Embedding engaged education through community service learning in HEI: a review

ABSTRACT Background Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly affording greater prominence to various forms of engaged education, including Community Service Learning (CSL). Embedding CSL into institutional cultures, climates and expectations so that it becomes a mainstream pedagogy is often referred to as institutionalisation. Given the growing significance of CSL within the higher education landscape, more needs to be understood about aspects that may contribute to its institutionalisation. Purpose This review study sought to gain insight into the factors that facilitate the institutionalisation of CSL, how they relate to each other, and how the institutionalisation process unfolds over time. Design and methods We conducted a systematic and configurative review of peer-reviewed literature that described the institutionalisation process in HEIs. Through a thematic analysis and synthesis, factors and related strategies that contributed to successful institutionalisation were identified and categorised. Findings Our literature analysis indicated that factors and strategies for institutionalisation of CSL can be categorised within three main phases: start-up, scale-up and sustaining. CSL can result from a top-down effort or might be initiated from the bottom up. Depending on the approach used, the strategies change accordingly. When scaling up CSL, various individuals need to decide if they want to adopt CSL; the review offers strategies to support adoption. Finally, the strategies related to the start-up and scale-up phases need to become formalised in order to sustain CSL within HEIs. Conclusion Our review resulted in a comprehensive overview of factors and related operational strategies that can contribute to the institutionalisation of CSL. By bringing the three phases and related strategies together, this review offers a synthesised view of how the institutionalisation process of CSL may be conceptualised.