The impact of mandatory academic service-learning on university graduates’ continual civic engagement: evidence from a curriculum reform

Abstract

There is growing interest among higher education institutions in employing service-learning to nurture students’ civic-mindedness and sense of citizenship. However, it remains unclear whether the civic outcomes observed in short-term studies are sustained, particularly when service-learning is a compulsory requirement. This study leverages a curriculum reform in a large public research university in Hong Kong to examine the impact of mandatory academic service-learning on students’ longer-term civic engagement, measured approximately two years after graduation. Utilizing survey results from 2,081 alumni, we analyze how service-learning influenced their post-graduation civic engagement through multiple logistic regression. Our findings indicate that service-learning alumni demonstrated higher levels of civic engagement, suggesting that mandatory participation did not diminish desired outcomes. Notably, the most significant impact was observed among those who were not predisposed to service. These results imply that mandatory academic service-learning could serve as an effective civic educator to cultivate engagement that persists beyond graduation.