A reference framework for service learning in higher education in Germany and its potential for further development in practice

Abstract: In the German-speaking world, the teaching and learning format of service learning has been found in university practice for about 15 years. However, a shared understanding, a consensual orientation framework, and even quality criteria did not exist. It was not until 2019 that the higher education network Bildung durch Verantwortung e.V. developed and published a reference framework with quality criteria for successful service learning in and with the community. Based on ten criteria, this shows what can be understood by quality in service learning. Following this, development efforts are being continued with the aim of making the reference framework suitable for practical use. The current focus is on evaluation instruments: item collections based on quality criteria are being developed for the evaluation of service learning events. Evaluation instruments already exist, e.g. in the USA, but they are not easily transferable due to the differences in the forms of society, the universities, and the actors of civil society. Rather, individually adapted instruments must be developed for the universities. The article presents the current state of development for an evaluation possibility by students. A total of 63 items related to the 10 quality criteria were developed. The methodological approach included a literature search, qualitative content analysis, and focus groups. The results provide a first approach to evaluating service learning in German-speaking countries.

Narrative: Compared to other countries, service learning has not been known for long in German-speaking countries. It has only been used in universities and discussed in the community for about 15 years. Only slowly is a general understanding becoming established. A shared understanding, a consensual orientation framework, even quality criteria did not exist for the higher education until 2018, whereas quality standards have been in place in the school sector for some time (Seifert, Zentner, & Nagy, 2019). For higher education, the Higher Education Network began developing a reference framework with ten quality criteria for successful service learning in and with the community in 2018 (Bremer et al., 2019). The university network wanted to provide an answer to the question of conditions for the success of service learning that is suitable for everyday use and understandable not only for experts but for all those interested in service learning, and thus provide a basis for communication for the entire community. Starting from the questions of self-understanding and the conditions for success it was questioned - "What constitutes good service learning at universities" (Sonnberger & Leitzmann, 2020). The aim was to define an orientation framework that refers to quality criteria that map significant quality dimensions in service learning. Singular characteristics of the teaching-learning format as well as subject-specific, didactic and contextual emphases were to be integrated. The reference framework includes the following ten criteria: Societal need, Defined goals, Service Learning is an Inherent Aspect of the Degree Course, Skills Acquisition by Students, Studying in Foreign Living Environments, Collaboration between Parties Involved, Reflection, Student supervision, Evaluation and quality development, Recognition and appreciation (Bremer et al, 2019).
The next step will be to develop possibilities for evaluating service learning. Nowadays, evaluations belong to the standard instruments of quality development at universities. They aim to gain knowledge about the courses and their participants, to control the compliance with standards and guidelines, to gain transparency about the content and the design of the courses in order to enable a dialogue, and finally to document and possibly also legitimize the success of the course through the evaluation of the students (Stockmann, 2004). Strongly standardized instruments are often used with the aim of enabling the highest possible comparability between the results for individual courses (Rudinger et al, 2006). However, service learning differs in one significant way: In service learning, students do not learn by doing but interact and learn with instructors and partner organizations. Therefore, service learning needs adapted evaluation instruments that consider these special features. Due to the large number of stakeholder groups involved and their respective interests in service learning projects, it seems to make sense to develop separate but coordinated evaluation instruments for the individual target groups in order to enable an evaluation of the entire project. Evaluation instruments already exist, e.g. in the USA, but they are not easily transferable due to the differences in the forms of society, the universities, and the actors of civil society. Rather, individually adapted instruments must be developed for the universities.
First, a literature search was conducted in German and English. In most cases, only an exemplary listing of individual items took place. Second, the items were extracted from the publications and, if necessary, translated into German. Afterward, the items were assigned to the respective actor perspective (students, teachers, partner organizations) and (linguistically) revised. Subsequently, the respective items were assigned to the ten quality criteria. The assignment took place independently by two researchers. The interrater correlation was κ=.867 (Brennan & Prediger, 1981) showing very high agreement (Fleiss, Levin, & Paik, 2003). In the further course of the study, the items were first discussed and revised with experts from universities and civil society. Finally, the items were discussed in a focus group consisting of representatives of the target group and finally adjusted. The preliminary results are a questionnaire for evaluation by students, lecturers, and partner organizations.
This proposal presents the items for students. The students fill out the evaluation after the end of the respective course. These are answered in each case - if no other indication exists - on a Likert scale with 1 (completely agree), 2 (rather agree), 3 (rather disagree), 4 (not at all agree,) and 5 (I don't know). After a brief instruction, the questionnaire comprises a total of 63 items, which are distributed among the quality criteria as follows:
Quality criteria Number of items Example item
Societal need 6 As part of the project, I was able to work on a specific social need.
Defined goals 5 The project had clearly defined goals.
Service Learning is an Inherent Aspect of the Degree Course 4 The practical application helped me to implement theoretical knowledge.
Skills Acquisition by Students 19 The content learned in this course is directly related to potential career fields.
Studying in Foreign Living Environments 4 Through the project, contacts were made that would not have occurred outside of the service-learning experience.
Collaboration between Parties Involved 6 In the course of the project, the work steps were coordinated between the students, lecturers, and the partner organizations.
Reflection 7 Guided reflection took place as part of the module.
Student supervision 6 The support from lecturers during the project work was helpful and sufficient.
Evaluation and quality development 3 Students could always provide feedback.
Recognition and appreciation 3 The commitment and achievements of the students were appropriately recognized by the partner organizations.

The present reference framework offers service learning actors an initial orientation for successful service learning in German-speaking countries, Furthermore, it invites the continuation of the discussion about quality in service learning projects, because its openness to further criteria was considered from the beginning. Similarly, the authors assume that the first quality development tools will be subject to further development in the future. The university network is also striving to develop a collection of examples of successful practice in order to be able to offer actors concrete examples of projects that have already implemented a selection of quality criteria.