At this time of a renewed call for colleges and universities to create campus cultures that support and develop students’ understanding and commitment to civic participation, what is known about the design of service learning courses and their effectiveness to achieve this goal? This volume presents research on--and deepens understanding of--teaching strategies that foster the knowledge, skills and dispositions of college graduates to be actively engaged in their communities as citizens and civic-minded professionals. The first section offers an overview of civic learning and the importance of intentional service learning course design to reach civic outcomes. The next section employs various disciplinary perspectives to identify theories and conceptual frameworks for conducting research on student civic outcomes. The third section focuses on research methods and designs to improve research using quantitative and qualitative approaches, cross-institutional research strategies, longitudinal designs, authentic data, and local and national data sets. Chapters also address implications for practice and future research agendas for scholars.
Julie A. Hatcher is Associate Professor Emeritus of Philanthropic Studies in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). From 2012-2018, she was executive director of the Center for Service and Learning and associate professor. Julie serves as co-editor of the IUPUI Series on Service Learning Research (Stylus, 2011, 2013, 2016). Her research focuses on the role of higher education in democracy and civil society, civic learning outcomes in higher education, philanthropic studies, and civic-minded professionals. She serves on the national advisory board for the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement elective classification. Julie is the 2017 International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement Distinguished Career Award recipient, and the 2008 Dissertation Award recipient. Julie earned her PhD in philanthropic studies with a minor in higher education at Indiana University. Robert G. Bringle is Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Philanthropic Studies and Senior Scholar in the Center for Service and Learning at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. From 2012-2015, he was the Kulynych/Cline Visiting Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Appalachian State University. He was the Executive Director of the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis Center for Service and Learning from 1994-2012. Dr. Bringle was awarded the Thomas Ehrlich Faculty Award for Service Learning, the IUPUI Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Legacy of Service Award from Indiana Campus Compact. In 2004, he was recognized at the 4th Annual International Service-Learning Research Conference for his outstanding contributions to the service-learning research field. The University of the Free State, South Africa, awarded him an honorary doctorate for his scholarly work on civic engagement and service learning. Thomas W. Hahn is the Director o
