From zero to one : integrating engineering and non-engineering students in a service-learning engineering project

Abstract

Service-learning in engineering has been gaining attention as an effective way to provide students the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge to solve realworld problems faced by communities (Oakes et al., 2002; Soto & Dzwonczyk, 2015). At the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the past few years have seen increasing numbers of non-engineering students taking service-learning subjects offered by the engineering departments, and working on engineering-type projects alongside students majoring in engineering. This is especially significant for international projects working in developing regions. This paper presents a project conducted in Cambodia in June 2016 as a case study as to how to integrate students from very different disciplines into the same project. Challenges that we faced during the training are discussed, followed by the outline of the course model, which may help educators develop a course to maximize the potential of international service-learning in engineering.