Among the challenges faced by work-integrated learning (WIL) educators, recruiting, selecting, and retaining outside organizations as 'clients' or 'community partners' to work with students looms large. The gap between classroom needs and professional practice often leads to a tangle of unrealistic expectations. These challenges grow even more…

This paper argues that service learning and learning communities can be key to student retention. Anderson (1998) argues that service learning reflects the belief that education should develop social responsibility and prepare students to be involved citizens in democratic life. Service learning blends service activities with the academic…