شبكة المعلومات العربية التربوية

There is a growing appreciation of the importance of combining academic study and community service-learning. Service-learning programs create a link between different Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs), their faculty and students, and the community organizations. This link is formed by partnerships between universities and community organizations to support civic engagement and public good. Previous studies on service-learning programs emphasized the aims of the IHEs and faculty, as well as the positive outcomes on students. However, less attention has been paid to the perceived impact on the community partners. This study aims to give voice to community partners who are part of the experience of the course-semester at a private university in Egypt. It was conducted to address three main questions: 1) What was the perceived impact of the service-learning projects on the partnering organizations? 2) To what extent were service-learning projects sustained after the end of the service-learning courses? and 3) What are recommendations for enhancing the sustainability of partnerships and projects outcomes? The study consisted of two phases. The first phase consisted of nine semi-structured interviews with community partners and university faculty and administrators. The second phase consisted of a survey of 21 community partners. The general findings suggested that service-learning partnerships with community partners can be developed with time and efforts. Despite challenges, community partners showed their willing to work with the university students through service-learning courses. Recommendation for changes were suggested to the current practices related to several areas, such as communication regarding the course arrangements, mutual benefits, course-duration, and methods to support the partnership and the outcomes of projects/activities. (Author's abstract)