Using service learning and virtual team projects to broaden the curriculum and enhance the student experience

In recent times, there has been a steady increase in civic engagement activities in Irish higher education settings at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels. However, there is limited literature to-date describing the nature of these activities and how they have affected learning outcomes and enhanced the overall student experience. To that end, this article presents two case studies. The first describes how service learning activities were successfully integrated into the curriculum to facilitate students’ engagement with the wider community, and the second describes how students were required to collaborate online in virtual teams. For both case studies, this article summarizes the project activities and describes the learning outcomes for students. It concludes with various suggestions for how these types of projects can be adapted for use in other disciplines and presents some considerations and recommendations for teachers.