Community and Service Learning Session

Moderator: Ronald Welch, Dean of Engineering, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina and Leah Jamieson, John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering, Purdue University Speakers: Ronald Welch, Dean of Engineering, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina; Moshe Kam, Dean of Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Jennifer Ogle, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, Clemson University; and Bill Oakes, Director, EPICS Program and Professor of Engineering Education, Purdue University Historically, service learning has been viewed as an extracurricular volunteer student and faculty activity – with little or no credit for either group. However, giving students opportunities to solve meaningful, real-world problems with tangible results as they learn fundamental concepts promises to be a powerful way to engage students and provide worldwide impact. Research has shown the problem-based learning, such as that utilized in engineering service learning programs, enhances knowledge transfer learning, team skills, retention, and design thinking. When implemented early in the college experience, these programs increase the retention of women and under-represented populations by building learning communities. Further, these programs have been shown to encourage self-regulated learning, a key asset for professional success.