Service-Learning in Higher Education: Critical Issues and Directions

Advocates have positioned service-learning as a real-world, real-time opportunity for students to encounter academic knowledge in a meaningful and relevant manner. Service-learning in higher education settings offers a powerful alternative to traditional models of teaching and learning. Students are encouraged to develop links to local institutions, volunteer their time, and create a special bond between the university and the community in which they live. Service-learning has become a very popular alternative to standard courses in higher education and is gaining significant popularity. This book takes a serious look at the unintended consequences and alternative conceptualizations of this mode of learning and explores what it could offer us in the future.

Dan W. Butin is Founding Dean of the School of Education at Merrimack College, USA. He is the editor and author of over fifty books, articles, and book chapters, including the books Service-Learning in Higher Education , Teaching Social Foundations of Education , and Service-Learning and Social Justice Education . Butin's research focuses on issues of educator preparation and policy and community engagement. He has been Assistant Dean of the School of Education at Cambridge College, USA, and a faculty member at Gettysburg College, USA. Prior to working in higher education, Butin taught middle school, taught in an adult GED program, and was Chief Financial Officer of Teach For America. More about Butin's teaching and scholarship can be found at http://danbutin.org/.