The Effect of Pandemic Disruption on Community-Based Leadership Education, Students' Experiences and Learning Outcomes

Abstract

As humanity continues to negotiate the short- and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a renewed focus worldwide on building an inclusive, socially, and economically just future. This process can be facilitated by nurturing engaged citizens and responsible leaders through a holistic approach to education that combines instruction and community service. Over the last 20 years, community-based learning in the form of the service-learning championed by institutions of higher education worldwide has grown and matured, yet the systematic approach to its curriculum structure, as well as methods for assessment of learning outcomes, continue to evolve. Of specific interest is the effect of COVID-19 pandemic disruption on service-learning instruction and learning outcomes. This qualitative study is focused on community-based pedagogy in leadership education. It explores and compares leadership-related learning outcomes and experiences of students in multiple sections of service-learning-designated course offered by a leadership program at a medium-sized public university in the United States, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Spring 2019 and Spring 2020). Study findings offer insights into disruption-resilient service-learning education opportunities.