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The Impacts of Service Learning on Students and Community Members

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In Clare Boothe Luce Undergraduate Research Scholars

Title

The Impacts of Service Learning on Students and Community Members

Author(s)

Lynch, Caitrin
Stein, Lynn Andrea
Grimshaw, Sharon
Doyle, Elizabeth
Camberg, Lois

Description

Engineering for Humanity, an interdisciplinary engineering design and anthropology course at Olin College of Engineering, is a semester-long service-learning partnership between the college and nearby Councils on Aging. This paper examines the effects of this service learning on our students and their partners. Our research suggests that this service-learning curriculum has positively impacted students’ and elder partners’ behavior and attitudes. We collected data from student and partner surveys, from interviews with the community partners, and from student reflections. By comparing student behavior and attitudes before and after this course, we have observed the following behavioral and attitudinal changes: 1) development of empathetic knowledge and understanding, 2) increased appreciation for user-centered design, 3) redefinition of career trajectories. We also saw transformations in the lives of the community partners. Outcomes for elders were related to quality of life and wellbeing and included 1) decreases in isolation, 2) increased purpose and meaning, and 3) improved feelings of wellbeing. Lasting effects included continuation of decreased isolation through a sustained increase in social engagement, as well as positive thoughts about and mechanisms for aging in place. This paper also describes the curriculum and reports on these trends over three years of coursework.

Date Published

2018-03-26 15:07:33

Files

  • Download Grimshaw_CBL_finalpaper.pdf

Rights Statements

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Linked Data for this Object

Wikidata subjects
design engineering

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Olin College of Engineering

An undergraduate engineering institution exploring innovative approaches to engineering education since its founding in 1997.

1000 Olin Way
Needham, MA 02492
781.292.2390