Innovative practice articles
Developing Civic Engagement in Distance Higher Education: A Case Study of Virtual Service-Learning (vSL) Programme in Spain
Authors:
- Juan García-GutierrezEmail Juan García-Gutierrez
- Marta Ruiz-Corbella
- Araceli del Pozo Armentia
Abstract
Higher Education is demanding the need of a greater connection between its academic offer and the necessary civic engagement of the graduates. This has given Spain the opportunity, for just over a decade, to develop the methodology of service-learning, which combines both the theoretical and practical aspect of university learning with the practical development of solidarity and civic commitment of the students. At the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED, Spain) we have designed an online service-learning proposal, based on the virtual exchange which occurs between the students from the UNED and the University of Porto-Novo (Benin), requiring practical classes of Spanish. The result favours continuing with this virtual service-learning project aimed at the exchange with other universities; strengthening the planning of the training proposal for the development of ethical competence and civic engagement; the design of solidarity service action that enhances global citizenship and intercultural dialogue, consolidates digital competence, etc., all in a virtual educational environment.
- Year: 2017
- Volume: 9 Issue: 2
- Page/Article: 235-244
- DOI: 10.5944/openpraxis.9.2.578
- Submitted on 30 Jan 2017
- Accepted on 23 May 2017
- Published on 1 Apr 2017
- Peer Reviewed