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

CHAPTER I CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V

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

CHAPTER I I I : DUR I NG THE COURSE DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER I I I : DUR I NG THE COURS E DEVELOPMENT

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