Just Have to Look Harder: When the Values of Service-Learning Projects are not Readily Apparent

Abstract

As students, when we discuss service-learning projects, we mostly hear success stories. Academic and technical journals alike feature reports from instructors and professors who expound the values of service learning through examples of successful projects. These themes then carry over into the classroom where students who read these stories expect the projects they complete to have the same clear results. In actuality, service-learning projects can present a number of unanticipated challenges. Some of these circumstances can even affect the overall outcome of the project, rendering it unsuccessful (or at least unsatisfying) in the eyes of the students. However, we find that from a student’s perspective, projects that lack clear, clean-cut results still allow for valuable learning opportunities and real-world experience.