Understanding International Service-Learning Courses and Holistic Student Development

The Department of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) has been at the forefront of International Service Learning (ISL) courses for the past two decades. CDAE currently has three ISL courses traveling to Peru, Kenya, and St. Lucia that this research is focused on. These courses, if structured correctly, can have fundamental impacts on their students. This research is designed to look at student acknowledged outcomes of these courses on their personal growth and professional development, while also suggested improvements of the courses for future years. Five faculty members in CDAE and 10 CDAE students were interviewed about their experiences in ISL courses. Two groups of students were given pre-trip and post-trip questionnaires as part of their travel component to Kenya or St. Lucia to gauge their development over the ten days they are in-country