Service-Learning, Technology, Nonprofits, and Institutional Limitations

Abstract

This chapter develops a model of service-learning that focuses on serving the information and communication technology (ICT) needs of community organizations, and contrasts it with the traditional service-learning model used in universities, questioning if it is a more effective way of meeting nonprofits’ ICT needs. The authors evaluate their model’s utility from the perspective of a technology empowerment “stepstool” where nonprofit organizations can move from simply using existing technology better, to shaping the technology, to creating their own technology. The chapter then goes on to discuss attempts to implement versions of this model at the University of Wisconsin, discussing their strengths and weaknesses, and paying particular attention to the limitations of doing this work within an institutional framework. The current service-learning project has found working on social media projects to be more beneficial to the students and the nonprofits than more complex projects, but doing so goes against the community-identified need and request for more mission-critical assistance. To fully serve communities, the higher education context of service learning must change to make community outcomes the main priority, build courses around community projects rather than vice versa, provide students with the necessary professional skills preparation to do high quality service-learning, and design community projects around the community calendar, not the higher education calendar.