EVALUATING A SERVICE-LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, UCSC, CHILE

This work presents the results of assessing the impact on students of the implementation of the Service-Learning methodology in the Geological Risks course of the Geological Engineering program at the Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción. This experiential methodology (Standard 7, 8) integrates learning objectives and community needs with a strong participatory and reflective approach. To assess this implementation, an anonymous and voluntary Likert-type survey was applied to the students, which considered four dimensions: disciplinary knowledge and reasoning (CDIO 1.3), personal and professional skills and attributes (CDIO 2), interpersonal skills (CDIO 3.1 and 3.2) and CDIO in the enterprise, societal and environmental context (CDIO 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3). Results show that 100% of the students positively value the service-learning experience, related to the fact that it helped them put into practice knowledge, methods and/or disciplinary tools, while 95% stated that it allowed them to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their technical knowledge. Also, they remarked that it fostered decision making (90%), perseverance in achieving the objectives (86%), and the assessment of ethical behavior in their profession (95%). At the same time, they highlight the importance of teamwork (86%), the development of communication skills (81%), and awareness of the discipline's impact in today's society (90%). Our results show that the service-learning experience fostered the development of skills, attitudes, and values necessary for the students' conduct in today's society, reinforcing this methodology as an aid for comprehensive and meaningful learning. Finally, all stakeholders must carry out a permanent reflection relating to the implementation and results of these experiences in order to make adjustments and improvements for the benefit of the learning process.