Engaging and Preparing Students for Future Roles: Community-Based Learning in DIT

This paper will introduce the principles of Community-Based Learning (CBL), showing how this pedagogy allows students to use a range of learning methods on real-life projects, preparing them for a changing professional environment and social context, and enhancing their college experience. Lecturers and underserved community partners collaboratively design projects to meet the learning needs of students and to work towards community goals. Through these curriculum-based projects, students develop greater awareness of themselves as learners, and of the role of their discipline in society, as well as building a range of transferable professional skills. This paper will give 2 clear case studies on how 124 modules have been adapted to include this pedagogy in DIT, drawing on three years’ experience of coordinating the Programme for Students Learning With Communities in Technological University City. Participants will gain a clear sense of what is involved in using this approach to learning and teaching, and the benefits for their students, as well as to the participating community partners. They will also have a clear framework for planning their own projects. Community-based learning (or service-learning) is recommended in the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. Video link to the presentation http://flashhost.heanet.ie/metafiles/1ed0af638b114e0f9f40a3b48f479f66_player.htm