Conference Agenda
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Daily Overview |
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II. Session 2 · Track A: Democratic belonging and competence development through civic engagement Location: F21/02.31 | |
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Online Repository showcasing European Examples of Service-Learning for Competences of Democratic Culture 1: Matej Bel University, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia; 2: LUMSA University of Rome, Italy; 3: University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp (UCSIA), Belgium; 4: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands Service-learning (SL) is a proven pedagogical approach to enhance students’ academic learning and for cultivating a sense of responsibility, solidarity and social commitment (Gregorová et al., 2025). Research has highlighted the potential of SL in fostering democratic competences in secondary education (Gregorová et al., 2024), as well as the specific role that community partners can play in nurturing students’ sense of civic responsibility (Compare et al., 2025). Moreover, civic outcomes of SL have been widely documented at a global level. However, this potential remains underexplored in relation to competences for democratic culture, mainly within European higher educational institutions (HEIs). This paper aims to analyse how SL practices – drawing on selected case studies – in European HEIs contribute to the development of competences for democratic culture and to identify design principles that underpin their effectiveness. To this end, this paper presents both an online repository of SL practices and the methodological approach adopted for its development. The study is based on a systematic mapping and analysis of SL practices across European HEIs. An initial sample of 50 academic, credit-bearing SL courses was identified, all involving students in addressing community needs and engaging in structured reflection. These cases are assessed through a transparent, criteria-based selection procedure aligned with the European Commission’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC). Particular attention is given to practices that explicitly target at least one of the 20 RFCDC competences across its four dimensions (values, attitudes, skills, and knowledge and critical understanding). As a result, 35 cases are selected as examples of good practice. These cases are showcased in an online repository. The paper presents both the selection methodology and the results of the comparative case study analysis. The findings highlight key structural and pedagogical features that contribute to the development of democratic competences, including the integration of reflection, the nature of community partnerships, and the intentional alignment of learning outcomes with RFCDC dimensions. The online repository resulting from the analysis constitutes a concrete resource for HEIs, serving as a model and source of inspiration to support wider adoption and enhancement of SL initiatives. Moreover, the online repository provides research-based insights and practical recommendations for SL experiences that foster competences for democratic culture. At the 9ECSLHE, both the online repository and the methodology of the case study collection will be presented. This study is part of the Erasmus+ project ‘Service-Learning to promote Competences for Democratic Culture (SL4DC). | |