Service learning as innovative pedagogy in online learning

Abstract

This paper discusses the intentions and outcomes of a service-learning course in LIS. Interviews with students who had recently completed the course provided insight into how the course had changed their perspective on their community. The interviews sought students' perspectives on their own empathetic development, sense of community, and impediments in completing the course. The students reported increased knowledge and understanding of the people who live in their community during the course of the semester. Traditional students, though, experienced fewer problems completing the coursework than non-traditional students, which should be considered when implementing service-learning courses at the graduate level.