Training of teachers and educational managers on the implementation of innovative Service-Learning practices -

Leader: University of Madrid (Spain)

Main goals

This work package focuses on teachers and educational coordinators and aims to provide them with knowledge on methodological tools and the theoretical and practical aspects of Service-Learning methodology through the organization of 3 training sessions.

This will allow the creation of innovative Service-Learning projects likely to inspire and promote the use of Service-Learning in the consortium’s partner universities. The projects will be disseminated so that they can also be adapted and transferred to other external universities.

The Service-Learning methodology supports participation and active learning as well as civic engagement of students as part of their curriculum. Teachers and educational leaders are here introduced to the design, implementation and evaluation of a Service-Learning project in collaboration with the student community and with Civil Society organizations.

Specific objectives

Achievement of the project priority: reducing intercultural, intergenerational and social gaps through the implementation of the Service-Learning methodology and the continuation of Service-Learning projects.

Change and innovation in teachers’ pedagogical approach by supporting innovation through collaboration with civil society organizations.

Building bridges between formal and non-formal education.

Impact of teachers on student engagement: strengthening student autonomy through Service-Learning teaching.

Encouraging collaboration between civil society organizations and teachers: direct impact on the innovation of teaching methods.

Sharing experiences and establishing partnerships: teachers from partner universities will share their experiences in Service-Learning and create partnerships for innovative projects.

Activities carried out and results

More than 50 teachers from six European institutions (the five universities of the consortium as well as the University of Turin) were trained in Service-Learning, allowing them to integrate this innovative methodology into their courses during 3 training sessions on June 9, 23 and 30, 2023.

During these, they acquired knowledge on the theoretical and practical foundations of Service-Learning, in particular through examples of Service-Learning projects in various disciplines and an overview of Service-Learning in the European higher education. Additionally, collaborations were encouraged to develop project proposals that could be implemented to improve their courses. This cooperation with international teachers has led to a stimulation of teachers’ creativity and an improvement in the quality of their projects, making them more likely to be successfully implemented.

This training brought benefits to the teachers who participated, and it will also bring benefits to their students and their universities. By adopting this new methodology, student learning and civic engagement will be enhanced. Additionally, universities will benefit from the use of innovative methodologies in courses taught by proactive teachers. Likewise, strengthening links between teachers and students with civil society organizations are expected through the implementation of Service-Learning projects.

Participating teachers are now equipped to transfer this innovation to their universities and to share resources with their colleagues. First of all, they were given the opportunity to download materials from the MOODLE platform of the University of Aix-Marseille, used for training. Second, the course materials were shared on each university’s website. These open access course resources are likely to be used by other interested teachers, beyond partner institutions. This diffusion opens up new opportunities for the development of Service-Learning projects within partner universities.