ABSTRACT
Among educators in higher education institutions, collaboration connotes relationships of somewhat greater intensity than does the word “cooperation,” and it generally implies a relationship among equals pursuing a goal of mutual interest or defined outcomes in student learning. To facilitate a seamless learning environment, the General Education Office (GEO) and the Student Affairs Office (SAO) of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) work collaboratively to launch pilot credit-bearing courses that incorporated a service-learning component in general education. This attempt tries to make service-learning a credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of the course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility. The aim of this chapter 1 is to explore what students have experienced and reflected on and the learning outcomes gained after being involved in service-learning, especially in terms of their generic skills competency and knowledge integration abilities, through the use of documentary analysis and quantitative survey. In addition, focus interviews and observations are used to evaluate how students perceive their own learning and provide further feedback on how such courses should be conducted. The implications on how a service-learning component can be integrated into academic learning and the building of collaborative relationships between academic faculty and student affairs are discussed.
