Place Based Service Learning in Higher Education

We found that a sustained focus in one geographic area produces high quality, diverse community-based student research that fulfills the promise of high impact practices. Our model is a template for other universities looking to increase both the quality and quantity of community-based research and learning. Place-Based Service Learning in Higher Education: Building Trust and Opportunities Over Time looks at the intersection of student research and community-based learning in a concentrated location over a period of ten years. This study examines the use of an urban neighborhood as a place-based source for engagement partners and opportunities. With a sustained, programmatic commitment to the neighborhood, Northern Kentucky University sought to build trust over a period of ten years with residents, nonprofit agencies serving them, and other stakeholders, who in turn could generate a steady stream of engagement opportunities valued by the neighborhood and valuable to students’ learning. Analysis found that this commitment indeed built trust with partners and produced mutually beneficial opportunities, including lasting relationships, impactful work in the community and retention of faculty and students.