Applying service-learning pedagogy in a Chinese university

Presenter: Bo Wu (Public Health)

Key words: Service Learning Pedagogy, Critical Thinking Skills, Civic Engagement 

Service-learning is an educational approach that combines classroom teaching and educational practice through serving the community in order to provide a pragmatic and progressive learning experience. It aims to cultivate students’ civic engagement, critical thinking skills, and their personal transformation. 

I was trained in service-learning pedagogy in May 2012 at IUPUI, Indianan, USA. Since February 2013, I started to transform my curriculum at one of the Chinese universities. While it requires more time for the instructor to prepare teaching, I also had to adapt it to local situations. For example, some of the impacting factors include: a large size class (78 students in different years); lacking support from university administrators; very few connected local community organizations; a newly developed city in southeastern China. However, the effect of service learning is impressive and majority students enjoyed connecting the formal instruction in the classroom with real world experiences. 

Although currently lacking established community partnerships and university’s administrative support, service-learning as an experiential learning approach is very promising because it engages students in activities which address human and community needs. With structured reflection designed to cultivate students’ character, critical thinking, social responsibility, and problem solving skills, service learning is worthy to be included into university’s learning and teaching agenda for the next ten years through continuously connecting university and community as well as promoting the university’s reward system through reformed educational management.