The quest to produce life-ready graduates has led to the emergence of various experiential education approaches designed to improve learning outcomes and the preparedness of graduates for the job market. Experiential education entails immersing learners in work while they learn. It’s a multisectoral approach to learning that brings together various actors, from educators, therapists, coaches, counselors, and mental health personnel.
Different approaches have been tried, with mixed results, such as outdoor and adventure education, active learning, and cooperative learning. But it’s service-learning that has received much academic and policy attention, thanks to its far-reaching benefits.
Service-learning combines coursework with community service to enhance learning outcomes and the common good. It involves immersing learners in real-world activities and building their capacity to draw on what is taught in the classroom to improve their growth while engaging in relevant community service.
Service-learning has thrived where other approaches have failed because it's learner-centered. Also, it can be integrated into any academic discipline because it's designed to link to the curriculum. Furthermore, it emphasizes service orientation (anticipating and meeting community needs) instead of overly focusing on developing students’ professional skills.
It’s examinable, meaning a student's impact in the community and ability to reflect and weave theory into practice and learn from the projects they undertake is assessed and graded. The fact that community service is integrated into the course and graded introduces an element of seriousness, which some experiential education methods lack.
Take, for instance, outdoor and adventure education. Sure, it does have unique benefits. However, people tend to associate it with joyriding. Where it’s compulsory, service-learning demands learners put in their best effort because community projects are credit-bearing.
Most people tend to confuse service learning with on-the-job learning or training. You might have heard things like “learning by doing” or “hands-on learning.” While such approaches have unique benefits for the learner, they are not the same as service learning.
One major differentiating aspect between service-learning, on-the-job learning, and perhaps some other forms of experiential education is reflection. Service-learning experts have faulted learning by doing.
Experts believe that the only impactful kind of learning is one with reflection. Learning by reflecting emphasizes the “way” of doing, not the act of doing. The latter is what learning by doing is about.
The fact that service learning is part of the coursework means that projects are identified in advance. This ensures relevancy for everyone involved. Students stand to gain skills, knowledge, and experiences relevant to the course content while identifying and solving real community problems.
Additionally, relevant research and study projects broaden respective faculties’ scope and depth of the body of literature. This much cannot be said of most volunteering or internship efforts. They lack relevance and participation between those involved.
Several experiential education models exist, but service-learning has received the most attention. The reason for this is that everyone involved stands to benefit immensely. Community projects are carefully identified and planned, ensuring relevance. Students get to participate in activities relevant to their coursework and career trajectory. Communities receive institutional support and services that have been tailored to meet their needs. Faculties get to broaden their knowledge base.
