{"id":5650,"date":"2025-05-14T15:06:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T13:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucsia.org\/nieuws\/service-learning-as-a-bridge-between-education-and-society\/"},"modified":"2025-05-14T15:32:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T13:32:31","slug":"service-learning-as-a-bridge-between-education-and-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucsia.org\/en\/nieuws\/service-learning-as-a-bridge-between-education-and-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Service-learning as a bridge between education and society"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Service-learning is a teaching form where students apply their academic knowledge in social projects and learn from them at the same time. By collaborating with social organisations outside the educational institution, this method links theoretical insights to practical experience.<\/p>\n

The aim is twofold: students develop relevant skills and attitudes, and social partners are supported in their operations. This creates an equal partnership where learning and community service go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

\u2018A lot of knowledge and expertise can be found outside the walls of the college or university,\u2019 says Kaat Somers, project coordinator for service-learning at UCSIA and coordinator of the Flemish Network for Service-Learning in Higher Education. It is precisely this interaction between education and society that makes service-learning valuable. Not only the student learns, social organisations also benefit from the cooperation.<\/p>\n

In the interview, Somers argues for a structural embedding of service-learning within higher education. In a world with complex challenges such as climate change and social inequality, pure knowledge transfer is no longer enough. Students need experience, values and new insights that prepare them for a diverse and rapidly changing society.<\/p>\n

You can apply service-learning in a variety of disciplines, from social sectors to engineering courses and philosophical subjects. It is about students learning from unexpected situations and reflecting on their social role.<\/p>\n

Service-learning is often associated with higher education, but you can apply the principle at any level of education, from primary school to university.<\/p>\n

In primary and secondary schools, the implementation is simpler, of course. Young children do not need to analyse in-depth social issues yet, but they can, for example, learn about the living environment of others, care for their surroundings or take small social actions. In this way, they learn early on about involvement, cooperation and responsibility.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead the interview in Tertio (in Dutch)<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Do you want to know more about service-learning?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCheck out our theme 'Education & Service-Learning'<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOrder the book 'Service-learning in hoger onderwijs' (in Dutch)<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVisit the website of the Flemish Network for Service Learning in Higher Education<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVisit the website of EASLHE - the European Association for Service-Learning in Higher Education<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recent issue of Tertio featured an interview with colleague Kaat Somers (UCSIA) on what the added value of service-learning in higher education is to society. As an experiential form of education, service-learning bridges the gap between learning and engagement, and offers students the chance to contribute to societal challenges through concrete projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5624,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[39],"topic":[33],"class_list":["post-5650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-media","tag-in-the-media","topic-education-and-service-learning"],"yoast_head":"\nService-learning as a bridge between education and society - UCSIA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read the interview with colleague Kaat Somers and find out how and why service-learning connects education to our complex society.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucsia.org\/en\/nieuws\/service-learning-as-a-bridge-between-education-and-society\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Service-learning as a bridge between education and society - 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