Conference Agenda

Institutionalizing Service Learning through a Tutoring Course in a STEM Institution

Erik Helin, Special Faculty

Carnegie Mellon University in Doha, Qatar

Track B: Service-learning institutionalization in higher education

This presentation examines the institutionalization of service learning through Language Bridges, a community outreach program at a branch campus of an American university in the Middle East, as a case study in advancing democratic culture in higher education. Founded in 2009, Language Bridges engages university students in teaching English and basic computer skills to low-income migrant workers through an eight-week program offered each semester (Pessoa et al., 2016; Soudy et al., 2015). Language Bridges is paired with an academic course titled Tutoring for Community Outreach. Framed within critical pedagogy (Freire, 2018), the course equips students with pedagogical training on teaching adult learners while fostering critical reflection on their civic engagement. Notably, the course fulfills a General Education requirement in Perspectives on Justice and Injustice, positioning service-learning within the formal academic framework.

In alignment with the Council of Europe’s (2023) call for more effective integration of competences for democratic culture, this presentation explores how institutional strategies can support the embedding of service learning within the “Third Mission” of universities in a context with great levels of inequality. Drawing on student reflections and course projects from the Tutoring course, the presenter shows how Language Bridges demonstrates how aligning community engagement initiatives with curricular requirements can mitigate resistance and enhance sustainability. By embedding the program within General Education, the university formalizes civic engagement as a core learning outcome rather than an extracurricular activity. The presentation further investigates the institutional alliances that sustain the program, including top-down support for the program that facilitate access to the migrant population. Despite its successes, Language Bridges also reveals persistent barriers to service learning including access to the target population, varying levels of student commitment, and challenges related to power structures and systemic inequalities.

The presentation considers the potential of transnational collaboration, particularly within European and global university alliances, to scale and adapt models like Language Bridges across diverse contexts. By illustrating how service learning can be systematically integrated into university structures, this case contributes to ongoing efforts to strengthen democratic culture and civic responsibility in higher education.