Information Sheet for Students
Students Learning With Communities, Access and Civic Engagement Office
Dublin Institute of Technology
What is Students Learning With Communities?
It is also known as service-learning or community-based learning.
It is a way of taking your learning out of the class-room or lecture hall, and getting you to work with
communities on projects that will be of mutual benefit. This community might be a voluntary organisation, a
charity, a club, a school – in fact any organisation that could use assistance but is not in a position to pay for
it. You will learn from the community about their strengths and needs, which will give you invaluable
understanding of your possible future clients. The project will also help you to develop your interpersonal
skills and your ability to apply your theoretical learning to practical problems. The project forms part of your
programme of study and your work will be
Community-based learning is very different from volunteering which is usually part of the ongoing work of
the community, and also from work placement, which is primarily designed to benefit you.
What do I get from Students Learning With Communities?
You will find that your programmes of study are not just some theories that your lecturers pick “out of the
air”, but come to life for you when combined and applied to real-life problems to help provide solutions. You
will become a self-directed learner, finding out what you are good at, having the chance to overcome your
weaknesses, and discovering how much you still have to learn.
Studies have shown that students who learn with communities experience a wide range of benefits, including
increased confidence, improved problem-solving and interpersonal skills, a deeper understanding of course
material, lower drop-out rates, and a strong sense of civic responsibility (Hurd, Clayton A. (2006) Is Service
Learning Effective? A look at current research. Colorado State University).
You and/or your lecturer will define a project together with a community partner. The very act of sitting
down and planning a project is in itself a major learning exercise for all involved – it helps you to learn
project management skills such as setting realistic goals and managing your time to achieve them. It also
helps you to see how much your client already knows about their own situation – their knowledge is an
invaluable resource, and if you use it, you can keep learning about your own subject throughout your
professional life.
Your suggestions for future projects with communities, based on your reflections on your experiences on this
project, could influence the future direction of teaching and research in DIT.
You will realise that the benefits of professional work are much broader than just the financial. In reflecting
on your work on this project you will be asked to think about the implications of your work for society, and
how you can work to improve the lives of those facing serious inequalities, such as socio-economic
disadvantage, disabilities, or other kinds of discrimination.
What about assessment?
Your lecturer will give you clear guidelines on how you will be assessed and what work you have to submit.
The project will normally be assessed through continuous assessment. Marks may be group marks (if the
project involved group work), individual marks, or a combination of these.
Assessment may take a variety of forms but will normally include:
1. Reflection on your learning from this module.
2. Finished piece of work for the community as agreed.
Are there downsides to Students Learning With Communities?
You will have to manage your time carefully, as learning with a community often involves travel as well as
time spent with them, time spent in class and on assignments. You will also want to get started on your
project early to ensure you are happy with the standard of your work, as the final piece will be presented to
the community. General DIT student feedback is that while the work is quite challenging (particularly if it
involves presentations), is it also very fulfilling, but most students wish they had organised themselves
earlier in the project.
What is my input into the project?
At the start of the project you and/or your lecturer will meet the community to agree the brief. Your lecturer
will give you the information you need about assessment dates, details etc, and they and/or the community
contact will organise a ‘cultural induction’ for you – introducing you to the community, their recent history,
their strengths and weaknesses. You will then agree practical details like contact times etc with the
community, as well as defining your contribution to the project and your own learning outcomes – these
must be manageable within the timeframe of the project, and allow for your other academic commitments.
You will then work on and complete the project, while reflecting on your experience. You will submit the
required material for assessment at the end of the module. You will be asked to participate in a short
evaluation of the project at the end. Depending on the nature of the project and its status on completion, you
may be involved in discussing how to proceed and/or hand over the project to other students for the
following year.
If you encounter any serious problems with the community or with your own work plan, you should discuss
this with your lecturer immediately. Likewise if the community members experience serious problems in any
interaction with you, they should be able to discuss this with you and/or your lecturer and expect a
reasonably prompt and appropriate response.
What are my responsibilities on the project?
When participating in a Students Learning With Communities project you need to take on a certain level of
responsibility. This work calls on you to be exceptionally reliable, resourceful and mature in your
interactions with the community group. You have an equal obligation to your lecturers, getting course credits
for your work, and to the community you are working with, particularly if it is a vulnerable or marginalised
group. You also have to be very committed to playing your part and meeting your project goals and
deadlines. Be punctual, and flexible, as would be required in any professional situation. Also take reasonable
precautions in relation to your own safety (eg: mind personal belongings, do not share personal contact
details).
High ethical standards in carrying out Student Learning With Community Projects are essential. You need to
consider the following:

Protecting the privacy and dignity of the individual and group is paramount. If you are carrying out
research, it must not harm the subjects. When writing up reports you need to be really sensitive to
privacy – it is generally a good idea to run the report by the community group so that their reputation
is protected, not necessarily to change the data or alter conclusions. Confidentiality and anonymity
may be necessary – so ask for personal information only when needed.



The culture of your community group needs to be respected. Language, especially the use of
technical language, may prove difficult, so you should look for clear ways to communicate. Literacy
may also be an issue – don’t ever ask people to read aloud in public, and you should offer to read
material with them.
You need to explain clearly to community members what will be done with the information they are
sharing as part of a project; whether it will be made public; and if so the possibility that it may be
picked up by the media. In this way they can give informed consent to their words or images being
used. It is their choice to participate and you need to plan for the possibility that they may exercise
their right to withdraw at any time. They may find it easier to give consent at the end of the project
when they have had experience of what they are giving consent to (again please consider that there is
always a possibility that they may not give consent). The primary guiding rule when working with a
vulnerable group is to respect their wishes and their privacy at all times.
If working with children, you will probably need to be Garda vetted, which your lecturer will
organise. You must observe DIT’s child protection policies at all times.
Adapted from Community-Based Research and Higher Education: Principles and Practices. Strand,
Marullo, Cutforth, Stoecker, Donohue. Josey-Bass 2003
Are you interested?
If you are in the early years of your study, you should talk to your lecturers about your ideas. They may
already have a Students Learning With Communities project up and running, or they may have an idea that
you could help them to develop. If you are coming to the end of your studies, you’ll be in a better position to
choose a topic for your own project, as part of which you might like to consider working with a community
group. Talk to your project supervisor for advice, and/or contact the Programme for Students Learning With
Communities for support at (01) 402 7616, or slwc@dit.ie
You can find more information, including project examples and resources, on our website on
www.dit.ie/ace/studentslearningwithcommunities