Abstract:

Service Learning as a teaching methodology is being used more and more extensively in our universities. However, there has been little in-depth investigation into its potential for a sociology committed to gender transformation and feminisms. In our courses on Sociology of Gender, we introduce our students to the main gender topics, as well as to feminist methodologies. Within these, gender and ICT, as well as feminist research and pedagogy, are covered. In this communication, we present an experience of Service-Learning around sociology and gender carried out in three consecutive courses. This experience has been developed in the framework of the transversal project on Service Learning at the University of Barcelona called Sharing ideas: the university goes to high school. Sharing Ideas is a Service-Learning project in which undergraduate and master’s degree students from the University of Barcelona (UB), working in pairs, prepare lecture-workshops on interesting topics related to their studies and teach these in high schools which the university visits. Specifically, our experience consisted of teaching and accompanying our university students who study sociology of gender to carry out a lecture-workshop on gender and technology at secondary/high schools. Moreover, as an innovative element, we related our teaching to one of our research projects that was aimed at improving the incorporation, retention and promotion of women in ICT. In the classrooms, we then sought to work and reflect on gender socialization, the labour market with a gender perspective and, finally, to question the digital gender gap and to contribute to generating new technological vocations among girls. We based the evaluation of the project on a mixed-methods approach and a gender perspective. On the one hand, we took into account the evaluation surveys completed by the students; on the other hand, we analyzed qualitative data obtained through the observations and summaries of the experiences of the participating university students. Finally, from the design stage through to the evaluation of data we applied a gender perspective. This involved, on the one hand, considering the feminist research and agenda regarding gender and technology, as well as pedagogy and sociology. On the other hand, our experience specifically introduced gender contents and reflection in the Service-Learning project. Finally, this implied analysing our results and outcomes by taking gender into consideration, in relation to the contents as well as to the adscribed gender of our students and teachers. This allowed us to evaluate both the impact on the community as well as the impact on our students’ learning process in a gender perspective. Apart from some limitations, the experience has been very satisfactory, both for the teachers and for the participating students of all levels and, also in relation to gender, shows great potential for learning and transformation.

Acknowledgements:
This article presents results of the teaching innovation project of the University of Barcelona "Compartir idees" (2015PID-UB/150). This article was also elaborated in the context of the INCASI Network, that has received funding from Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie GA No 691004 and coordinated by Dr. Pedro López-Roldán. This article reflects only the author's view and the institutions are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Keywords:

Service learning, Gender; Sociology; IT inclusion