Abstract:

Introduction:
Service-Learning (SL) is a teaching learning methodology which must comply with two characteristics: it must contribute to achieving academic competences related to the curriculum while performing a service for the benefit of the community.
The sustainability and protection of water resources is essential in today's society, and through the SL, in universities it is possible to carry out academic activities that allow both to achieving learning outcomes and to protect the environment and water resources, an aspect that is of vital importance in regions like the Canary Islands.
For many years, the Department of Chemical Engineering of Universidad de La Laguna has supervised numerous Bachelor Final Projects (BFP) that meet the requirements of SL, in collaboration with the institutions responsible for the management of water resources in Tenerife.

Objective:
In this paper, the role of SL in the Bachelor Final Projects (BFPs) performed on the protection of the water resources, in the Chemical Engineering and Environmental Sciences programs of Universidad de La Laguna, has been analyzed.

Discussion:
All BFPs presented in both programs and supervised by staff of the Department of Chemical Engineering have been investigated in order to determine if they meet the SL requirements. It is important to distinguish between any BFPs carried out on the protection of water resources in general (for example, any study for the improvement of water treatment technologies), from BFPs where a work is performed to solve an existing problem in a specific community. It is in this case when SL exists, e.g. studies for the improvement of an existing water treatment facility, the design of a treatment plant for a community that lacks one, or a study for water quality improvement of a given community.
Thus, from a total of 147 Chemical Engineering BFPs presented since 2014, 25 were on topics related to the protection of water resources, and 7 of them (28%) met SL requirements. The extinct Bachelor-Master 5 year program of Chemical Engineer in Universidad de La Laguna (2000-2017) had a higher presence of SL in final projects: from a total of 244 Final Projects, 34 were carried out on water resources protection, meeting 20 of them (59%) the characteristics of SL. Many of the final projects of these two programs have consisted in the design of a water treatment plants (wastewater treatment and desalination) for places where there was none.
In the case of the Environmental Sciences Degree, the number of PFPs supervised by the Chemical Engineering staff on water resources protection was lower (8 BFPs) but most of them (5, or 63%) met the SL characteristics. In all programs, several final projects had an external supervisor from institutions responsible for the management of water resources.
To conclude, a final project including SL is an ideal academic activity for students so that they can provide a service to the community, becoming citizens committed to the environment. At the same time, organizations involved in the water cycle management in Tenerife are highly satisfied with this type of academic activity and are always willing to collaborate with its performance.

Keywords:

Service learning, water resources, chemical engineering, environmental sciences, local authorities.