Engaged Learning in the Public Service Classroom

Many that pursue a career in public service do so because they have a passion for their communities and want to pursue solutions to vexing challenges in society. As a result, instructors teaching public service, administration, and policy courses are challenged to incorporate a range of community engagement practices into their classes to allow students to explore their passion in greater depth, while also developing skills to operate in a dynamic governance environment. This pedagogical text explores the variety of ways in which students can become more engaged throughout the public service curriculum.

Engaged Learning in the Public Service Classroom introduces a wide range of activities, practices, and behaviors involving students in learning by exploring real-world contexts and issues. Utilizing the tools and concrete examples in the book, students are encouraged to actively explore, experiment, evaluate, and reflect on practical challenges, helping to foster their critical thinking and motivating them to learn. Considering the numerous methods of engaged learning, the editors offer a framework for understanding and implementing different types of engaged learning practices, including Field of Practice, Community as Laboratory, and Service Learning, exploring the benefits and practical considerations of each. To maximize the book’s utility and to provide faculty with the best opportunity for successful implementation, the final section of the book focuses on anticipating and overcoming possible challenges when implementing engaged learning.

This innovative new book is designed specifically to help support current and future instructors and faculty in the disciplines of public affairs, public administration, and public policy, including graduate students.

Josephine Gatti Schafer is the Director of the Center for Public Affairs Research in the College of Public Administration and Community Service at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA. In this role, she provides data-driven insights and expert consultation to a range of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and policymakers to inform initiatives in economic and community development. Dr. Schafer draws on her extensive applied research experience to enhance her teaching and academic work. Her research has been featured in journals such as the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, Public Performance and Management Review, and Leadership and Policy in Schools.

Bruce D. McDonald III is Professor of Public Budgeting and Finance and Director of the School of Public Service at Old Dominion University, USA. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of Public Administration, co-editor-in-chief of Public Finance Journal, and general editor of both Routledge’s Public Affairs Education Book Series and Routledge’s Public Budgeting and Finance Book Series. Dr. McDonald’s research focuses on public budgeting and finance in the context of social equity budgeting and the fiscal health of local governments. His research has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Public Administration Review, and the American Review of Public Administration.