Resumen de Measuring the value added from service learning in project-based engineering education
Angela R. Bielefeldt, Kurtin G. Paterson, Christopher W. Swan
There has been a recent surge in project based service learning (PBSL) in engineering education. PBSL covers a spectrum ofcommunity-based projects both locally and internationally. While PBSL experiences can be embedded within courses, in many casesthese activities are facilitated by non-academic organizations, such as Engineers Without Borders. These PBSL activities haveundergone increasing levels of assessment, driven in part by the outcomes assessment requirements for engineering programaccreditation in the U.S., but also because of apparent positive impacts to student participants. These studies indicate that theknowledge and skills gained by the students are at least on par with gains from traditional project-based learning (PBL). Attention isalso increasingly being focused on the potential impacts of PBSL on student attitudes and identity. It is in these areas that differencesin the influence of PBL versus PBSL appear more profound, yet small numbers of student participants in various programs and a lackof coordinated assessment efforts limits the statistical significance of these results. This paper highlights possible methods to determinethe added value of service-based learning especially when coupled to project-based engineering education. Examples of evidence in theanalysis of PBSL versus PBL in engineering are provided to further examine the state of this field. Considerable research will beneeded to fully understand how service learning is impacting the education of engineers.
