UCLL is renowned for the high quality of its teaching, practice-oriented research & regional development. More than 30 professional bachelor (EQF 6), and 30 lifelong learning study programmes are offered in various study areas: Education, Health Care, Applied Social Studies, Applied Engineering & Technology, and Business Management. Yearly about 14.000 students are enrolled in UCLL. Moreover, about 15.000 professionals follow a training, seminar or workshop at UCLL. UCLL’s strong commitment to research ensures state-of-the-art study programmes and trainings for these students and professionals. Over 1300 staff are currently contracted by UCLL, excluding a few hundred guest lecturers active in our various short-term programmes.
Research at UCLL is unquestionably practice-oriented. Together with other regional and international knowledge institutions, companies and organizations, the government and funding agencies, UCLL generates new, applied knowledge through a wide range of (international) research projects and offers this knowledge via training and advice.
The research centre of “Inclusive Society” will be involved in this project. This centre is a hands-on knowledge and training centre that builds practical (scientific) expertise on inclusion, participation and diversity. We do this by bringing together growing expertise and cooperation with other partners. In addition to contributing to a democratic society, Inclusive Society generally strives to respond to social evolutions in the field of welfare and health care through practice-based research. The research team focuses on the further intensification and development of an inclusive society with a specific focus on inclusive education, social integration, language as a diverse human characteristic, economic disadvantage, behavioural problems and super-diversity.
UCLL has a long standing tradition in student participation. UCLL values student participation in its important role in their ‘support-continuum’. Student representatives and student groups are vital gatekeepers in detecting problems, as the students are their peers. They play an active rol in providing a social network for students and guiding students towards support if necessary. Despite all these measures and support,
UCLL faces a drastic decline in the participation of students in both elections and as candidates for these representative organs. Participation often hoovers below 20%. The number of non-traditional students is growing, yet they are rarely part of the existing student groups or student council. This makes the decline in participation of students and the lack of diversity in participation very troubling.
To counter all this, UCLL did start a research project on ‘student participation’ in september 2019. UCLL engaged in an active search for a more civic and democratic student participation. The goal is to discover new ways of integrating students in the governance of the institution, decisions made in their degree programme, and the daily business of organising their courses and campus. The project involves, of course, mainly students.
UCLL will contribute to every aspect of this project, but especially co-leading Work package 4: Student Engagement Course – Learning for Active & Inclusive Engagement
Yasmine Goossens, Project Lead
Yasmine is leading a two-year participatory project with non-traditional students at UCLL. Her project is aimed towards
Manûshân Nesari, Team Lead Student Services
Manu Nesari is team lead of the student services at UCLL. Student services are responsible for everything concerning the student life (housing, food, social services, mental health, culture, sports, mobility,…). Student participation is also one of the domains of this student life. In cooperation with the participation coaches at UCLL he tries to optimize student participation. A long time ago he himself was a student representative.
To ensure that service-learning projects have a positive and lasting impact on all stakeholders: the community, the higher education institution, and the student, they should be evaluated regularly and thoughtfully. Ongoing evaluation helps identify what’s working well, what can be improved, and how the experience is contributing to shared goals. To support this process, we’ve provided a selection of tools and frameworks to help you plan and conduct evaluations. Please note that even though some resources refer to e-Service-Learning, they are also applicable in the face-to-face context
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: Introduction and guidelines for the evaluation of Service-Learning community impact
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: A Service-Learning impact measurement tool
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: A Service-Learning projects quality assessment tool
Service-learning projects should be designed to respond to the real needs of the community. To ensure their relevance and impact, higher education institutions must actively collaborate with community partners, such as NGOs, local organisations and institutions that are directly engaged with the community’s most pressing challenges. Building and sustaining these partnerships requires mutual trust, clear communication, and shared goals. To support you in establishing collaborations with community partners, co-designing projects, and implementing them effectively, here is a a useful resource (please note that even though it refers to e-Service-Learning, it is also applicable in the face-to-face context).
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: Manual for community partners involved or planning to be involved in the e-Service-Learning. However, this manual is also applicable in a traditional face-to-face setting.
More resources can be found in our Resource Library.
Capacity building is the first step to supporting the effective implementation of service-learning across the higher education institution. When teaching staff are equipped with the right knowledge, tools, and pedagogical strategies, they are better prepared to design relevant service-learning experiences and guide students through the process. Here is a helpful handbook (please note that even though it refers to e-Service-Learning, it is also applicable in the face-to-face context).
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: A train-the-traniner set of guidelines for introducing e-Service-Learning. However, these guidelines are also applicable in a traditional face-to-face setting.
More resources can be found in our Resource Library.
Institutionalising service-learning is essential for its successful and sustainable implementation, moving beyond isolated efforts driven solely by individual enthusiasm. When support is provided at the institutional level, it becomes much easier to embed service-learning systematically into the curricula. However, this process must also take into account some contextual factors, such as the characteristics of the national higher education system and existing institutional policies and frameworks. To help you navigate these complexities, here are guidelines that can support institutional adoption and long-term implementation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: Guidelines for institutionalisation of service-learning based on research
More resources can be found in our Resource Library.
Assessment is a key element of service-learning, particularly because, according to the EASLHE definition, the learning achieved through this methodology must be formally recognised through ECTS credits. However, this stage can be particularly sensitive, as traditional assessment methods often do not fully capture students’ learning in a service-learning context. To support you in developing fair assessment strategies, here is a set of tools and examples to help you plan and implement appropriate assessment methods.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: Guidelines for trainers and universities for adopting the methodology and tools
More resources can be found in our Resource Library.
Reflection is a crucial component of the service-learning process, as it enables students to connect their community service experiences with the learning outcomes of the course. Reflection can take many forms: written, oral, creative, or digital, depending on the goals of the service-learning project, the way it has been integrated into the curriculum and your students’ needs. To support the design of meaningful reflection activities, here is a useful template that can help structure this important part of the Service-Learning experience.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: A Service-Learning project reflection template
More tools and templates can be found in our Resource Library.
Once everything is planned and the service-learning elements are integrated into your curriculum, students should be thoroughly informed about each step of the process and the expectations they are expected to meet. After addressing any questions or concerns, it’s time for the community partners to take an active role in the implementation. At this stage, clear and consistent communication is essential, along with careful documentation of the students’ activities, progress, and contributions. To find inspiration check out the projects and practices showcased by the European Association for Service Learning in Higher Education (EASLHE):
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCES: An overview of EASLHE’s (European Association for Service Learning in Higher Education) projects, with a map-based visualisation tool.
More resources, such as such as journalling tool is available to help students regularly reflect on their experiences and learning while the community service is in progress can be found in our Resource Library.
If you want to implement the service-learning methodology in your teaching practice, it’s important to consider your institutional context, the learning outcomes outlined in your curriculum, your students’ aspirations, and the needs of your community. To support you in this process, here is a useful resource that will help you understand the basic principles of service-learning, identify key stakeholders, and design meaningful, impactful experiences for both students and the community.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESOURCE: A guide for embedding Service-Learning elements into the curriculum and recommendations for higher education institutions
More resources, such as such as guidelines, handbooks, and templates can be found in our Resource Library
