SL at the UAB
Within the framework of the University’s social responsibility, through which it undertakes to improve the community environment, service-learning (SL) is an educational approach through which students learn by taking part in a project aimed at addressing a real community need and improving the living conditions of people or the quality of the environment. With SL, students make a commitment as part of an experience in which learning is also linked to their academic curriculum, the development of personal skills and a real and potentially sustainable service for the community.
SL involves identifying a social, environmental or cultural need, acting to address this need and engaging in a process of reflection that links the practical experience to theoretical knowledge, raises awareness and helps the students position themselves within their social environment.
Therefore, SL is:
- an educational approach
- a social responsibility of the University
that involves:
- identifying a need
- acting to address it
- engaging in a process of reflection
in addition to developing a project in which learning is linked to:
- the academic curriculum
- the development of personal skills
- a community service
Therefore, the key ingredients in SL are:
- a social need
- an organisation
- a subject (all or part)
Presented below are the essential requirements for an activity to be recognised as a Service-Learning (SL) activity at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, along with the indicators used to qualitatively assess the activity.
Key Elements of Service-Learning at UAB
Meaningful Learning
Requirements
- Connection between student learning and their academic curriculum
Added value
- Participation in identifying needs
- Student involvement in designing the intervention
Reflection and Critical Awareness
Requirements
- Awareness of the value of the service
- Awareness of the personal contribution of the service
- Ethical perspective and respect for human rights
Service to the Community
Requirements
- Service is carried out in a non-profit activity context
- Respect for the professional role
- The service addresses a real need validated by the receiving or beneficiary community
Added value
- Active involvement of community members beyond the collaborating organization
- Sustainability of the service
- Explicit recognition by the community and celebration
To assess whether an experience meets these criteria, you can use the self-assessment tool available under Resources > UAB Working Documents on this website.