Building student engagement through community services at ASU

Jordan’s Applied Science Private University is taking a civic approach to teaching and learning

Universities the world over face increasing pressure to become more civic-minded – that is, to serve and support their local communities and not just the elite few.

At the Applied Science Private University (ASU), course leaders have taken this mindset a step further by explicitly incorporating community support services into undergraduate degree courses.

According to Hadeel Alsaed, dean of arts and sciences at ASU, starting the initiative made sense to leaders on several levels. “The importance of supporting the community is already a big part of our university vision – it is actually written into our founding mission statement,” she explains.

“On top of this, we can see very clearly the benefits for students taking part in community services,” adds Muna Barakat, assistant professor in the physiology, immunology and therapeutics department.

Across all faculties, students are required to dedicate a set number of hours to giving back to the community. The requirements vary between courses – pharmacy students, for example, are required to give 1,440 hours, while some humanities subjects require less time.

Services provided by students also vary, from teaching English and literacy skills to assisting with IT queries and teaching older members of the community how to use the internet. Course leaders, community members and students can all make suggestions for projects at the beginning of each year. The hours and tasks set by each course leader are a compulsory requirement for graduation.

According to Dr Alsaed, university analysis shows that students who take part in community services are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and report feeling more satisfied in their work and studies.

“Providing students with these opportunities to engage with community members and use their skills to help people means they become more active members of society,” she adds. “It enables them to acquire life skills and knowledge they can’t get from just studying textbooks, and it also instils a sense of responsibility and self-awareness.”

ASU students don’t get paid for the volunteering they do, but many have reaped the benefits upon graduation by receiving job offers as a direct result, Dr Alsaed adds.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, ASU took the opportunity to expand its community outreach. Dr Barakat’s pharmacy students have been helping vaccinate people, for example, while others have been organising test centres or providing information about the virus to local communities.

“As head of the pharmacy practice group, I’m in direct contact with the community pharmacist – so if there’s any change in community requirements, they can ask us to adapt our services accordingly,” she explains.

Two-way dialogues such as this also allow subject leaders to adapt their course curricula in line with community feedback, Dr Barakat adds: “The academic arm is not working alone; we need to contact the community and to understand their needs if students are going to graduate with the right skill sets.”

The university works with government policymakers in the departments of food and drug administration to support different community groups in Jordan. It is Dr Barakat and Dr Alsaed’s hope that ASU will continue to build its collaborations with industry and government agencies to expand the community services offered by the university. 

“Covid-19, for example, has enabled us to provide digital solutions to learning and community engagement,” says Dr Alsaed. “Medical services have also benefitted from the digital transition, and I think this will play a big role in the future.”

“We will do our best to expand the practical training for our students in this way and to research more into community needs,” says Dr Barakat. “That way, everybody benefits.” 

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