Evaluation of Service-Learning in Project <i>WeCan</i> under COVID-19 in a Chinese Context

• Main Authors: Hildie Leung, Daniel T. L. Shek, Diya Dou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: COVID-19; service-learning; positive youth development; service leadership; university-corporate-community collaboration
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3596

Service-learning is a widely adopted educational pedagogy and philosophy. With the support from the Wharf (Holdings) Limited (Group), service-learning was conducted in the “Project <i>WeCan</i>” in Hong Kong. Prior to COVID-19, traditional service-learning was implemented with students learning in the classroom and applying their knowledge and skills to the community through providing direct face-to-face service. With the COVID-19 outbreak in the 2019–20 academic year, school lockdown measures appeared. Students had to learn online and to design and implement service offsite. As the impacts of this rapid shift in paradigm remain unknown, this study examined changes in university students using a pretest–posttest design (<i>n</i> = 124) and perceptions of service-learning experience via the subjective outcome evaluation design (<i>n</i> = 192) under COVID-19. The authors also investigated service recipients’ (<i>n</i> = 56) satisfaction with service activities they participated in during the pandemic. Both objective outcome evaluation and subjective outcome evaluation findings revealed that service providers (university students) and recipients (secondary school students) experienced benefits from the Project. Findings support the benefits of online service-learning in “Project <i>WeCan</i>” even during unprecedented times such as COVID-19.