegie Foundation on the development of higher education in the United States, and the role of the Carnegie Foundation in this process.
Abstract: About Ernest L. Boyer vii About the Editors ix About the Contributors xi Editors Acknowledgments xv A Note to the Reader xvii Foreword: Scholarship Reconsidered s Influence in Later Carnegie Foundation Work xxi Mary Taylor Huber PART ONE: THE IMPACT OF SCHOLARSHIP RECONSIDERED ON TODAY S ACADEMY 1 The Origins of Scholarship Reconsidered 3 Drew Moser and Todd C. Ream Boyer s Impact on Faculty Development 13 Andrea L. Beach The Influence of Scholarship Reconsidered on Institutional Types and Academic Disciplines 19 John M. Braxton Scholarship Reconsidered s Impact on Doctoral and Professional Education 31 Ann E. Austin and Melissa McDaniels How Scholarship Reconsidered Disrupted the Promotion and Tenure System 41 KerryAnn O Meara Acknowledgments 49 PART TWO: SCHOLARSHIP RECONSIDERED BY ERNEST L. BOYER 53 Scholarship over Time 55 Enlarging the Perspective 67 The Faculty: A Mosaic of Talent 77 The Creativity Contract 91 The Campuses: Diversity with Dignity 99 A New Generation of Scholars 109 Scholarship and Community 117 Appendix A: National Survey of Faculty (1989) 123 Appendix B: Technical Notes 157 Appendix C: Carnegie Classifications 159 Afterword: Advancing the Conversation around Scholarship Reconsidered 161 Cynthia A. Wells Discussion Guide 167 Notes 173 Index 195
6,007 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors describe a curriculum for a series of faculty workshops: Introduction to Service-Learning, Reflection, Building Community Partnerships, Student Supervision and Assessment, and Course Assessment and Research.
Abstract: The development of service-learning courses is contingent upon faculty. Institutions of higher education which are interested in service-learning can engage in faculty development activities in order to (a) develop a common understanding on campus concerning the nature of service-learning, (b) establish and maintain the academic integrity of service-learning, (c) increase the confidence of faculty as they implement a new pedagogy, and (d) increase the likelihood that service-learning is institutionalized in higher education. This article describes a curriculum for a series of faculty workshops: Introduction to Service-Learning, Reflection, Building Community Partnerships, Student Supervision and Assessment, and Course Assessment and Research. Each module provides a synopsis of topics and suggested readings for participants. Institutions of higher education are exploring ways of incorporating service to extend their mission, enhance student achievement and per sistence, and engage students in their communi ties as part of their academic curriculum (e.g., Boyer, 1994; Ehrlich, 1995). As institutions search for ways in which to do this, they often recognize service- learning as an important strat egy. We consider service-learning to be a course based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic re sponsibility. This is in contrast to co- curricular and extracurricular service, from which learning may occur, but for which there is no formal evaluation and documentation of academic learn mg. Implementing service-learning in the academic curriculum of colleges and universities is strength ened by strategically planned change. Bringle and Hatcher (in press) have described a Compre hensive Action Plan for Service Learning (CAPSL) that identifies four important constitu encies that need to be considered for effective implementation of service-learning programs: institution, faculty, students, and community. For each of these constituencies, CAPSL identi fies the following sequence of activities to guide the implementation of service-learning: plan
670 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the principles of continuity and interaction were applied in the context of social life in order to preserve the continuity and the interaction of people in the social network, and the continuity of the network.
Abstract: thought in the context of social life. Perhaps this reflects an application of the principles of continuity and interaction that were
534 citations