Search

The article describes Critical Service-Learning (CSL), the authors' distinctive approach to service learning, which places social justice as central to the interactions between students and community members. Topics covered include a description of two class projects on criminal justice and teacher education under the approach, the involvement of the members of the relevant communities in guiding, designing, and co-teaching the classs and the outcomes the approach seeks for students.

The article explores on the need for a more refined and practical ways and direction to assess the engagement of students in higher education. Student engagement is defined and being referred to the level of interest and involvement of students in their learning and how connected and at par to their classes, their institutions, and with each other. The measured methods of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ), have revealed indicators that contribute to the level of student engagement in a specific university which is seen as a valid entity to institutional excellence.

The article presents a study on the influence of student-service and instructional expenditures among students. It states that institution-level data was used to sample each student's level of instructional and non-instructional expenditures. The results show that both student-service and instructional expenditures influence persistence and graduation rates and that student-service expenditures' significance varies throughout the academic institutions. It also mentions that students who were benefited by student-service expenditures are those who have low academic and economic performance.

The article focuses on how university faculty can strengthen their commitment to help communities. Community engagement has been here way back in the 19th century which are manifested in the Wisconsin Idea that the boundaries of the university are closely connected with the boundaries of the state. A lot of college and university presidents are now members of Campus Compact, an organization committed to advance campus-based community outreach, civic engagement and service-learning. Meanwhile, there are four models of community engagement such as technical, cultural, political and anti-foundational conceptualization.

The article discusses the potentiality of community and university partnership in bringing growth and development both in the community and its residents. It is expected that universities across the nation contribute to their neighboring communities through college students volunteering in neighboring schools, faculty conducting research activities to support local evaluation efforts and launching community-development initiatives. Community youth-development strategies can enhance the power of youth to affect community development and at the same time engage communities to embrace their role in the development of youth. In order to support their development, programs and systems must be well coordinated and relevant to the local context.