Exploring, Documenting, and Improving Humanitarian Service Learning through Engineers Without Borders USA

本项目探讨工程和技术专业的学生在本科课程中如何体验服务学习。服务学习的一个例子是美国无国界工程师组织（EWB），该组织寻求为社区问题寻找切实可行的解决方案，例如清洁水或可持续污水处理系统。许多大学和学院为学生提供这样的经历，并相信他们正在为发展中社区做出有价值的贡献。然而，由于学生毕业和/或教师领导跳槽到其他机构，社区联系失去了，服务学习项目经常受到损害。该项目旨在为这些企业的所有利益相关者寻找以大学/学院为基础的服务学习的最佳实践。这个项目是由美国无国界工程师组织和威斯康星大学斯托特分校的研究人员、教师和学生合作完成的。该项目将在四年的时间里展开，包括工程和社会科学专业的学生。学生对社区参与的态度、信念和目标以跨机构的方式进行了探索：除了研究威斯康星大学斯托特分校EWB章节外，该项目还研究了美国工程师无国界组织收集的数据，并检查了整个章节项目的趋势和实践。对如何平衡学生和社区需求的更广泛理解可以广泛应用于STEM领域以外的服务学习项目。更具体地说，社区发展、经济发展和应用人类学项目可能会从这项研究中受益。最后，STEM学生的雇主等第三方利益相关者能够雇用那些由于参与了良好的服务学习机会而为在全球工作场所开展业务做好更好准备的学生。总之，这项工作通过为STEM教育的有效和道德的服务学习计划提供指导结构，有助于发展具有经济竞争力的STEM劳动力。项目的总体成果通过项目网站、传统和非专业出版物和简报以及讲习班的发展和举办公开传播。此外，专门针对EWB-USA项目运营的项目成果被纳入EWB-USA会员（包括14,000多名个人）遵循的指导方针。

This project explores how engineering and technology students experience service learning during their undergraduate programs. One example of service learning is Engineers Without Borders (EWB) USA, which seeks to find practical solutions to community concerns, such as clean water or sustainable sewage systems. Many universities and colleges offer such experiences to their students and believe they are contributing a valuable service to developing communities. However, service learning projects are often compromised because students graduate, and/or faculty leaders move to other institutions, and community ties are lost. The project seeks to find best practices for university/college-based service learning for all stakeholders in these enterprises. This project is a collaboration between Engineers Without Borders USA and University of Wisconsin-Stout researchers, teachers, and students. The project will unfold over four years and includes both engineering and social science students in the work. Student attitudes, beliefs, and goals about community involvement are explored in a cross-institutional way: In addition to studying the UW-Stout EWB chapter, the project looks at data collected by Engineers Without Borders USA, and examines trends and practices throughout chapter projects. A wider understanding of how to balance the needs of students and communities could be broadly applied to service learning projects outside of the STEM fields. More specifically, community development, economic development, and applied anthropology projects might benefit from this research. Finally, third party stake holders such as employers of STEM students are able to employ students who are better prepared to operate in the global workplace due to their participation in well-formed service learning opportunities. In summary, This work contributes to the development of an economically competitive STEM workforce by providing a guiding structure for effective and ethical service learning initiatives for STEM education. The overall project outcomes are disseminated publicly through a project website, traditional and lay publications and presentations, and the development and delivery of workshops. Further, project outcomes that specifically target the operation of EWB-USA projects are incorporated into the guidelines that are followed by EWB-USA's membership, which includes more than 14,000 individuals.