Workshop: Integrating Service Learning into First-Year Engineering Courses: A Hands-On Workshop

Service learning provides a powerful opportunity to enhance first-year engineering education by connecting coursework with real-world impact. However, establishing sustainable service-learning partnerships and effectively aligning them with engineering curricula presents significant challenges. This interactive workshop will equip educators with the tools and strategies to develop sustainable service-learning partnerships and integrate them effectively into their courses. Participants will: *Explore Key Elements of successful service-learning initiatives, including sustained partnerships, clear communication strategies, and course alignment with community needs. *Engage in Hands-On Activities to map course objectives to service-learning outcomes and develop an actionable implementation plan. *Analyze Case Studies from existing first-year engineering service-learning programs, identifying best practices and potential pitfalls. *Collaborate with Peers to address common challenges and brainstorm solutions tailored to their institutional contexts. The session will incorporate structured discussions, guided planning exercises, and collaborative problem-solving activities to ensure participants leave with concrete next steps. By the end of this workshop, participants will leave with a structured framework and practical strategies to implement meaningful service-learning experiences that enhance student engagement and community impact. This workshop is suitable for educators from diverse institutional backgrounds—whether they are new to service learning or looking to refine existing programs—and will provide actionable strategies grounded in educational research and real-world implementation.