Exploring the Impact of Service Learning amongst Undergraduate Students in Cameroon: The Case of the CUIB Volunteer Network Program

Abstract

Service learning is one of the most widely used approaches to university-community engagement. It is a pedagogy that integrates community service with academic study to enhance learning while strengthening local communities. While the impact of service learning has been widely researched on across various higher education contexts, the concept is relatively new to the educational system of Cameroon. The Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) is one of the few higher education institutions in Cameroon to have integrated service learning within the university curriculum with its Volunteer Network Program (VNP). Using a qualitative approach, this study thereby aims to explore undergraduate students’ perception on the impact of CUIB-VNP. It seeks to examine how students’ experiences with the service learning program influence their skills development, personal growth, academics and sense of civic responsibility, and also identify the major challenges they face. Through data gathered from focus group discussions and online written responses, the study found that participating in CUIB-VNP has profound impact on students’ personal growth, the development of soft skills and a sense of civic responsibility with limited impact on students’ academics. It also identified challenges such as poor balance between academic workload and service activities, lack of program orientation, lack of reflective practice, logistics and administrative challenges. The study concludes that service learning has great potential in improving learning in higher education in Cameroon and recommends ways through which service learning programs could be improved.

Keywords: Service learning, VNP, volunteerism, Higher Education, Cameroon.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-1-11

Publication date: January 30th 2025