Using a Service-Learning Course to Reinforce the Three Pillars of Sustainability

Abstract

Service-learning courses at the university level provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about sustainability. The senior-level and graduate-level elective course Service-Learning for Water Treatment at the University of Mississippi’s (UM) School of Engineering combines educational and service activities on drinking water–treatment infrastructure for underprivileged communities. Students learn in person how to build and operate demonstration treatment systems and then test new prototype configurations. This course format allows engineering students to bring the evaluation of an infrastructure project to completion, apply sustainability principles, interact with a collaborating partner, and provide a real service. The three pillars of sustainability—environmental, social, and economic—are immediately apparent to students, who document their learning in reflection essay assignments during the semester. Essay assignments about sustainability are evaluated using open coding to assess students’ knowledge of the three pillars. It is apparent that through the service-learning experience, students were able to closely relate to all three pillars, especially the social pillar.