ABSTRACT
Service learning may provide an important and useful teaching innovation for industrial-organizational psychologists who train students, especially graduate students. I-O psychology can foster a culture of “helping those who help others” by socializing our students early and often in their graduate training to engage in work for the greater good. Service learning may be one important tactic for teaching I-O scientists-practitioners in training of the value and importance of their skills for both for-profit and nonprofit institutions. Furthermore, faculty who supervise service learning classes are important role models who live out these prosocial values in front of and with their graduate students (Toporek & Vaughn, 2010). The promotion of service learning is a reflection of societal values for socially responsive knowledge as well as foundational and professional knowledge (Altman, 1996). Thus, service learning is an important tool for I-O psychologists who want to enhance their teaching of psychological theories, concepts, and methodologies, and professional behaviors and skills. Unlike more classroom-based teaching techniques, it is argued that service learning also provides scholars with a much-needed opportunity to promote socially responsive learning by joining their students outside of the classroom as co-learners in collaborating with clients in meeting their self-identified needs. For example, Dr. Paul Nelson, former director of the APA’s Education Directorate promotes service learning as a critical and challenging teaching tool in developing engaged scholars. He argues that the foundations of an academic career, namely teaching, research, and service, be linked with the relevance of one’s discipline to community needs. He further argues for more intentional and collaborative reflection as a model of engaged scholar development. This collaborative reflection is an important learning opportunity, especially when it crosses disciplinary boundaries and when it occurs with those in and outside of the academy (Nelson, 2004).
