1. What is service learning?

Service-learning is a form of experiential education; a collaborative teaching and learning strategy designed to promote academic enhancement, personal growth, and civic engagement. It can be viewed as a spectrum or continuum, which on one end can include activities that engage academicians and students to work on the societal challenges with societal stakeholders as just beneficiaries with minimal role/participation, and on the other end can entail a fully inclusive and participatory approach with diverse stakeholders collaborating for knowledge co-creation.

The AURORA WP 3.1.2 aims to support staff and student across AURORA Universities in Service Learning and equip them with the knowledge, skills and mindset to tackle societal challenges as social entrepreneurs and innovators. The WP aims to build capacity of staff through (i) Service-Learning Toolbox that will provide relevant resources/tools to interested lecturers/teachers to learn about service learning and how to transform a course to SL course; and (ii) International Learning Lab where interested lecturers/teachers, experts, students and societal stakeholders can come together to discuss different aspects (practices, issues, solutions) related to service-learning.

2. What is co-creation?

Co-creation is a form of service-learning which entails collaboration of diverse stakeholders in co-production of value/knowledge (concepts, solutions, products, services). Co-creation in the sense of aurorisation means the collaborative development of new value by academics, students, experts and stakeholders together. Co-creation is a form of collaborative innovation: ideas are shared, co-created and improved together, rather than developed and then kept to oneself.

For AURORA alliance, Co-creation entails collaboration of Universities with students and external/societal stakeholders in education, research and outreach at local, national, and European level for development of new value (concepts, solutions, products and services). Different AURORA partner Universities have amassed valuable experience in such Co-creation practices where stakeholders pertaining to science (academicians, researchers, students) and society (industry, community actors, etc.) collaborate for knowledge exchange and production. The AURORA WP 4.1 aims to foster and exchange such co-creation practices in AURORA Universities by (i) opening courses on co-creation (for students and staffs) in a partner University to all AURORA alliance members, (ii) developing joint co-creation training course through collaboration between AURORA partners, and (iii) implementation of survey/research and publishing monitoring report on the co-creation activities as a result of the WP 4.1.

3. Why is service learning important?

Service learning is important for a number of reasons. Service learning stimulates (among others) critical thinking, problem-solving competencies, personal development, interpersonal skills and cultural understanding . Moreover, it has the potential to benefit community partners. In addition to more direct tangible outcomes as a result of a project, service learning activities are said to increase community capacity as they have the potential to bring together various community partners and members. It has also been suggested that service learning can benefit faculty members as it fosters personal growth.

4. Why is co-creation important?

Co-creation is a form of service learning that entails higher level of engagement of stakeholders, which entails active participation, collaboration, knowledge sharing, integration and co-production.

In service learning, students use their academic skills to contribute to societal issues. This happens in close cooperation and interaction with a community partner. However, not all societal issues are created the same. On the one hand, some issues are less complex. For instance, if a community partner is seeking advice on a suitable business for an online platform, then students from a Business Administration programme may be able to directly contribute to addressing the problem relying solely on their own course work. But what if the issue to be addressed is loneliness or plastic pollution in Amsterdam? These highly complex issues are different because they don't have clear-cut solutions, and they involve many stakeholders with different values and priorities. This type of issue is often referred as "wicked problems", i.e. problems that are complex because:

• they are deeply embedded in societal, economic, political and/or institutional structures

• their uncertainty is structural and hardly reducible

• they are difficult to manage given the variety of actors with diverse interests involved

• they are hard to comprehend fully, as they are ill-structured and difficult to interpret

Indeed, addressing ‘wicked’ problems requires an approach that builds upon various (disciplinary) perspectives and diverse actors. This makes it necessary for the use of co-creation with an intentional focus on resolving a wide range of complex societal problems.

5. How can I use service learning/co-creation in my activities?

If you want to learn about how to use service learning in your activities, please visit module 1 of this toolbox. The module 1 provides examples and inspiration on the use of service learning in education and research activities. Please visit the module 1 by clicking here.

6. Can I attend service learning and/or co-creation courses in other Aurora universities?

Yes. The AURORA WP 3.1 and 4.1 teams have opened diverse service learning and/or co-creation courses opened for all Aurora partners. Please find the list of these courses in module 2 of this toolbox (please click here). If your students are interested to join these courses, they can contact the course coordinators/contact persons enlisted in the document. Also, you can contact your Aurora institutional coordinator in your University to seek help and counsel in this regard.

7. What service learning and/or co-creation courses are available for Aurora universities?

Please find the list of service learning and/or co-creation courses available for Aurora universities in module 2 of this toolbox (please click here). If your students are interested to join these courses, they can contact the course coordinators/contact persons enlisted in the document.

8. I have questions on service learning and/or co-creation that I did not find in this toolbox. What can I do?

If you have questions on service learning and/or co-creation that have not been addressed in this list of frequently asked questions, or want to connect with experts in service learning and co-creation, please fill the Support Service Contact Form below, or email us at icsl.beta@vu.nl