Twelve tips for implementing effective service learning

Abstract

Service learning is an educational methodology that facilitates transformation of students’ knowledge, attitudes and attitudes around holistic care through work with community organizations. To implement academically, defensible service learning requires faculty endorsement, consideration of course credit, an enthusiastic champion able to negotiate agreements with organizations, organizations’ identification of their own projects so they are willing to both fund and supervise them, curricular underpinning that imparts the project skills necessary for success, embedding at a time when students’ clinical identity is being formed, small packets of curriculum elements delivered “just in time” as students engage with their project, flexible online platform/s, assessment that is organically related to the project, providing cross cultural up-skilling, and focused on the students’ responsibility for their own product. The result is a learning experience that is engaging for medical students, links the university to the community, and encourages altruism which is otherwise reported to decline through medical school.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Notes on contributors

Denese Playford, BA (Hons), MCS, PhD, is a co-ordinator of Service Learning for the School of Medicine at UWA.

Susan Bailey, BSW(Hons), PhD, (Social Work) contributed to the development of the curriculum.

Colleen Fisher, BA, PhD, (Population Health) contributed to the development of the curriculum.

Ania Stasinska, BHlthSc, MPH, GradCertBus, (Population Health) contributed to the development of the curriculum.

Lewis Marshall, MBBS, MPH, (Public Health Physician) contributed to the development of the curriculum.

Michele Gawlinski, BA, DipEd, MEdMan(Hons), (RCSWA) contributed to the development of the curriculum.

Susan Young, PhD, BSW, (Social Work) contributed to the development of the curriculum.