Engineering Education and Service-Learning
Historical Perspective:
In the post-WWII era, engineering education shifted towards emphasizing engineering science, leading to a lack of practical knowledge in undergraduate programs. Research in the 1980s highlighted the need for a balance between scientific theory and exposure to societal context and teamwork.
Importance of Service-Learning:
Many engineering educators recognize service-learning as a solution to improving engineering education. It provides students with practical experience, exposure to engineering's context, and opportunities to develop professional and interpersonal skills. These values are aligned with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) standards that require engineering programs to demonstrate students' understanding of the impact of engineering solutions in various contexts.
Pedagogical Implications:
Service-learning aligns well with the constructivist approach in education, where students actively construct knowledge through real-world projects. However, some critics question whether constructivism provides sufficient breadth of knowledge. In engineering education, service-learning often occurs in introductory or optional courses, mitigating this concern.
Learning Styles and Service-Learning:
Studies have shown that most engineering students prefer visual, sensing, inductive, and active learning styles, while many engineering education methods are auditory, intuitive, deductive, passive, and sequential. While well-designed studies contradict the meshing hypothesis (matching teaching styles to learning styles), service-learning can bridge this gap by providing students with hands-on experience and requiring them to engage with both peers and the community.
Examples of Service-Learning Programs:
Various universities have implemented service-learning programs to address the identified challenges. Purdue University's Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program has successfully provided students with practical experience, motivation, and context for engineering. The Humanitarian Engineering certificate program at Penn State University focuses on relationship building and sustainable collaborations. Clemson University's Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries (CEDC) empowers students to develop and implement sustainable solutions in underprivileged communities.
Social and Ethical Implications:
Service-learning fosters a positive community-university relationship, contributes to society, and promotes public understanding of engineering. By diversifying engineering teams and providing engineers with a better grasp of societal needs, service-learning helps ensure that engineering solutions are both relevant and accessible to the public.