Serving effectively through service-learning : enhancing service-learning programs that promote innovations for inclusive development

摘要

A number of service-learning projects have been undertaken at the Ateneo de Manila University to promote innovations for inclusive development. Some of these projects introduce innovations to particular marginalized communities or social development organizations. Others support innovations coming from these communities or organizations. While these projects have been helpful for studentsu27 social formation, only a few have been institutionalized by the service-learning client. This paper assesses the factors that account for the success or failure of these service-learning activities. Underlying the analysis is a framework for understanding the role of universities and service-learning in promoting these innovations as well as a more general framework for managing social innovations. The findings of this paper are based on five case studies of service-learning that promote innovations for inclusive development undertaken at the Ateneo de Manila University. Data gathering for these case studies involved interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys with various stakeholders including clients, students, faculty and intermediaries. The paper finds that there are at least two sets of elements that account for the success or failure of service-learning projects that promote innovations for inclusive development. First, there is a need for universities to work with an entity that has a long-term commitment to seeing the innovation through and which has a clear strategic and change management plan. Service-learning projects that were not as successful involved innovations introduced by the university or involved working with external entities that were not committed to these innovations. The committed entity also has the responsibility for parcelling out the service-learning projects in a way that fits the academic calendar and piece together outputs that may span across various academic terms. Expectations between this committed entity and the university must also be clear. Second, the study shows that there are elements internal to the university that could account for the success or failure of attempts to promote innovations for inclusive development through service-learning. These include faculty characteristics, student characteristics, course design, internal expectation setting, and institutional support. The study ends with recommendations that can help make service-learning more effective in promoting innovations for inclusive development.