Service learning that features mutually constructed community-based service can enhance the understanding of a range of concepts (Butin, 2006). However, such service is often seen as "charity" as opposed to a dually constructed experience that is central to real learning (Howard, 2000; Tellis, 2011). This project was designed to…

Using open educational resources (OER) in post-secondary settings has shown to reduce costs for students, advance accessibility and equity, generate motivation, boost enrollment, and improve academic outcomes. This article details innovative coursework and assessment tools for a Spanish for the Professions course designed around OER content…

The COVID-19 pandemic has widely affected existing academia-sponsored community service initiatives. Little is known about the strategies to sustain these initiatives during a public health crisis and the potential effects on community well-being and education. In this case study, we describe the impact of the pandemic on service partnerships…

This article contributes to conceptualisations of public engagement as part of academic practice in higher education. It uses Hannah Arendt's idea of action in the public sphere, which is underpinned by the belief that all have the capacity to contribute to the renewal of the world, and that we are equally different. It argues that public…

An increased focus on high-impact pedagogical practices at a small, residential, higher education institution led to a grant-funded project to gather and analyze multidimensional data on 10,155 residential foreclosures in central Illinois from 2006 to 2013. Student researchers applied skills gained through academic coursework to investigate a…

A mixed methods study was conducted to determine if a mandatory hybrid service-learning course had an effect on the civic attitudes and skills of college students attending a private university in Ecuador. The Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire (CASQ) was used in a quasiexperimental design using MANOVA with follow up t tests. After this…

This issue of "Assessment Update" presents the following articles: (1) What Makes a Performance Indicator an Equity-Driven, High-Performance Indicator? (Marilee Bresciani Ludvik); (2) Editor's Notes: The Leadership Imperatives for Assessment Excellence: Imperative #1, Making Assessment Excellence a Strategic Institutional Priority…

With the proliferation of short-term study abroad programs at institutions of higher education, there is a need for more rigorous assessment of how these programs contribute to intercultural learning. This article presents a multi-institutional comparative study of students' intercultural learning in six short-term study abroad programs in Canada…

Inclusive education remains a challenge for Australian tertiary education, particularly specialized pedagogical approaches like work-integrated learning (WIL) and service learning. Critiques of mainstream pedagogical approaches raise questions about the predominant models of educating students (Butin, 2010; Howard, 1998). There is a definitive…

While the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 established no requirements for family involvement, every subsequent reauthorization has made stipulations for the inclusion of families in their children's education (Mapp, 2012). Additionally, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) shifted the requirement from "parent…

The purpose of this reflective essay is to encourage the discussion of community-engaged scholarship (CES) that does not progress as planned. Insufficient attention is given to lessons gleaned from missteps and outright failures experienced by scholars in the field, which results in a paucity of documented cases and recommendations for…

Quantitative reasoning and interdisciplinary skills are central to real-world environmental problem solving. Enhancing those skills for students in environmental programs will help them succeed as future environmental professionals. This paper describes an approach that uses an applied geophysical imaging course to enhance quantitative reasoning…

Since the beginning of the 21st century, relevant education and the advancement of student learning have become areas of increasing concern in a rapidly changing work environment. Industry-based experiential learning activities provide students with the opportunity to apply classroom concepts and achieve immersed levels of learning. As the…

International service-learning (ISL) programs in physical and occupational therapy programs are increasing in number. This paper describes a needs assessment and initial program evaluation conducted for a physical therapy ISL program at an orphanage in China. Chinese orphanage staff and Widener University physical therapy students were surveyed.…

Service learning is becoming a more utilized method of instruction in collegiate settings, and holds the potential to provide a deeper, more transferable meaning of course material for students. The purpose of this research was to examine if therapeutic recreation (TR) concentration students perceived service learning to be more personally and…