DRAFT: Service Learning, Annotated Bibliography 1
Transcript of DRAFT: Service Learning, Annotated Bibliography 1
DRAFT: Service Learning, Annotated Bibliography
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DRAFT Service Learning in Technical Communication
Annotated Bibliography
Susan Bolling
Department of English, East Carolina University
ENGL 6702: Research Methods in Technical and Professional Communication, Section 601
Dr. Guiseppe Getto
DRAFT DUE: September 27, 2021
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References
Blouin, D. D., & Perry, E. M. (2009). Whom Does Service Learning Really Serve? Community- Based Organizations’ Perspectives on Service Learning. Teaching Sociology, 37(2), 120–135. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25593983
Blouin and Perry explore the perspective of the community on the receiving end
of service learning. They identify three common challenges, including poor student
conduct, a poor fit between the curriculum and the organization’s objectives, and a lack
of communication between instructors and organizations. (p. 120)
Their research includes a small sample, and did not limit the scope to well-
organized service-learning courses, however without a broader scope the authors resist
generalizing the impact of specific types of courses. (p. 133) Instead, they argue that,
overall, the experience for both the community organization and the instructors and
students is greatly improved with robust communication and collaborating to design
coursework that is meaningful for everyone involved. (p. 133)
Sixth on the reading list and published in 2009, this article is included because it
confronts challenges of service learning from the perspective of community partners,
who are on the receiving end of the service. While Blouin and Perry did not offer a
concrete solution to the problems submitted, they echoed a sentiment that is popular in
most of the articles on this reading list, and that is that clear and effective
communication on the part of everyone involved in a service learning project is
imperative for its’ success.
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Chong, F. (2016) Service learning in Tech Communication. Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication. http://cptsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Service-Learning-Chong-2016.pdf
In a brief essay on service learning for CPTSC, Chong cites several of the articles
annotated in this bibliography, noting advantages and benefits, approaches to AS-L
curriculum, assignments and models, reflection and assessment and challenges. The
most helpful information in this article is her comprehensive reference to how service
learning meets the four criteria provided by the National Community Service Act (1990):
• Students must learn as they participate in service that meets an actual community
need.
• Service and academics must be integrated by reflection.
• Students must have the opportunity to use new skills in real situations in their own
communities.
• The class must cultivate in students a sense of caring for others.
Eleventh on the reading list and published in 2016, this article in included because it
is a relatively recent and comprehensive review of service learning, as well as for the
author’s reference to the National Community Service Act of 1990, which was a first in
the sequential review of the literature. Coincidently, Chong cites several of the articles
included in this reading list, however this particular document was discovered via
Google Scholar toward the end of the literature search.
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Brizee, A., Pascual-Ferrá, P., and Caranante, G. (2020). High-Impact Civic Engagement: Outcomes of Community-Based Research in Technical Writing Courses. Journal of Technical Writing & Communication, 50(3), 224-251.
Brizee et al. presents research from a collaboration between a socioeconomically
challenged neighborhood and Layola University Maryland. While results show no real
differences in educational experiences of service learning and non-service learning
students, they did show considerable difference in transformational experiences. (p.
224)
Student and community work included “direct service,” like cleaning up the
neighborhood, followed by technical communication service, which included training to
address the “digital divide” and unemployment. (p. 225)
Research questions are: “when following high-impact civic engagement practices, what
are the effects on TPC students” and “when following high-impact civic engagement
practices, what are the effects on local community members’ educational and
transformational experiences?” (p. 225)
High-impact civic engagement is defined as an assignment that is “thoughtfully
and collaboratively designed,” supported by the institution, and critically evaluated and
edited based on those evaluations. (p. 226)
Transformational experiences for students include making a significant
difference in the community, working with community members to assess needs and
goals, and establishing long-term relationships. (p. 230) Educational experiences for
students include understanding the local community, course concepts and general
principles of justice and social injustice. (p. 230)
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Transformational and educational experiences for community members include
all of the above from the perspective of the partner, with their understanding of social
injustice and justice being instead an awareness of stakeholders like other community
organizations and colleges. (p. 231)
The authors conclude by conceding that unsuccessful service learning can risk
the health and well-being of a community, but that successful “high-impact” service
learning can prepare students for civic leadership and encourage positive outcomes for
everyone involved. (p. 248)
Thirteenth on the reading list and published first in 2019 before being published
in this volume of JTWC, this article is included as a recent review of service learning in
the technical communication classroom. It addresses the challenges addressed in
previous literature essentially by raising the standards of applied service learning
practices, defining them as “high-impact.” Brizee et al. do not offer a blanket solultion
for challenges, nor do they suggest service learning will ever be without them, but
instead they assert that elevated expectations and meaningful performance will
increase its record of success. Although that is arguably the case for any type of
assignment or curriculum in any field, the authors do offer examples in their
methodology, which is at the very least helpful in considering future research problems
and questions.
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Bush-Bacelis, JL. (1998) Innovative Pedagogy: Academic Service-Learning for Business Communication. Business Communication Quarterly. 61(3), 20-34. doi:10.1177/108056999806100303
The purpose of this article is to encourage business communication faculty to
incorporate academic service learning into their teaching. Bush-Bacelis explains that
Academic Service Learning (AS-L) is a method by which students learn the principles of
business communication by applying them to a real-world project that is coordinated
with the academic and local communities. (p. 20) The author describes the method as
“an infusion of classroom content into the community service experience.” (p. 20)
There are three components of a successful AS-L assignment; its results should have
meaningful impact on the organization and or community; it should align with the
course curriculum; and there should be a period of time after the assignment is
completed to reflect on the outcome, challenges and lessons learned by seeing theories
put into practice. Bush-Bacelis asserts that meeting the above requirements contributes
to conceptual growth and critical thinking.
Additionally, this article provides details of what executing an AS-L assignment
may look like, including student resistance to the perception of an inordinate amount of
time needed to complete the assignment. The author dutifully notes a nonprofits’
tendency to be limited in volunteers and, as a result, take advantage of people who
have committed their time to the cause. Including a written proposal as part of the
assignment details the students’ involvement and therefore protects their time. (p. 22)
Students are personally invested in their work when they select organizations close to
where they live and work, and they give oral reports to the class to provide updates on
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their progress and maintain discussion of how the assignment aligns with the course
curriculum. (p. 24) Also included are revelations that it is the AS-L assignment that they
will remember most after leaving school.
Benefits include student empowerment, improved student engagement, which
leads to better quality work, which leads to a more enjoyable review experience for
faculty and therefore boosts morale, and positive PR for the university. (p. 32)
Published in 1998, this is the oldest article in this bibliography and therefore
first on the reading list. It is a comprehensive introduction to and defense of service
learning that provides one method of incorporating the pedagogy into technical
communication curriculum. A mostly positive review, it does mention one common
challenge in working with nonprofits, and that is of the risk of students being asked to
commit beyond the boundaries of the assignment. The author provides a written
proposal and contract as a solution.
Dush, L. (2014). Building the Capacity of Organizations for Rhetorical Action with New Media:
An Approach to Service Learning. Computers and Composition, 34, 11-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2014.09.001.
Dush presents an alternative model for the service learning, in which the
students provide instruction in creating new media to the organizations they serve, as
opposed to completing one project on behalf of the organization. (p. 11) This reversal
of the service learning model essentially provides the organization with long-term
benefit while also providing students and instructors with a different perspective in the
requirements of new media production for nonprofits. (p. 11) Students are designing
instruction based on the needs of the organization, as opposed to a specific project with
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a shelf-life. Dush further argues that “working in this way with nonprofit and
community-based organizations can further develop our students – and our field’s –
understanding of the rhetorical dynamics of new media composition and use in
organizational settings.” (p. 12)
Dush uses digital storytelling as a methodology for exploring this model. She
notes that it was a massive undertaking on both the part of first training the students
and then shifting to train members of the community, and that a two-course curriculum
is necessary to efficiently address both components of the model. (p. 21) That said, she
also argues that the model provides a robust experience for both the organizations, who
benefit from learning continuously changing digital media platforms, and the students
and instructors who are having to not only maintain their own digital acumen but to also
align that with the needs of the organizations they serve. (p. 21)
Her concluding statement is particularly great – “In a world where digital
composition tools and online distribution platforms are proliferating at a pace that’s
near impossible to keep up with, helping build others’ capacity to ask questions – like
what technologies will help our organization to say what we want to say? or what
technologies will help us to reach audiences we want to reach? or how can we
responsibly deploy and evaluate new technologies? – is timely and meaningful work.” (p.
21)
Eighth on the reading list and published in 2014, this article is a favorite and
included for its innovative approach to service learning. Dush proposes that students
offer to teach applicable skills to community partners and volunteers, as opposed to a
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specific project or deliverable. This is a considerable and noble stretch of the service
learning pedagogy that, to her point, in 2021 is still incredibly timely and relevant.
Hea, A. C. K., & Shah, R. W. (2016) Silent Partners: Developing a Critical Understanding of
Community Partners in Technical Communication Service-Learning Pedagogies, Technical Communication Quarterly, 25(1), 48-66. DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2016.1113727
Hea and Shah address the lack of technical communication research on
community partners in service learning projects. In a handful of articles reviewed, the
authors noted that one third of nonprofit staff in a particular study were dissatisfied
with the service learning collaboration, suggesting that the issues that needed to be
addressed were beyond that of a comprehensive survey. (p. 48)
Questioned asked in this article include “what are some of the ways community
partners themselves construct their roles in service-learning projects; what motivates
community partners to participate in these projects; and what do community partners
expect from such collaborations?” (p. 49)
Hea and Shah identify four areas of tension for community partners: (1) receiving
help means giving help (2) community partners are required to both teach and be
clients (3) both community organizations and students require extensive planning and
flexibility and (4) meeting the needs of community partners means that they must also
meet the needs of the students. (p. 49)
The authors argue that not reflecting on the community partner perspective puts
service learning instructors at risk of hyperpragmatism, which “avoids analysis of ethical
and cultural tensions in favor of efficiency and professional gain.” (p. 49)
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Hea and Shah present this set of tensions or paradoxes as is, suggesting that they
must be managed on a case by case basis and that there is not one blanket solution for
addressing these issues in service learning. They do, however, encourage ongoing
partnerships and collaborations with faculty and community partners as a way to
develop a richer understanding of each group’s needs, thereby supporting more
successful service learning projects and providing a greater depth of information for
future and much needed research.
Tenth on the reading list and published in 2016, this article, similar to Blouin et
al. and McEachern, addresses challenges in service learning from the perspective of
community partners. Of particular interest here are four specific tensions in community
partnerships, as well Hea and Sha delivering a bit of accountability to the academy
regarding its tendency to be too idealistic in its expectations of real world applications.
Henson L, Sutliff K. A (1998) Service Learning Approach to Business and Technical Writing
Instruction. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication. 28(2),189-205. doi:10.2190/0BT3-FVCX-3T9N-FVMR
Second on the reading list and published in 1998, this article explains the origins
of academic service learning, as well as an argument for the relevance of it in the field of
TPC. It then provides examples of assignments and teaching methods that may reduce
complications that arise during collaborating with nonprofits. Finally it provides
resources for curriculum related to writing proposals and grants, which is arguably the
most important service a technical writer can offer to a nonprofit.
Henson and Sutliff note that as of 1997, few TPC programs and institutions were
taking advantage of AS-L, and that a review of literature written between 1989 and 1995
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included no titles related to service learning. (p. 189) They assert that understanding
the origins of AS-L is necessary for instructors to determine whether or not it’s
appropriate for their students, and understanding the problems that may occur in
collaborations between institutions and organizations is a critical component for
creating an AS-L pedagogy. (p. 190) Further, instructors have to address the issue of
aligning AS-L curriculum with institutional guidelines and appropriate course levels. (p.
190)
Authors attribute the growth of AS-L to “the attempt of some institutions of
higher education to revitalize their moral and intellectual leadership in a democratic
society.” (p. 191) They include a notable quote from a Newsweek article by Jonathan
Alter: “the battle plan is to get the public, the private and the nonprofit sectors all
marching in the same direction at the same time on the same fundamental needs of
young people.” (p. 191)
In addressing appropriate course level, Henson and Sutliff note that solid
comprehension of the challenges of ethical writing require workplace experience, the
likes of which require a certain level of maturity, which carries most of the weight when
determining at what point a student is ready to do the work. They recommend AS-L
course work for juniors and seniors. (p. 194)
The authors conclude that faculty should accept AS-L for “intellectual merit as
well as moral and social value.” (p. 201) Additionally, building community relationships
will build trust and secure future projects that increase in impact and relevance.
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Henson and Sutliff further conclude that the researching missing from this particular
area includes “scope of audiences, document types, rhetorical purposes, contents,
styles and outcomes,” which is information that administrators and faculty need to
understand WHY AS-L supports superior student professional development. (p. 202)
Second on the reading list and also published in 1998, this article dives a little
deeper into the challenges of service learning, in particular appropriate course level. It’s
included for their concluding call for more research to examine a technical writer’s
scope of work in community organizations.
Catherine Matthews & Beverly B. Zimmerman (1999) Integrating Service Learning and Technical Communication: Benefits and challenges, Technical Communication Quarterly, 8:4, 383-404, DOI: 10.1080/10572259909364676
This article addresses two groups of students – those who embrace AS-L
assignments, civic engagement and responsibility for their own education and those
who struggled to see the benefit in these types of assignments and become frustrated
with work outside of the classroom. Matthews and Zimmerman point out that AS-L is
promoted with a list of benefits, but that there is little research proving that the
benefits are actually happening. Their questions include asking how implementing AS-L
for technical writing students, who are traditionally trained for the workforce but not
asked to consider civic issues, will affect their outcome; what prevents students from
experience the benefits of AS-L; and what other problems occur when integrating
service learning and technical communication? (p. 384)
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Matthews and Zimmerman explore three specific benefits: development of civic
values, improved academic learning, and motivated students. (p. 385)
Development of civic values implies that “students develop a sense of ethical behavior
as they narrow the distance between themselves and others through interaction,
observation and discussion…enabling them to realize their ability to change the social
and political systems in which they live.” (p. 385) The authors provide two examples of
student outcomes, including one student who clearly gained a “critical social
conscience,” (p.389) and another who, alternatively, “set a boundary around the
experiences he thought were involved in technical communication, and service learning
fell outside that boundary…impeding the goals he had set for himself.” (p. 392)
Advocates of AS-L argue that it “improves [student] problem solving skills and
creativity.” (p. 386) The authors present one case of students who found tremendous
freedom and inspiration in working with their nonprofit, learning how to design their
project based on the organization’s brand. (p. 390)
The final benefit is that students become more motivated and take responsibility
for their education because, through the AS-L assignment, they discover that their
writing matters and can make a difference. (p. 386) Of the students for whom this is
true, one commented, “we had to put a little more effort into [the web page] because
we knew it was a professional document many people would look at, not just a paper
for a teacher to grade.” (p. 391)
Challenges to these benefits covered in this article include students who simply
didn’t have the capacity (due to work, family obligations, etc.) for learning outside of a
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narrow academic scope (p. 392;) students who felt as those they were providing only
charity and not working within the community (p. 393;) and students who struggled
with their role as a volunteer and didn’t feel valued by the organization. (p. 393-394)
Other noted challenges include typical collaboration obstacles with personalities and
work ethics, a lack of trust from organizations who had agreed in the past to work with
students who never followed through, and questioning whether or not it should be the
organization, with no training in rhetorical analysis, that should be evaluating the
students’ work. (p. 397)
Matthews and Zimmerman conclude that most challenges with AS-L can be
avoided by redefining it as “learning to negotiate projects within a nonacademic
community,” preparing students for the transition to nonacademic writing, educating
community organizations about rhetorical analysis and how technical communicators
assist with the mission, and providing support for faculty. (p. 398, 402)
Third on the reading list, this article is published in 1999 and included because
Matthews and Zimmerman present relatively balanced research on the promoted
benefits on service learning. Their new definition of service learning is progressive,
although not a panacea, and moves the field closer to a better understanding of the
purpose of the curriculum.
McEachern, Robert W. 2011 Problems in service learning and technical/professional writing:
Incorporating the perspective of nonprofit management. Technical Communication Quarterly. 10(2), 211-224.
McEachern asserts that confronting the challenges in service learning that arise
from working with nonprofit organizations requires understanding nonprofit
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management theory. (p. 211) He offers several personal examples of problems that
have occurred on the side of the organization and beyond the control of the student and
teacher, including a theater organization dissolving prior to the completion of his own
dissertation, and students who accepted an internships with supervisors who resigned
only a few weeks later.
The author offers two sources of information regarding characteristics of
nonprofits that he believes directly affect service learners. Those characteristics are the
passion for the mission, which, if not aligned with the student’s own values could cause
friction or a lack of motivation; a leader who doesn’t delegate or have enough
manpower to execute the mission, which obviously leaves little room for leading a
service learner; the atmosphere of scarcity, which strains resources for both the
organization and the learner; mixed skill levels and a lack of expertise, which leaves the
student without seasoned guidance; and volunteer participation, which is arguably the
most common weakness for nonprofits and can be especially frustrating for a student
who, while also a volunteer, is also vested financially and professionally in the class for
which they are completing the assignment. (p. 216-220)
McEachern offers that there should be a balance of the student and instructor
selecting an organization together – one that both aligns with the student’s values but
also that the instructor in familiar with the leadership and can mostly assure that the
experience will be worthwhile. Otherwise, with the exception of offering an
understanding of characteristics of nonprofits and how being able to decipher these
helps select a reliable organization, the author offers little else in the way of specific
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solutions for problems that arise outside the scope of academics. He concludes with
asserting that future research should explore the types of technical writing in the
nonprofit sector in order to strengthen both service learning and the preparation of
students for the workforce in general.
Fourth on the reading list and published in 2001, this article is included because
McEachern offers an alternative perspective, that of the community partners, for
viewing service learning. The noted characteristics of nonprofits and personal
anecdotes of actual challenges offers valuable insight needed to consider practical
logistics of service learning pedagogy.
Nielsen, Danielle. (2016). Facilitating Service Learning in the Online Technical Communication Classroom. Journal of Technical Writing & Communication, 46,(2), 236-256.
Nielsen addresses service learning in the online classroom, specifically related to
students being charged with finding their own opportunities. She argues that students
who make their own connections within the community take charge of their own
academic responsibilities and civic responsibilities and are more motivated to do good
work for organizations for whom they feel personally connected.
Challenges noted for online service learning include finding service opportunities in
remote areas and meeting the needs of non-traditional students and students with
disabilities. (p. 6-7)
Nielsen suggests that consistent and effective communication with students is
key to successful service learning, and she encourages instructors to be available in
multiple ways for questions and feedback. She also insists that informing the student of
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the service learning component of the class as early as possible will allow the student to
prepare emotionally and logistically, so she posts as much information as possible in the
course registration information. (p. 8) Additionally, in her own online service learning
classroom, she requires weekly progress reports, which contributes to the reflective
component of successful projects. (p. 10) She addresses the issue of remote areas by
encouraging students to find e-service opportunities that they can complete entirely
online, noting that this also helps prepare the student professionally for future
telecommuting options. (p. 10) Allowing students to work with organizations with
whom they are already familiar saves the down time usually devoted to waiting for
returned calls or emails or ground zero research for grants and other documents.
Students may elect to work alone or in pairs, and they may choose whether or not to
use the service learning assignment to complete course requirements at all.
Ninth on the reading list and published in 2016, this article is included because
the author addresses service learning in the online (as opposed to the traditional, face-
to-face) classroom. Nielsen makes a strong case for students selecting their own
community partners, and dutifully outlines her own online service learning classroom
policies, to include an all-encompassing solution for challenges, which is that she makes
using a service learning project to complete course requirements optional.
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David Alan Sapp & Robbin D. Crabtree (2002). A Laboratory in Citizenship: Service Learning in the Technical Communication Classroom, Technical Communication Quarterly, 11:4, 411-432, DOI: 10.1207/s15427625tcq1104_3
Crabtree and Sapp assert that service learning “creates a spiraling process of
knowledge acquisition…in a repeated cycle, students and teachers share disciplinary
content in the classroom, apply it in the community, and systematically reflect upon the
process and its deeper social implications.” (p. 411)
They also note that, in addition to providing real work experience, service
learning also supports the university’s mission to prepare students to be engaged civic
leaders within the community. (p. 412) While an internship is a professional lab for
students, service learning is similarly a citizenship lab. (p. 12)
Crabtree and Sapp acknowledge that some scholars are suspicious of service
learning, worrying that it “is a way to propagandize and radicalize students in service of
a particular political agenda,” although they follow with assurance that they do not
support this type of instruction. (p. 415) Instead they argue for service learning as a way
to teach genuine democratic citizenship within the classroom. (p. 415)
They conclude with the importance of balancing “social conscience with technical
learning,” and that because technical writers and their instructors have so much to offer
missions of the greater good, more research is required to understand the full breadth
of those offerings. (p. 428)
Fifth on the list and published in 2002, this article is included because it presents
service learning as a laboratory for civic learning, much in the same way that an
internship is a laboratory for professionalism and business. Sapp and Crabtree conclude
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with a call for research that is similar to the ones echoed in previous articles, and that is
a more thorough examination of what technical writers are able to offer to a nonprofit
organization.
Swacha, K. Y. (2018) Bridging the Gap between Food Pantries and the Kitchen Table: Teaching
Embodied Literacy in the Technical Communication Classroom. Technical Communication Quarterly, 27(3), 261-282, DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2018.1476589
In this article, Swacha argues for a seventh literacy – embodied literacy – in
Cargile Cook’s “layered literacies” of technical communication, which include basic
literacy, rhetorical literacy, social literacy, technological literacy, ethical literacy and
critical literacy. (P. 261-262)
She insists that effective technical communicators must understand the cause
and effect relationship of bodies and the experiences of those bodies with technology
and media in multiple ways. (p. 262)
She then briefly defines each of the six literacies and how embodied literacy
might I intersect.
Of interest to the topic of this bibliography, Swacha notes that some instructors
teach embodied literacy via service learning projects, which give students the
opportunity to solve real world problems and connect with end users. (p. 264)
Twelfth on the reading list and published in 2018, this article is included
because it references service learning as a pedagogy for teaching embodied literacy.
Applying Swacha’s embodied literacy to a service learning project takes Sapp and
Crabtree’s laboratory in citizenship to a higher level of human understanding and
experience.
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Susan A. Youngblood & Jo Mackiewicz (2013). Lessons in Service Learning: Developing the
Service Learning Opportunities in Technical Communication (SLOT-C) Database. Technical Communication Quarterly, 22(3), 260-283, DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2013.775542
Mackiewicz and Youngblood address the problem of connecting service learning
instructors and students with worthwhile organizations by creating a Service Learning
Opportunities in Technical Communication Database. (SLOT-C) They assert that making
opportunities available in a database relieves faculty who are new to an area of the
burden of community emersion while also adapting to a new academic environment. (p.
260) Additionally, a data base would encourage students to explore opportunities
beyond their immediate communities, which leads to legitimate telecommuting
experience and is professionally beneficial. (p. 261)
The authors outline their methodology for creating the database, but they
concede that future research is required to understand how instructors, students and
organizations will interact with it. (p. 281) Nothing is included with regard to the human
elements involved in creating a database, most prominently the manpower needed to
populate the database with data.
Seventh on the reading list and published in 2013, this article was selected
because it presents a collective database of service learning projects that are available
nationwide. A novel idea, in theory it would work well to address the issue of faculty
time constraints and unfamiliarity with local organizations, downtime for locating willing
partners, etc. Its functionality, however, like any database, is entirely dependent on the