The ENGAGE STUDENTS project focuses on social responsibility of higher education institutions at student and teacher level. Strengthening the social dimension in education has been an important European priority (COM(2006) 208 final, 2013/C 168/02), that has been accentuated even further by the Commission in the renewed EU agenda for Higher Education. Innovative curricula and teaching approaches are seen to contribute to reducing the current high-level skills gap between students and labour market needs. Especially the integration of extra-curricular experience into study programmes is identified as solution for enhancing students’ transversal skills, better preparing them for finding a job (COM(2017) 247 final). The project general objective is to empower the social dimension of higher education by increasing its relevance for society through embedding service-learning as a common pedagogical approach within education and research practice. The project specific objectives are as follows: - to explore the existing methodology of service-learning and other forms of community-related learning and research - to develop a methodological toolkit and a pedagogical workbook to be used by teachers - to build the critical mass of knowledge and resources in partner HEIs in order to foster the use of service learning and other community-related learning methodologies. The specific aims are divided on 3 levels: For STUDENTS: - To acquire the ability to solve complex problems - To develop sense of responsibility and engagement - To experience self-efficacy and self-respect - To broad their future career choices through community ties For TEACHERS: - To implement and test new teaching and student guidance methods - To link the theoretical matters with real community problem solving - To foster the collaboration with other teachers For LOCAL COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS: - To raised awareness of ongoing teaching & research at local HEIs - To have the opportunity to be a mentor or an expert for students and potential employees - To increase the participation in socio-political processes and in solving local problems The methodology of the project follows a pedagogical approach with the main aim to strengthen didactic skills of educators to work with innovative teaching methods and to involve students into more practice-based projects: IO1: Needs Analysis in local communities and web-tool (8 months) – including STAKEHOLDERS PHASE with E1-E6 National matching workshops with community stakeholders; IO2: Service learning methodology toolkit (7 months) IO3: Workbook "How to do service learning" (21 months) – including TEACHER TRAINING PHASE with C1: Teachers' training week; IO4: Study on students' experiences with service learning (16 months) – SERVICE LEARNING PHASE, implementation of the service learning projects with students and teachers with C2: Summer School.
The ENGAGE STUDENTS project focuses on social responsibility of higher education institutions at student and teacher level. The project general objective is to empower the social dimension of higher education by increasing its relevance for society through embedding service-learning as a common pedagogical approach within education and research practice. The project specific objectives are as follows: - to explore the existing methodology of service-learning and other forms of community-related learning and research - to develop a methodological toolkit and a pedagogical workbook to be used by teachers - to build the critical mass of knowledge and resources in partner HEIs in order to foster the use of service learning and other community-related learning methodologies. The main participants of the project were: - students in higher education who are in their advanced studies and had basic knowledge about research and their field of study and wanted to engage in service-learning to increase their skills; - teachers in higher education who apply the service-learning already and those who had potential courses for such a teaching approach, but who are not familiar with it; - communities – the local environments of universities with their local stakeholders (associations, NGOs, public services, etc.), who were asked to share their (research/community) needs with the university and actively liaise with students and teachers. The following intellectual outputs, learning/teaching/training activities and multiplier events have been developed/organized during the project lifetime: INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS: - IO1: Needs analysis in the local communities synthesis report - IO2: Service learning methodology toolkit entitled "Service learning methodology toolkit - Comparing Practical Teaching Methods in Higher Education" (46 pages) - IO3: Workbook “How to do service learning” entitled "Service Learning. Workbook for Higher Education" (171 pages) - IO4: Study on Students' Experiences with Service Learning (55 pages). LEARNING/TEACHING/TRAINING ACTIVITIES - Teachers' training week on service learning (C1) - entitled "Winter School – Teachers‘ Training Week on Service Learning and Student Engagement", Vienna/AT, 17.02.-21.02.2020 - 24 participants. - Summer School about service learning (C2) - entitled "Online Spring School – Students´ Training Week on Service Learning and Student Engagement, 14.05.-29.05.2021 - 58 participants/42 graduated. MULTIPLIER EVENT: - Final Conference "University Meets Local Communities" (E7) - organized as The 4th European Conference on Service-Learning in Higher Education/University Meets Local Communities. Service-Learning in Higher Education (ECSLHE2021) in cooperation with the European Association of Service Learning in Higher Education, 16-17.09.2021, gathered more than 150 registered participants, 40 full presentations, 27 Pecha-Kucha presentations and 2 project related workshops. Other results that will be produced within the above outputs, activities and events are as follows: - Web-tool for community engagement and service learning - Service-Learning Hub (https://engagestudents.eu/webtool) - Online student blog - https://blog.engagestudents.pub.ro(IO4) - Collection of 18 service learning projects involving 175 students (IO4) - Training materials for LTTA C1 and C2; - ECSLHE2021 portal - https://www.engagestudents.eu/ecslhe21/ (E7) Results which are not listed in the sections for intellectual outputs, learning/teaching/training activities and multiplier events will be as follows: - Project web portal - https://engagestudents.eu; - 7 Newsletters; - 2 book chapters; - More than 15 Scientific papers presented, published or submitted for publication; - 2 follow-up approved ERASMUS+ project proposals to valorize the ENGAGE STUDENTS outcomes and develop further aspects of Service-Learning in Higher Education; - One Service-Learning teachers training program submitted for assessment and approval in UPB. Through its whole achievements, ENGAGE STUDENTS push the boundaries of the knowledge in the field of service-learning by providing relevant scientific findings and valuable training resources. Also, the project contributed to the societal goal of increasing the relevance of higher education institutions (HEIs) for their local communities and labour market through: - enhanced student employability; - increased HE teachers‘ ability to implement innovative teaching concepts; - increased matching between community needs and HEIs education and research provision; - increased awareness of local communities stakeholders regarding their role in socio-political processes and in solving local problems.