Implementing service learning in engineering curriculum

Abstract

Service learning is a pedagogy that provides students with structured opportunities to learn, develop, and reflect through active participation and thoughtfully organized community involvement. It enhances the academic experience of students by relating academic content and course objectives to issues in the community. Community engagement through service learning has become a well-established education approach in liberal arts and science education. While engineering education seems like a natural fit, community engagement through service learning with very few exceptions is not integrated within the engineering curriculum. To provide hands-on educational experience, traditionally, engineering schools have developed partnership with industry through various programs such as internships, co-operative education and sponsored research. However, implementing a sustainable model of service learning in engineering is very different from industry-based education, and faces serious challenges. Cal Poly Pomona has recently established an Engineering Service Learning Institute (ESLI) with NSF support to integrate service learning in engineering curriculum. This paper focuses on service learning as an effective pedagogy to provide authentic learning experiences, discusses the projects implemented at Cal Poly Pomona and the engineering service learning course content. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2006.