A Guide for the design and implementation of a service-learning (SL)

A GUIDE FOR DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING A SERVICE-LEARNING COURSE (UC SL)

A GUIDE FOR DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING A SERVICE-LEARNING COURSE (UC SL)

INTRODUCTION

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Closing of the service project

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CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS Service Learning at the UC

Final SL assessment survey for student

Final assessment survey for community partners

How to know if my course qualifies as SL?

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Final assessment of the process

Characteristics of UC SL

CHAPTER V: ACTIVITIES FOR THE INCORPORATION OF SL IN A COURSE

Model for UC SL incorporation

Participants of a SL project

Activity: Feasibility assessment

Activity: Set learning objectives to be addressed with SL

CHAPTER II: PRIOR TO A COURSE’S IMPLEMENTATION

Activity: Defining the service objective

Feasibility assessment

Activity: Characterization of the community partner and a course

Defining service Service objective ÍNDEX

Initial professor planning

Activity: Establishing an agreement between the parties

Identifying learning objectives

Activity: Designing the reflection strategy Activity: Defining the assessment strategy

Finding a community partner

TOOLS FOR FIELD WORK

INSTRUMENTS FOR SL DIAGNOSTIC

CHAPTER III: DURING THE COURSE DEVELOPMENT

Participative diagnostic Participants Observation

Constitution of SL Partnership

Elements to maintain the relationship with the community partner during

Interview

the working period

Structured Interview

Reasons for taking the SL partnership beyond the current course

Non-structured interview

Initial presentation of SL in the course Presentation of the methodology Presentation of the community partner

Free Listing

Classification of cards or Card sorting

Trajectory map (user journey)

Implementation of the service project

Logical Framework Approach or Methodology

SL Diagnostic

Identification Problem tree

Possible unforeseen events during the project’s implementation

Implementing a reflection strategy

Objective tree (means and goals)

Defining the skill/competency to be developed through the reflection activity

Analysis of alternatives

Designing the reflection strategy

Logical Framework Matrix Informed consent document

Assessing reflective strategies implemented in the course

Implementing a SL project assessment strategy

Assessment instruments for transversal skills

Who does the assessment?

Social commitment

What is assessed in a Service-Learning course? Assessment instruments for transversal skills

Critical Thinking

Problem resolution

EARLY COURSE ASSESSMENT

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Verbal communication skills in Spanish

Teamwork

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CHAPTER IV: CLOSING PROCESS OF THE COURSE

REFERENCES

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Service Learning at the UC

This guide is a flexible model for the incorporation of Service Learning (SL) into the program of a course. Its objective is to guide the teaching team in the design of a course with the SL methodology , based on the experiences and knowledge that have been built at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile for more than 15 years. This guide consists of guiding stages for the design of the course. Despite proposing a systematized process, it is not intended to be a rigid recipe book, but rather to highlight the relevant moments in the incorporation of SL in a course, which will allow for the methodology to be flexibly adapted to the characteristics of the teaching team and the course.

It into consideration that this guide was designed in digital format, in order to promote a fast and free navigation through the contents. At the same time, activities are offered in a practical work guide for the design of the course itself. For this reason, starting from the index and the indicated buttons, it will be possible to move throughout the guide. It is recommended to complete the working guide simultaneously with the reading of the document. * This guide was constructed using inclusive language, contributing to overcoming inequalities and the different forms of symbolic and material discrimination that affect both women and men. should be taken

What questions should this professor ask herself so that this kind of course transitions to service/learning? Which subject may be service learning? Check out the following video:

Before starting, the following case is proposed. Let's take the case of a professor who teaches a scientific course and whose course objectives include that her students should be able to know and identify the main functions and components of the human nervous system.

INTRODUCTIÓN

CHAPTER I:KEY CONCEPTS

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transferable knowledge, where it encourages the ability to apply what has been learned (Furco, 2011). This generates people to get involved in a conscious way in their learning process, without losing the sense of the activities they carry out. Therefore, it not only helps the acquired learning, but also the autonomy and responsibility with work. The mission of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile is to strive for excellence in the construction and transfer of knowledge and in the training of people, inspired by a Catholic conception and always at the service of society .

Nowadays, the limits of knowledge in the different disciplines have expanded, causing the need for an evolution around training techniques and professional profile, according to the new demands of the labor field. This is how the demand for a learning linked to experience arises, adequate to connect theory and practice of future professionals. When a person in the learning process faces the challenge to respond to a wide range of real situations, he/she consolidates a significant, contextualized and

development around the common good, generating a reciprocal transfer of knowledge and resources among the university, society and the State (UC Development Plan 2015-2020). In 2004, the Service-Learning Program (SLP) was created, a teaching and learning methodology that promotes learning situated and based on experience , oriented to the application of the contents seen in the classroom through services developed with communities that have real needs , which may be covered with the service that the students may provide from the course.

As an institution of higher education, the duty is to know the context in which it is inserted, to understand the reality of society and, based on this, to guide its generation of knowledge and training of professionals specifically where it is called to serve. In this way, the university is committed, interested and concerned about being a contribution to social

MEANINGFUL LEARNING

TRAINING IN VALUES

By combining learning with service, we add value to each of them and transforms both.

SIGNIFICANT LEARNING

QUALITY SERVICE

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS

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Service Learning quadrants

need of a community (Furco & Billig, 2002), in that sense, it has a clear curricular intentionality.

There are hundreds of definitions of SL in the literature. Thus, the UC focuses on Andrew Furco's (1999) definition which states that SL is: The integration of community service activities in the academic curriculum, where students use academic content and tools to meet real community needs . From this definition, the UC understands that not all experiences may be considered as service learning. The key aspect is the balance between the expected learnings in the course and the service project oriented to a real

HOW TO KNOW IF MY COURSE QUALIFIES AS SL?

¿How to know if learning and service are balanced? Is it the same as volunteering? What kind of projects may be considered as SL initiatives? To answer to these concerns, a first very useful tool is the Service-Learning Quadrants, designed at Stanford University, which allows positioning the experience in one of the quadrants delimited by the "Integrated Learning" and "Service" axes. As shown in the illustration, the vertical axis represents the greater or lesser quality of the service offered to the community and the horizontal axis indicates the lesser or greater degree of integration of disciplinary learning in the experience.

SERVICE

SOLIDARITY ASYSTEMATIC INITIATIVES

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS

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These quadrants help to differentiate the academic activities, complementary to each other, but each fulfilling its own objective.

Characteristics of UC SL

Based on the characteristics of each quadrant, in which quadrant could you place the course itself? How to move through these quadrants to reach the Service Learning quadrant? Below we present a diagram that allows us to think about how to move between the quadrants .

1) An SL project must respond to a genuine community need , which implies that the teaching team or the students must carry out a review of this need with the community or organization they are working with. This involves an approach to the community, recognizing a challenge and the resources they have to carry out the SL project.

In the service project, we encourage the students to be protagonists, since they assume responsibilities and commitments with the community partner, with their peers and with the teaching team, for the execution of the project. Therefore, they are the protagonists of their own learning and of the service that will be generated with the community.

Service

Another characteristic is the integration of curricular and service objectives. A service project must be related to at least one learning objective of the subject for the application of the SL methodology.

SOLIDARITY ASYSTEMATIC INITIATIVES

VOLUNTEERING

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS

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MODEL FOR UC SL INCORPORATION

5) The teaching team is conceived as a guide and facilitator, supporting and orienting the students in this project. The teaching team supports the learning process and the work with the community.

7) Finally, in SL there should be a structured time for reflection , designed to establish a relationship between the content and the service. This reflection is expected to have at least three moments: prior to, during, and upon completion of the service project. In this, the students are expected to have a deep understanding of the historical, sociological, cultural, economic and political aspects behind the community's need. In chapter 3 we will go deeper into the strategies for reflection.

At the UC, we built a model for the incorporation of the SL methodology, which consists of three major stages, which are internally articulated in different moments, always crossed by a process of reflection, which gives meaning to the experience.

6) Service projects may have a variable duration . There are courses that may decide to carry out the service during the whole semester or the whole year, as well as others that determine some weeks at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the course. This depends on the learning objectives you intend to address with the SL methodology.

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPT

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPT

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MODEL OF SL IMPLEMENTATION IN A COURSE

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSES

DURING THE COURSE DEVELOPMENT

PRIOR TO THE COURSE DEVELOPMENT

CONSTITUTION OF SL PARTNERSHIP

SERVICE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

INITIAL PROFESSOR PLANNING

CLOSING THE SERVICE PROJECT

FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT

INITIAL WORKSHOP

INITIAL PRESENTATION OF SL IN THE COURSE

REFLECTION

EARLY ASSESSMENT OF COURSES

FINAL SHARED SELF-ASSESMENT

FINAL STUDENT SURVEY

FINAL PARTNER SURVEY

PEDAGOGICAL ADVISING

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and the educational project. It is also carried out in a way that is coherent with the values and mission of the university. That is, specific learning objectives of a course are addressed, while developing value objectives and transversal skills related to the profile of students and future professionals who graduate from the educational institution .

in values, as well as in transversal and academic skills. We call community partner to the counterpart of the course with whom the service experience takes place. Generally, it is an organization recognized for its leadership within the community or territory. A community partner may belong to the Third Sector, such as foundations, NGOs or Corporations; grassroots organizations such as Neighborhood Councils, Senior Citizen Clubs, sports clubs, among others; it may also be a Governmental, Municipal entity or private, non-profit companies (private, for-profit companies are not Community Partners for SL, since their ultimate goal is to maximize profits and not to work with social programs). In other words, a community partner may be any organization oriented to the common good in favor of the sustainable development of people, be it economic, social and/or environmental . The community partner is an active part of the SL partnership and through its representative an agreement is reached on the service and the conditions under which it will be carried out. In this sense, the target population of the service is that with which the community partner works directly to promote its development or well-being.

PARTICIPANTS OF A SL PROJECT

This model seeks that the teaching team knows and makes an own methodology, implementing the adaptations to their course. At UC we have chosen a curricular model for the implementation of SL, which implies that through the use of this methodology we respond to the disciplinary formation of each professional profile, according to the UC graduate's distinctive mark

Before the implementation of SL in a course, it is important to recognize all the people involved in a SL project. starting planning

The teaching team , composed of assistants and professors, is the promoter of the SL project. It is mainly in charge of the initial planning of the course, as well as defining reflection and assessment strategies. It is also an active part in the establishment of agreements and commitments, along with periodic contact with the community partner. Its purpose is to promote the learning of its students, promote the development of a quality service and provide spaces for training

CHAPTER I: KEY CONCEPTS

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Before incorporating SL into the course, it is important to conduct an analysis of the feasibility of implementing this methodology in the course. Based on this analysis, it will be possible to begin redesigning the course, identifying learning objectives, defining the service, its objectives and the target audience, defining strategies for reflection and assessment, etc., all of this based on the expected learning, training in values and quality service. Choosing to incorporate SL is a decision that implies important changes in the way a course is taught. Therefore, before making the decision, it is essential that the teaching team makes a diagnostic that includes an analysis of the learning objectives and curricular content of the course, in order to relate them to the possible service to be performed, checking the coherence between both, as well as the workload for the students. This diagnostic will make it possible to better visualize the adjustments required by the course, the feasibility of dedicating class hours to the SL project, among other characteristics. FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT

What this methodology has allowed me to do is... it's like my professional work merges with what I think is good, let's say, it's not that something has changed, but it has made it easier for me, it has made it more fluid because both things are integrated. It integrates what I am with what I do.

For example, if the "Fútbol más" foundation is one of the community partners to be worked with, the infant population that attends the foundation is the target population of the service. In the case of working at the organizational level, the direct beneficiary will be the foundation itself. Finally, the students will carry out the service project, committing themselves to go to the field and making diagnostics regarding the needs of the community. They also commit themselves to carry out the work in an integrated manner with the contents and tools of the course, submitting reports as assigned by the teaching team.

With this, it is expected that at the end of the project they will be able to understand the different elements and factors that are behind the needs of the community, in addition to understand the impact they can have as future professionals. The services offered by the students are generally related to gathering information, consulting, development of teaching materials, as well as diagnostics and feedback. It all depends on the characteristics of the course.

Professor who applies the SL methodology

From the course program, we will consider the learning objectives that could be answered from SL (cognitive, procedural, attitudinal and/or value-based), assessment strategies, context in which it is developed (level of studies of the students, demand, difficulty), etc. In other words, it is necessary to consider whether the contents taught in the course may be applied through a concrete service to the community, providing integrated learning, without exceeding the

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hours defined for the course. All these elements will guarantee the quality of the service, the teaching learning process and the workload for both the teaching team and the students, allowing that the three key people in SL will benefit.

of knowing the central components for planning a SL course : determining the learning objectives that will be addressed through the methodology, building the service objective(s), defining the kind of service to be developed, coordinating the search for a community partner, designing reflection strategies and generating assessment strategies. It is also important to define dates and key moments in the planning for delivering the course content, explaining the objectives, visiting community partners, assessments,

feedback, reflections, etc. For the planning of a course, it is necessary to maintain coherence among the learning objectives, the teaching strategy and the assessment process, as stated in the constructive alignment scheme of Biggs & Tang (2007).

These may be cognitive, procedural, attitudinal and/or value-based. In SL, it is recommended to incorporate a Service objective into the course program since, by making this explicit, the course activities, reflection and assessment strategies may be better oriented. To comply with the constructive alignment, when incorporating SL into a course, the first step to be taken is the identification of the learning objectives of the course that will be addressed by means of the SL methodology. The fact that SL may be applied to the course does not necessarily mean that all its learning objectives will be addressed through this methodology. The objective(s) selected should be fully coherent with the contents linked to the course program, as well as with the activities of the service project.

INITIAL TEACHING PLANNING

IDENTIFYING LEARNING OBJECTIVES

It is important to keep in mind that there is no single way to plan a SL course . This is why the importance

The learning objectives of a course are those that allow us to answer the question: What are the students expected to learn in this course? In other words, these are the concrete learning objectives to be achieved by the students, related to a topic, unit, area or skill.

To conduct a feasibility assessment, click here.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

ASSESMENT SYSTEM

METODOLOGIES CHAPTER I I : PR IOR THE IMPLEMENTATI ON IN A COURSE

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as well as on the learning acquired during the development of the course.

DEFINING SERVICE

How to identify which learning objectives will be addressed through SL?

of the objectives are related to it, or to think about those that have a more practical-theoretical character. You can also think about which of the course objectives develop attitudes/values, competencies or transversal skills according to the career profile.

* In the UC SL program a Service Quality Rubric has been designed, which may be reviewed in the following link and may be used to monitor and asses the quality of the service at different points in the process. To design the service, it is necessary to think of two elements: the service objective and the community partner . Once the service objective has been defined, the search for community partners may begin, and then the SL partnership may be established.

It is possible to think about the project idea in mind and verify which

From the learning objectives of this course, which are: 1. Understanding the fundamentals of the theory and principles of quality control methods for pharmaceutical products. 2. Understanding the procedures used in the quality control of pharmaceutical formulations used in the manufacture of drugs, as well as in-process and finished drugs and the elements used for them. 3. Understanding the application of international standards in the analysis of active ingredients in different pharmaceutical forms

The development of a service and its co design is one of the distinctive features of a course that implements the SL methodology. The project design must be carefully reviewed prior to, during and after the implementation of the service, in order to ensure a quality project and synergistic participation among the different parties involved. In developing a quality service, it is not only the product or result that matters, but also the process through which that product emerges. This means that the quality of the final product is directly dependent on both the participation among the parties as well as on the

SERVICE OBJECTIVE

the service objective in SL is built on the following questions

1. What objectives of the course can meet the needs of the community partner? 2. What joint project may be done with the community partner? 3. What could be the benefit to the community partner?

The

course objectives that will be contributed and

enhanced through the SL methodology will be CHAPTER I I : PR IOR THE IMPLEMENTATI ON IN A COURSE

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Finally, to define the service objective, it is important to consider that the purpose of the service and its connection to the course must be clear to the students. The clearer the meaning of the project for the people involved, the better the quality of the result . To define the community partner to work with, it is first necessary to check that the characteristics of the community partner complement those of the course and vice versa. To determine this, it is necessary to think about the profile of the community partner to work with: degree of vulnerability, remoteness, level of structure, previous experience with SL courses, necessary infrastructure, among others. It is also necessary to think about the characteristics of the course; learning objectives, number and characteristics of the students, level of study, SL teaching training, available resources, among others. FINDING A COMMUNITY PARTNER

At the end of the Analysis of Pharmaceutical Products course, students will be able to

With a community partner

Without an established community partner *

1. Apply analytical techniques for determining the quality of pharmaceutical products in the commune medical office. 2 . Apply techniques for determining the active principles for the enrichment of products for physiotherapy.

Think about the work that will be done in the municipality of Frutillar jointly with the entrepreneurs in the area of cosmetic products, it is expected that the future chemists and pharmacists will be able to:

Apply the techniques for determining the active principles for the enrichment of Chilean artisanal cosmetics.

*Is it possible to work with more than one community partner? Yes, especially when a course has a large number of students.

The important thing is that the service objectives contemplate a final product that makes sense to the community partner and meets the objectives of the course.

* Generally, when there is no defined community partner, a list is made of possible services that may be planned from the course. In this way, the information may be sent to a list of potential partners and then develop the service jointly.

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the learning that the students should obtain, the needs of the community partners and the pedagogical projects of the teaching team. In short, it is important to develop a mutual understanding with regard to nature of the work and the responsibilities of each participant, as this will allow the stipulation of commitments, ethical safeguards, time of dedication, spaces and resources to be used, preventing any kind of inconvenience during the process. In this way it is possible to safeguard the quality of the service and the students' learning, while promoting a satisfactory experience for whoever is involved in this partnership or project. -

Once the design, planning and search for community partner(s) is completed, project implementation begins.

expectations are adjusted, visit agreements are made, and roles within the project are established. Remember that the feasibility of working together with the community partner will depend on whether the needs of the community are related to the contents or tools that are expected to be developed in the course.

Once the community partner has been characterized, you can think about organizations you have worked with before, consult with other teaching teams of the academic unit or even of the university, or conduct an open call. You can also review some of the community partners you have worked with previously at UC SL. See civil society community partners here . Or, you can contact community based organizations, for example, the Puentes UC program. After finding a potential community partner, the teaching team has a meeting with the partner, where the objective of the SL project is explained,

CONSTITUTION OF A SL PARTNERSHIP

A first element to start the SL project execution is the incorporation of the SL partnership. This may be done before or at the beginning of the semester. The SL partnership is the relationship established between the teaching team and the community partner, who structure and commit themselves to a service project in a bidirectional way. Conducting a SL partnership implies an involvement of the community partner with the SL project, since commitments and agreements are established to be carried out during the semester. This relationship allows the project to be carried out jointly and horizontally, preventing assistentialism and promoting mutual learning. In this way, this alliance will allow for a synergy among the service experience,

*It is important to ensure that the products of the work respond to the real needs of the community partner; that are at the level of the expected competencies of students and that may be performed during the course period.

Puentes UC is a program of the UC Policy Center, which allows UC students to develop projects that contribute in a concrete and useful way to the solution of real public problems. It has agreements with municipalities that require the contribution of students. This is why Puentes UC projects are developed as part of the students' academic training, to challenge them developing proposals and implementing interventions for the benefit of various public organizations, using tools and skills acquired during their professional training

.

* Although the means of connection with the community partner is the person who represents it, it may not always be possible to work directly with this person, but rather with different members of the organization. This is

why it is very important to recognize and be clear about who you will be working with and what their needs are before starting the service activity, in order to avoid possible confusions when carrying out the work in the field.

CHAPTER III: DURING THE COURSE DEVELOPMENT

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2 . Taking care of those details that improve interpersonal relationships: showing interest and attention to aspects of each community partner and/or his/her representative that are not related to the specific work that you have with him/her: how he/she has been, what is new in the work, what he/she is doing in the organization, etc. 3. Periodically monitoring the compliance with the schedule, roles and responsibilities of each participant, as established in the agreement, in order to make any changes that may be necessary. 4. Conducting periodic assessments of the work process and the products expected at each stage, including the participation of students, community partners and the teaching team: This allows each participant to give and obtain feedback, and to make the changes deemed necessary for the successful implementation of the SL partnership. 5. Recognizing the achievements of the SL partnership. It is very positive to express gratitude and/or celebrate the achievements obtained with the community partner : For this purpose, it is possible to:

Elements to maintain the relationship with the community partner during the working period Once the agreement document has been signed, it is recommended that the following actions be taken to ensure that the relationship with the community partner is as effective as possible. 1. Maintaining a sincere and fluid communication with the community partner: With a sincere and fluid relationship with the community partner: it is possible to make more effective and consensual decisions during the working period. For that, it is necessary to: • Promote an open communication policy with the community partner. Express the desire to communicate immediately and directly any comments or impressions relevant to the work. Take the initiative to do this, since a declaration of intent does not ensure that the community partner will communicate spontaneously. • Agree the use of expeditious and consensual means of communication: telephone calls, e-mail or others.

Students:

•

Teaching Team:

* It is suggested that upon completion of the SL project, a compliance analysis be carried out by the different parties to assess the quality of the relationship between the teaching team and the community partner, as well as between the students and the community partner.

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*The communication with the community partner may be carried out by both the teaching team and the students. The important thing is that there is good communication among the three parties so that misunderstandings do not occur.

A SL partnership with projections may integrate new courses to the service work. This makes it possible to work integrally on community problems. It is possible to integrate new courses that work from other disciplines or professional fields, in a coordinated and interdisciplinary way, or to invite them to a new work alternating to that of the first course.

carried out in the course, it is important to provide a space for the presentation of the methodology and the challenges that will be addressed in the service. This will allow the students to avoid being surprised by the service, as well as to understand the meaning and importance of this kind of methodologies for their training.

• Send formal acknowledgements: letters, cards or e-mails of thanks and congratulations. • Give awards or recognition objects: diplomas or symbolic rewards (e.g., chocolates, photographs, etc.). • Generate and invite to recognition events, with the participation of students, faculty and community partners (e.g., a closing day of the course).

Reasons for taking the SL partnership beyond the current course

• It is highly possible that at a first opportunity the community partner's knowledge on the key aspects of the academic world is not very broad, and vice versa. Therefore, a work that extends over a semester allows to increase the mutual knowledge and learning of both parties, allowing to improve the results of the SL partnership. • A forward-looking SL partnership may assess in a formative way the total work of one semester, using that information to improve it in the next semester, define new and/or better objectives and increase the impact of the service.

INITIAL PRESENTATION OF SL IN THE COURSE

Another element to consider from the beginning of the semester is an initial presentation. For students to be aware of the activities that will be

Positive aspects: that the activity resulted very well, and both the partner and we were able to learn. Aspects to be improved: the communication with the partner because we wanted to do other activities at the beginning, and we did not receive an answer from the director. Finally, after visiting them again, she gave us the phone number and everything worked out better.

Student of the course Fundamentals of Integrated Dentistry II, Dentistry

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Presentation of the methodology

semester to show the methodology, communicate students the learning objectives that will be addressed through the SL methodology, the strategies and activities that will be used for its implementation, as well as to show the schedule of assessments and reflections. The Service-Learning coordination offers the possibility of going and presenting the courses, in case it is the first time that the methodology is implemented. In addition, there is a presentation available on the Service-Learning UC website. You can access it by clicking here

One of the elements to get students involved in the Service Learning project is to stimulate and motivate them with the process, in order to achieve the best possible results. It is important to consider that most of the students, especially the first year students, have never experienced a real service activity in a community where they have to meet the needs in a direct way and applying disciplinary knowledge, therefore, they do not know the SL methodology. For this reason, it is important to plan a session at the beginning of the

of the options of where they can attend.

Presentation of the community partner

• Setting up a meeting with each community partner and the group or student that will attend the institution, accompanied by the professor and/or assistant. This meeting may be very useful for adjusting and renegotiating the aspects of the service that will be provided. • Conducting a general presentation of the community partners, not having them attend a class. In this case, the teaching team will present the characteristics and needs of the community partner

While it is important for the students to know the methodology, it is also important to introduce the community partner(s) they will be working with, explaining their needs and characteristics. The purpose is that they will learn the basic data (name, location, mission, history) of the institution where they will be working. • Inviting all community partners to a class to introduce themselves to the entire course, establishing initial contacts and agreements with the student or working groups. In case it is not yet defined where they will attend, it helps to give them an idea This may be done by :

• Providing contact details of the institution to each student or working group, so that they can obtain the information in an independent way .

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SL DIAGNOSTIC

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SERVICE PROJECT

the their knowledge of the issues and their implications for the community they will be working with When we talk about diagnostic in Service Learning, we refer to the analysis of the context within which the project is to be carried out. In the first place, the social situation must be characterized, and relationships and problems must be detected, and process, increasing

Since every SL project requires involvement with a community, it is first necessary to carry out a diagnostic to find out what are the real needs that will be addressed by the course and how the community will be impacted by the joint work. In this case, although the agreement document allows a first approach to the community, the diagnostic becomes relevant since the students are the protagonists of this part of

After establishing the agreements and commitments to be made during the semester and the initial presentation to the course, comes the execution of what was planned .

Testimonial of a student in the Voice Intervention course

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then possible lines of action must be defined. A good diagnostic will mean that the intervention will make sense and have a real impact on the community and on the learning of the different people involved in the project. It is important to consider that if the problem is not defined correctly, the work to be done will not be adequate to solve or prevent the problem expressed by the community and therefore, the service will not be of quality. This is why it must be considered that the problems, challenges or social needs are multiple and complex and that a course cannot and should not respond to all of them , so the students, with the support of the teaching team, should consider those that may be addressed from a pedagogical project (Tapia, 2006). It should be considered that the tools or instruments to be used for this diagnostic will depend on the time and purpose sought. Regardless of this, the key people who can help in this process, such as community leaders, leaders of community centers or organizations, among others, should be considered.

Possible unforeseen events during the project’s implementation In addition to the diagnostic, another point to take into consideration is to prevent complications or misunderstandings by signing the agreement document, as mentioned above. This will make it possible to deal with situations that could not be prevented at the time of project design and will reduce anxieties on both sides. Below are possible factors that have been detected and may affect the service project. It is recommended to review them carefully and take the corresponding measures. • Lack of time : sometimes it may happen that the workload for the community partner to carry out a project with university students exceeds their possibilities, or that the students need more time for the development of the committed products or even that the professor does not have enough time to dedicate to the work with the community partners and to the teaching advisory services for students. In this regard, it is

To see concrete tools for carrying out a diagnostic, you can click here.

recommended to assess the time availability of each party or to define in advance any possible unforeseen eventuality. - Lack of economic resources : it may happen that the costs of mobilization to the place of work with the community partners or the costs of elaborating the products exceed student capacity to cover and additional financing may be necessary. For this, it is recommended to consider possible support from the academic unit or university competitive funds. - Lack of skills for collaborative work : it could happen that some of the actors involved in the SL Partnership (community partners, professors or students) do not have the skills to negotiate and work collaboratively, putting constant stress on their ability to negotiate and work collaboratively, constantly obstructing and hindering the

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* As we have already mentioned, although we can anticipate or avoid its occurrence, this kind of problem is not always foreseeable. To deal with them, it is essential to have a quality relationship with the community partner and the capacity to adapt to changes. This relationship is usually conformed in a better way when it is supported by an agreement signed by each actor in the project committing their time and resources, since in this way there is transparency of what is expected for each participant and the relationship is built on mutual willingness, motivation and respect.

involved in the project. This may be done by writing a formal letter or by sending the agreement document to all persons who may need to have access to it. • Political problems, external and/or internal to the organization : there are certain contextual situations that could interfere in the good development of the joint work, such as, for example, strikes, national stoppages, takeovers, staff turnover, etc. In this case, it may be useful to clarify that these situations may occur and that, in any case, they will be part of the learning of the course. Some solutions to these problems may be to reassign groups, contract another community partner, etc. The main thing is that we can ensure the learning of the students and that these situations are used in favor and as an example of the current reality. infrastructure problems: It should be considered that due to environmental or infrastructure conditions at the site, some of the planned activities may have to be suspended or rescheduled. or

development of the work. In this case, it is possible to carry out activities that promote teamwork. SL coordination has created a repository of activities to promote teamwork. You can see them by clicking here. • Lack of skills in the specific tasks to be performed: sometimes students do not yet have the necessary knowledge and skills for working on the committed products and are overtaxed and frustrated with regard to their real contribution to the service. In these cases, it is essential to have a space that allows for supervision or guidance around the service project. For this purpose, it may be essential to have internships that could help to address these issues . • Lack of support from organizational leaders: It may happen to establish agreements with an area or department within an organization without the support or knowledge of the leaders, which could prevent students from having access to the necessary information to carry out the service or that the product developed may be inapplicable. From this point of view, it is important to ensure that the information is brought to each person

* Likewise, it is important to always safeguard the learning objectives when facing these unforeseen events, without sacrificing them trying to solve the problem .

• Environmental

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The reflection instance is a tool that aims to form critical and proactive people, through service and immersion in the context of the social reality of the community. The purpose is for students to be able to put their thoughts into words, order them and materialize them , allowing intellectual understanding of the activities carried out during the implementation of SL. Reflection also makes it possible to identify lessons learned and unforeseen events with their possible solutions , since it allows more people in the course to become involved in the subject matter addressed, providing an external view of the problem. Reflection becomes effective when it is able to move students and make them learn contextually and meaningfully, by problematizing their own service experience. This is why a reflection strategy should focus on previous experiences, difficulties, questions and challenges, as well as on actions, thoughts, theories and emotions arising from the service project.

Definitely, the reflection strategy is thought in a global way for the whole semester, having different reflection activities that help the achievement of the general

Based on the above, it is expected that the implementation of a reflection strategy will allow connecting the content of the course with the service, developing teamwork skills, social and public commitment, critical thinking, problem solving, among others, as well as identifying and facing unforeseen events. Therefore, it should be a reflection that aims at understanding the social conditions that give rise to the need for service, establishing connections with the contribution of professional and academic practice.

IMPLEMENTING A REFLECTION STRATEGY

It is always welcome to take a pause for reflection, especially considering the level of stress that we have in the middle of the semester, which prevents us from pausing to reflect on what we do every day and what we, as future professionals,

may contribute to our society. This activity

represents a pleasant and relaxed space, which rarely exists in the courses and even less in the chemistry career.

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The different reflection activities in a course are carefully designed taking into account curricular learning objectives, value objectives and transversal skills to be developed throughout the course. Each reflection will then have its own objective. A reflection activity may be oriented both retrospectively and prospectively, that is, it can promote reflection and critical analysis according to past or future situations,

which allows students to situate themselves in different scenarios and to elaborate a deeper learning process around the project. Because of this, it is necessary to generate established spaces for reflection, ideally in the three stages of implementation: prior (awareness and exploration of expectations), during (pointing to the experience) and once the project is finished (drawing conclusions).

EXAMPLE OF A REFLECTION STRATEGY IN A SL COURSE

Developing as a team a diagnosis, proposal, and training regarding weed control of a small farmer's crop.

THREE INSTANCES OR ACTIVITIES ARE DESIGNED BASED ON REFLECTION

Carrying out an activity called "the thermometer ” which discusses how the professional profile relates to the service activity performed and ethical aspects of the use of pesticides

Perform a SWOT to analyze your experience after the first visit with the farmers.

Analyze the reality of small farmers who visit and the challenges of the students in designing, implementing and executing their action plan.

* It is important to consider that a reflection activity may be carried out by the community partner as well as by assistants and/or professors .

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