Assessing the Effectiveness of the Service Learning Approach to Teach Social Impact Analysis

The purpose of this research project is to investigate the impact of service learning on the teaching effectiveness and learning experience of students. The project focuses on the learning outcomes of a course that features a... [ view full abstract ]

The purpose of this research project is to investigate the impact of service learning on the teaching effectiveness and learning experience of students. The project focuses on the learning outcomes of a course that features a service learning component in which students, working in teams, conduct an impact analysis of a proposed development project or policy action on a local community.  Students participate in teambuilding activities and gain hands-on experience interacting with community members and stakeholders on projects.  Student teams examine a series of proposed projects, ranging from the opening of an automotive manufacturing facility to development of decent, affordable rural housing in the recently-designated SC Lowcountry Promise Zone.  Specifically, the proposed study is based on survey data collected between 2010 and 2016.  Participants in the study are students currently enrolled in or who have completed R/SOC 4010/6010 Human Ecology/Social Impact Analysis.  The goal of SIA is to assess, in advance, the social consequences that are likely to follow from specific policy actions or proposed project developments. Social consequences range from population changes and industrial diversification to individual and family level impacts such as perceptions of public health and safety to disruption in social networks.  Each participant was invited to participate in a survey designed to explore service learning and related learning outcomes.  Information was provided to current students in the course syllabus and in the classroom.  Participants were asked to respond, on a voluntary basis, to survey questions distributed in class and/or online for both a pre-test and a post-test.  Upon the completion of the service learning project the students were assessed using a post-test.  In addition, there were in class, open discussions about the project and the experience of the students.  The same survey was used for both pre- and post-tests.  This paper reports preliminary results from a survey of student participants.  The long term goal of this research is to better understand and to further explore service learning as a teaching method and its effectiveness and impact on student learning outcomes.