Pathways of change for integrating Community Service-Learning into the core curriculum

Abstract

This article is based on a theory of educational change and sets out new pathways for thinking about Curricular Community Engagement with the emphasis on Community Service-Learning. In particular, three different segments in educational change processes are examined – the external, the internal and the personal. A socio-systemic approach is adopted in analysing the importance these three segments have for educational change. It is noted that the external forces of change (national policies and audit criteria) influencing Curricular Community Engagement (CCE) and specifically Community Service-Learning (CSL) are dominant but internal processes at higher education institutions (HEIs) and the personal beliefs and missions of academics do not feature strongly at present. It is argued that increasing attention will need to be paid to the personal mission and purposes of academics, which underpin academic staff members' commitment to change processes for curriculum reform. Without a fully conceptualised notion of how the external, internal and personal interlink, the existing educational change for CCE and specifically CSL, will remain underdeveloped and of progressively less use at HEIs in South Africa.