Abstract:

This paper presents the teaching innovation project "Service-Learning Experiences to Improve Practical Training in the Public Management and Administration Degree (2022PID-UB/018)," developed by the Consolidated Teaching Innovation Group in Public Management and Administration (GINDOC-UB/054) at the Faculty of Law, University of Barcelona (Spain).

The purpose of the project is to integrate the Service-Learning (SL) methodology into the courses of External Internships and Final Degree Project in the Public Management and Administration (GAP) degree. The community service aspect inherent in the degree enables students to develop a vocation for public service. Thus, the project aims to involve students in management projects with a public and community dimension within the realm of public administrations or third-sector entities.

Participating students received specific service assignments designed to meet concrete needs in their environment, providing a practical context for applying the knowledge acquired in the classroom. This approach fosters deeper learning and enhances the competencies of the degree program. Additionally, students can link their Final Degree Project with their internships, allowing for comprehensive reflection on the practical experience.

To ensure the success of this methodology, a basic guide for the application of SL has been developed, targeting students, host institutions, and tutors. This guide includes instructions for project design and development, as well as tools to evaluate both student learning and the effectiveness of the SL experience.

The tutorial team is the responsible for evaluating student learning using documentation provided by the student, such as reflection journals, evidence from the SL experience, internship reports, and self-assessment reports. Various dimensions are considered, including the student's collaborative attitude, the application of knowledge, and the creative and reflective competencies aimed at continuous quality improvement and leadership capacity. Simultaneously, the faculty and collaborating entities have jointly developed an evaluation tool to measure the results of the SL implementation.

Description of the Developed Experiences:
The paper will detail three significant experiences:
- The development of service charters for two units of the University of Barcelona.
- The creation of a resource and service map for individuals with intellectual, physical, and sensory disabilities by the Barcelona Provincial Council for the province of Barcelona.

The evaluation of these experiences, based on the satisfaction of students and tutorial teams, has allowed us to draw useful conclusions for proposing new strategies that align the degree content with the real needs of the profession.

These experiences have proven to be highly beneficial for students' practical learning, offering them a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-life situations, thereby developing their professional skills and fostering a spirit of public service.

The paper concludes that the SL methodology not only enriches students' training but also benefits the involved public administrations, creating a collaborative and mutually beneficial learning environment that can serve as a model for other educational institutions to enhance their training offerings.

Keywords:

Service-Learning, Practical Training, Public Management.