Chapter 4: Real Projects for Real Community Clients: Combining eService-learning and Project-Based Learning

A blend of service-learning and project-based learning (SL/PBL) can provide a powerful engine for preparing workplace professionals while benefiting the community. Both instructional approaches are “cousins,” having their roots in Dewey’s (1916) recommendation for “learning by doing” and Kolb’s (2014) experiential learning. For the last several years, Boise State’s department of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) has delivered two graduate-level courses online that employ a mix of online SL and PBL (eSL/PBL). To create a steady stream of projects for these students as well as opportunities for students and graduates to gain valuable work experience, OPWL instructors formed and now maintain strategic partnerships with four different local nonprofit agencies. As part of these eSL/PBL courses, students have completed authentic workplace projects where they have: