“Service Learning and community engagment: the experience of the teaching and learning centre at the University of Palermo

Abstract

The Teaching Learning Centre (TLC) - CIMDU of the University of Palermo (Unipa) has promoted a two-year Service-Learning (SL) experimentation since 2023, aimed at courses of study that are interested in active and student-centred teaching methodologies. In fact, thanks to the calls for project funding, Unipa's TLC- Cimdu promotes the adoption of Service-Learning in Study Courses, as an integrated educational approach to teaching that allows theoretical knowledge to be connected with practical experience through the direct involvement of students in activities aimed at the community and the territory. This approach enables students to apply the knowledge acquired in the classroom in real contexts, fostering a deeper and more critical understanding of disciplinary content while developing a sense of social responsibility. The aim of the paper is to show the results of the experimentation conducted in the study courses whose projects won the call and adopted SL in various subject areas. The data collected show a strong motivational participation of the students, who feel protagonists of their own learning, consolidating knowledge and skills in real contexts. In addition, the project partner associations and organisations become to all intents and purposes actors in the teaching/learning process, strengthening the link between the educational institution and the needs of the community. The participants in the experiment testified how, thanks to Service-Learning, it was possible to develop transversal skills that are essential for a student's education: social responsibility, collaboration, empathy and problem solving. Furthermore, SL stimulated students' motivation, as it made them protagonists of their own educational pathway, enhancing their active role and the experiential dimension of learning. At the end of the course, the students receive an open badge certifying the skills acquired in addition to the traditional credits, thus enhancing the non-formal training dimension and recognising the importance of transversal skills. At the same time, the TLC-CIMDU offers specific training to the teachers involved, improving the quality of teaching and fostering the construction of an inclusive and collaborative academic community, in which teachers and students co-construct “know-how”. Although SL experiments are common to many universities, we believe that the Palermo experience may be an example of an integrated Service-Learning system model, capable of improving the quality of education at university and strengthening the link between university and territory, contributing significantly to the conference's themes of innovation and social responsibility.