Participatory Approach to Engineering Service Learning Programs - Quality Framework for the Implementation of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Program in Indian Engineering Institution

Abstract

Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) is a national-level service-learning program launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in India that aims to support rural development through the active participation of Higher Education Institutions. Towards building service and community-based learning programs, researchers and practitioners worldwide have called for critical, mindful, ethical, and reciprocal partnerships to be created with communities by considering issues of power and privilege held by the higher education institutions. This study adopted a participatory development approach at a private engineering college in India to design a service-learning program under UBA. Twelve engineering and science faculty from multiple disciplines collaborated with two engineering education researchers to form a Community of Practice. As a critical outcome, the discussions in the CoP led to the formation of a quality framework containing core pillars, principles, and action guidelines for an engineering community-based learning program.