Engineering Faculty as Co-Learners in Service-Learning: Building Empathy, Design Thinking, and Leadership Skills through Community Engagement

Service-learning is a teaching and learning approach that combines community service with academic learning and has been gaining traction in Indian engineering education. While traditional teaching methods have limitations in extending learning beyond classrooms, service-learning has the potential to ensure meaningful student engagement in addressing real-world problems effectively. Community, students, and faculty are considered to be key stakeholders in the process, with each playing an important role in ensuring the success of service-learning programs. Although significant research has been conducted on the role and impact of service-learning on communities and students, the impact on faculty remains largely unknown. Understanding the role of faculty learning within service-learning is important because it equips faculty with the skills and insights necessary to facilitate community engagement activities and ensure a richer educational experience for students. Therefore, this study delves into the dynamics of faculty learning within service-learning courses, focusing on an undergraduate engineering program at a private technological university in Southern India. The research centers on exploring the ways in which faculty perceive their own learning while facilitating service-learning courses. A qualitative approach was adopted, and data were collected through 20 interviews of engineering faculty members in India. The findings reveal the significant impact of service-learning on faculty as it enhances their teaching and learning competencies, societal empathy and design thinking skills. Also, service-learning experiences helped faculty members to transform into community leaders who were facilitating and driving change in partner communities. The study highlights the need for institutional recognition and support for faculty engaged in service-learning. The study contributes to the expanding experiences of service-learning in India, highlighting its role in enhancing faculty learning and community engagement.