Benefits of VOICES

Research indicates that community-based and civic engagement in higher education have positive outcomes for students across six key areas2:

  • Increased civic attitudes and civic mindedness
  • Increased civic and community-based engagement (desire/goals, behaviors during and after college, perceived value)
  • Civic learning
  • Perceived civic and social responsibility
  • Moral and ethical reasoning and actions
  • Increased openness to and understanding of diversity
  • Increased awareness of social issues and social justice
  • Increased adaptability
  • Positive self-perceptions of socially responsible leadership
  • More positive attitude toward school and enjoyment of challenging tasks
  • Increased self-efficacy and sense of belonging
  • More likely to graduate
  • Earned more credits
  • More likely to re-enroll
  • Institutional implementation of collaborative and participatory pedagogies
  • Students practicing collaborative and mutual learning
  • Improved grades and GPA
  • Improved test performance and assignment scores
  • Self-reported general learning gains
  • Improved interpersonal skills: communication, collaboration, and teamwork
  • Increased problem-solving and critical thinking skills
  • Increased academic content learning and skills such as research, writing, and mathematical analysis
  • Better career exploration skills and increased career exploration in a field related to public service
  • Increased career-related knowledge and skills

Endnotes

  1. Mitchell, T., & Latta, M. (2020). From critical community service to critical service learning and the futures we must (still) imagine. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 12(1). https://scholars.indianastate.edu/jcehe/vol12/iss1/1 
  2. Chittum, J.R., Enke, K.A.E., & Finley, A.P. (2022). The effects of community-based and civic engagement in higher education: What we know and questions that remain. American Association of Colleges and Universities. https://www.aacu.org/research/the-effects-of-community-based-engagement-in-higher-education
  3. Boland, J. A. (2014). Orientations to civic engagement: Insights into the sustainability of a challenging pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 39(1), 180–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.648177