Faculty Perspectives on the Challenges and Benefits of Providing Service-Learning Pedagogy in Higher Education: An Historical Study of Ten Diverse Central Maryland Colleges and Universities

Although service-learning is considered to be a fairly new pedagogy in U.S. institutions of higher education, its origins can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century philosopher John Dewey and his "learn by doing" approach to education. Service-learning has gained popularity as a form of applied learning that helps increase student's academic learning, and assessment of service-learning on outcomes for students has been positive; however, some faculty resist applying this pedagogy in their planning. This historical study explores the origins of this emerging field from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, with a focus on current faculty pioneers who have created and developed service-learning content in their respective academic disciplines.The researcher conducted oral histories with faculty members at ten diverse central Maryland universities and colleges to discover educators' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of implementing this pedagogy in coursework. As a result of this study, the researcher recommends ways to improve student retention on campuses, to increase civic awareness, and to explore the new frontier of international service-learning for local and global impact