Promoting social responsibility of students by embedding service learning within HEIs curricula Erasmus Project

Project Title

Promoting social responsibility of students by embedding service learning within HEIs curricula

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Civic engagement / responsible citizenship; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal)

Project Summary

The ENGAGE STUDENTS project focuses on social responsibility of higher education institutions at student and teacher level. The project general objective is to empower the social dimension of higher education by increasing its relevance for society through embedding service-learning as a common pedagogical approach within education and research practice. The project specific objectives are as follows:
– to explore the existing methodology of service-learning and other forms of community-related learning and research
– to develop a methodological toolkit and a pedagogical workbook to be used by teachers
– to build the critical mass of knowledge and resources in partner HEIs in order to foster the use of service learning and other community-related learning methodologies.

The main participants of the project were:
– students in higher education who are in their advanced studies and had basic knowledge about research and their field of study and wanted to engage in service-learning to increase their skills;
– teachers in higher education who apply the service-learning already and those who had potential courses for such a teaching approach, but who are not familiar with it;
– communities – the local environments of universities with their local stakeholders (associations, NGOs, public services, etc.), who were asked to share their (research/community) needs with the university and actively liaise with students and teachers.

The following intellectual outputs, learning/teaching/training activities and multiplier events have been developed/organized during the project lifetime:

INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS:
– IO1: Needs analysis in the local communities synthesis report
– IO2: Service learning methodology toolkit entitled “Service learning methodology toolkit – Comparing Practical Teaching Methods in Higher Education” (46 pages)
– IO3: Workbook “How to do service learning” entitled “Service Learning. Workbook for Higher Education” (171 pages)
– IO4: Study on Students’ Experiences with Service Learning (55 pages).

LEARNING/TEACHING/TRAINING ACTIVITIES
– Teachers’ training week on service learning (C1) – entitled “Winter School – Teachers‘ Training Week on Service Learning and Student Engagement”, Vienna/AT, 17.02.-21.02.2020 – 24 participants.
– Summer School about service learning (C2) – entitled “Online Spring School – Students´ Training Week on Service Learning and Student Engagement, 14.05.-29.05.2021 – 58 participants/42 graduated.

MULTIPLIER EVENT:
– Final Conference “University Meets Local Communities” (E7) – organized as The 4th European Conference on Service-Learning in Higher Education/University Meets Local Communities. Service-Learning in Higher Education (ECSLHE2021) in cooperation with the European Association of Service Learning in Higher Education, 16-17.09.2021, gathered more than 150 registered participants, 40 full presentations, 27 Pecha-Kucha presentations and 2 project related workshops.

Other results that will be produced within the above outputs, activities and events are as follows:
– Web-tool for community engagement and service learning – Service-Learning Hub (https://engagestudents.eu/webtool)
– Online student blog – https://blog.engagestudents.pub.ro(IO4)
– Collection of 18 service learning projects involving 175 students (IO4)
– Training materials for LTTA C1 and C2;
– ECSLHE2021 portal – https://www.engagestudents.eu/ecslhe21/ (E7)

Results which are not listed in the sections for intellectual outputs, learning/teaching/training activities and multiplier events will be as follows:
– Project web portal – https://engagestudents.eu;
– 7 Newsletters;
– 2 book chapters;
– More than 15 Scientific papers presented, published or submitted for publication;
– 2 follow-up approved ERASMUS+ project proposals to valorize the ENGAGE STUDENTS outcomes and develop further aspects of Service-Learning in Higher Education;
– One Service-Learning teachers training program submitted for assessment and approval in UPB.

Through its whole achievements, ENGAGE STUDENTS push the boundaries of the knowledge in the field of service-learning by providing relevant scientific findings and valuable training resources.

Also, the project contributed to the societal goal of increasing the relevance of higher education institutions (HEIs) for their local communities and labour market through:
– enhanced student employability;
– increased HE teachers‘ ability to implement innovative teaching concepts;
– increased matching between community needs and HEIs education and research provision;
– increased awareness of local communities stakeholders regarding their role in socio-political processes and in solving local problems.

Project Website

https://engagestudents.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 342493,98 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI & Country: RO

Project Partners

• KAUNO TECHNOLOGIJOS UNIVERSITETAS
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
• UNIVERSITAT WIEN
• UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO
• DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY