Eman Motawi

Abstract

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.

Degree Name

MS in Sustainable Development

Graduation Date

2-1-2018

Submission Date

June 2017

First Advisor

Mona, Amer

Committee Member 1

Elebrashi, Raghda

Committee Member 2

Megahed, Nagwa

Extent

171 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

Comments

I would like to acknowledge the help and assistance provided by the John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy, Civic Engagement and Responsible Business; the Academic Community Engagement program; and Community Psychology program. Special thanks go to Dr. Pandeli Glavanis, Amani El Shimi, Mohamed Hesham and Dr. Carie Forden for their support by providing me with access, data and information. I gratefully thank my supervisor Dr. Mona Amer for her valuable guidance and knowledge and for the trust deposited in my work that has helped me in carrying out this study. With great pleasure, I would like to acknowledge the support, assistance and contributions made by representatives from community organizations beginning with the initial fieldwork, and providing me reliable access to data and information, to the writing process, until the completion of this thesis.

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