Electronic-Service Learning to Sustain Instruction with Civic Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Aurelio Vilbar
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted higher education courses integrating face-to-face (FtF) community-based service learning into their curriculum. There is a need to transform FtF service-learning (FtF-SL) into electronic service-learning (e-SL) to promote safety. e-SL studies show positive results in academic enhancement but reveal struggles sustaining online collaboration. This paper reports the experience of graduate students who took the e-SL as an alternative assessment in production of in structural materials course during the pandemic. The students responded to the public school’s request in Olango Island, Cebu, Philippines, to virtually coach their teachers in designing their remedial instructional materials. Findings revealed that the project promoted student academic enhancement, civic engagement, personal growth and developed the public-school teachers’ research skills. The online conferencing platforms and online messenger sustained the collaboration despite no FtF meetings. The Experts’ Evaluation showed that the materials passed all criteria, and pilot testing results showed that the users described the materials as interesting, educational, and enjoyable.
Keywords
- Electronic-service learning
- Online collaboration
- COVID-19 pandemic
Link to the Article
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17601-2