Conference Agenda

The diagnosis or needs investigation phase – in which students, teachers and community co-construct a critical reading of the context on which the service action is grounded – represents a crucial juncture in Service Learning (SL) pathways, yet remains among the least documented in research literature, particularly with reference to primary and secondary schooling. This contribution analyses this phase across the full vertical curriculum of the Italian school system, examining to what extent and through what practices schools are already developing the civic agency competences that university-level SL presupposes and seeks to consolidate.

The contribution is positioned within TrackA – Didactical Methods for Effective Democracy Education –. The perspective adopted is that of educational continuity: civic agency is progressively built through prior formative experiences, and the quality of university-level SL depends significantly on students' capacity to analyse real-world problems and co-design with community partners. Examining how schools structure the diagnosis phase means examining the starting conditions with which students enter higher education SL, and the responsibilities that universities are called upon to assume in continuity with the preceding pathway.

The study draws on a quantitative survey conducted by INDIRE within the Avanguardie Educative movement, Italy's largest school innovation network. A structured questionnaire was administered to 453 SL referent teachers across 645 network schools, yielding 176 responses from 108 institutions covering the full vertical curriculum: early childhood (13%), primary (40%), lower secondary (20%) and upper secondary (27%). Items captured the structuring of the diagnosis phase, the role assigned to students, teaching strategies, community partner involvement, and documentation and assessment practices.

Findings reveal a widespread orientation towards student agency: 71% of teachers involve students from the outset of the diagnosis phase, rising to 85% at upper secondary level. The teacher's role as co-explorer or facilitator is more prevalent at this level (42% vs. 33% overall), as is early community partner involvement (52% vs. 45%) and systematic documentation (88% vs. 75%). Structural weaknesses persist across all levels: 72% of teachers operate without a shared institutional framework, and a significant proportion do not assess learning developed in this phase, a limitation that research identifies as an obstacle to sustainability. Students entering university thus bring a civic agency that has been practised but is rarely formalised or evaluated. Recognising and building upon this formative capital – deepening what schools have already initiated – represents both a challenge and a concrete opportunity for university SL pathways oriented towards democratic competence development.

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).

This contribution addresses Track A by examining how service-learning can be intentionally designed as a didactical method to foster democratic competences, critical thinking, and civic engagement. It focuses on the pedagogical “how” of democracy education through e-service-learning, highlighting the role of digital tools and international collaboration in enabling inclusive participation and intercultural dialogue .

“Global Classroom: Democracy by Design” is a seven-week Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) trajectory connecting students from Thomas More (Belgium) and Brazil. In intercultural teams, students design digital solutions to enhance youth participation in democratic processes, resulting in prototypes such as apps, platforms, and awareness-driven concepts.

The didactical design combines experiential learning, societal relevance, and structured reflection. Two key activities structure the learning process: (1) a democracy spectrum mapping exercise, where students position and justify their views on democratic issues, fostering critical dialogue and perspective-taking; and (2) the development and presentation of a functional prototype, requiring students to translate democratic values into actionable digital solutions.

Within this framework, “service” is conceptualized as the creation of digital public-value artefacts addressing civic needs. This reflects a qualified, design-oriented interpretation of service-learning, aligned with emerging forms of e-service-learning, where service is delivered indirectly through outputs rather than direct community engagement.

The project aligns with the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC), which defines competences as observable behaviours developed through learning . The strongest alignment concerns competences related to valuing democracy and cultural diversity, respect, civic-mindedness, tolerance of ambiguity, and analytical and critical thinking. Additional competences—such as listening, co-operation, and intercultural communication—are activated through sustained team collaboration. These are observable in students’ interactions, design decisions, and reflective outputs.

A key reflection concerns the balance between authentic service and pedagogical feasibility. While democratic competences are clearly operationalized, the absence of structured community partnerships remains a limitation. This contribution demonstrates how e-service-learning can function as a didactical method for democracy education, while critically reflecting on its boundaries and potential.