1.2Kenneth CHONG, 1.2*Karyne Jie-lin TEO, 1.2HAN Qi, 1.3Anne Suet Lin CHONG, 1.3Nursafiqah SAAD, 1.3LOO Chuan-Jie, 1.4Pamela Qi Ming YEH, 1.4Carrie Jia Yu HO, 1ZHENG Liren
1Department of Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), NUS
2GEN2060 Team
3GEN2061 Team
4GEN2070 Team
Chong, K., Teo, K. J-L., Han, Q., Chong, A. S. L., Saad, N., Loo, C-J., Yeh, P. Q. M., Ho, C. J. Y., & Zheng, L. (2024). The impact of service-learning courses on social responsibility in students: A preliminary study [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-kchong-et-al/
SUB-THEME
Opportunities from Engaging Communities
KEYWORDS
Service-learning, general education, communities, volunteering, social services
CATEGORY
Paper Presentation
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
The National University of Singapore (NUS) installed “Communities and Engagement” (C&E) as its sixth Common Curriculum Pillar in 2021, integrating service and learning to cultivate student engagement with broader societal issues through volunteer action, supported by structured training and guided reflexive learning. In this paper, we discuss the impact of three year-long C&E service-learning courses in developing social responsibility in undergraduate students.
The course GEN2060 “Reconnect SeniorsSG” is a partnership between NUS and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). Students serve as community befrienders for seniors facing social isolation. GEN2061 “Support Healthy AgeingSG” is also conducted in collaboration with AIC. Students are trained as Silver Generation Ambassadors to conduct Preventive Health Visits (PHVs) to check in on the well-being of seniors, as well as disseminate information on national support schemes and good practices to promote ageing-in-place. GEN2070 “Community Link (Comlink) Befrienders” is a collaboration between NUS and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). Students serve as befrienders to journey with disadvantaged families with young children through home visits and community interactions towards stability, self-reliance, and social mobility. As part of course requirements, each student undertakes 60-80 hours of coordinated service-learning work with the community partners.
The Pilot Phase for these service-learning courses was conducted over two semesters in AY2022, with 181 students for GEN2060, 166 students for GEN2061, and 168 students for GEN2070 successfully completing their respective courses. Feedback from community stakeholders and students were found to be strongly positive. The courses have now been fully launched with a capacity of 600 students per semester for GEN2060, 750 students for GEN2061, and 300 students for GEN2070, with Course Tutor teams seeking to study the impact of students’ service-learning experiences in shaping their perceptions of community and self, as well as in cultivating social responsibility.
Anonymised course evaluation surveys, students’ reflection papers as well as data from community partners were analysed. It was found that students expressed affective and cognitive growth from their service-learning experiences. For instance, students developed an emotional attachment to their service-recipients through the course, and grew in their empathy, recognition of their own privileges and a heightened awareness of social inequality. Students also demonstrated growth in their perspectives on the complexity of social issues, systemic barriers, and needs and resources in the community. These perspectives often lead to profound personal transformation and a sense of social responsibility. Finally, an encouraging proportion of students indicated a commitment to continue as a volunteer or be involved in other social initiatives after the course has ended. This commitment is often driven by a sense of personal agency and a belief in their ability to create change in society.
These results suggest that the key learning objectives of the Communities and Engagement Pillar can be met through the service-learning courses. In addition, they provide insights for the teams to further encourage students to develop their sense of social responsibility. In the longer term, consideration can be given for the programme to be further expanded to the wider NUS population and other institutes of higher learning.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The GEN2050 and GEN2062 Tutor Teams are presently hosted by the Undergraduate Education Unit of the Office of the Provost, NUS. We acknowledge the support and guidance of Ms ONG Mui Hong, Director of Operations & Planning (PVO), and Prof Peter Ho, Vice Provost (Undergraduate Studies & Technology-enhanced Learning). We also acknowledge the support and guidance of A/P Esther GOH, Dr Alex LEE, and A/P LEE Geok Ling.
REFERENCES
Deeley, S.J. (2015). Critical Perspectives on Service-Learning in Higher Education. Palgrave MacMillan.
Evans, Karen (2009). Learning, Work and Social Responsibility: Challenges for lifelong learning in a global age. Springer.
NUS (2024). Communities and Engagement Pillar. https://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/academic-information-policies/undergraduate-students/general-education/communities-and-engagement-pillar
Wray-Lake, L., & Syvertsen, A. K. (2011). The developmental roots of social responsibility in childhood and adolescence. In C. A. Flanagan & B. D. Christens (Eds.), Youth civic development: Work at the cutting edge (pp. 11–25). Jossey-Bass.
Soken-Huberty, E. (2022, October 23). What is Social Responsibility? Human Rights Careers. https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/what-is-social-responsibility/