Learning Through Service

Professor Bielefeldt has an interest in community engagement and learning through service (LTS). This encompasses the impacts of LTS on student development and education, LTS as a method to teach sustainability, and faculty engagement in LTS. 

Link to more information on research and publications at: 

Engineering Faculty Engagement in Learning Through Service

A collaborative research project funded by the National Science Foundation, Division of Undergraduate Education, Award #1022831 (2010-2016). 

  • Overview: This project explored faculty involvement in engineering community engagement or learning through service (LTS) courses, programs, and co-curricular activities in higher education. The goal was to develop tools to help faculty be more successful in leveraging these programs to achieve quality outcomes in terms of student learning, community partner benefits, personal satisfaction, and institutional benefits. The various stages of the project included a summit of experts to explore experiences and recommendations, distilling the results to a blueprint model to help design effective community engagement programs, a series of workshops to train faculty to achieve their community engagement goals, and creating a supportive environment for those involved in engineering community engagement. One outcome was contributing to a new division on Community Engagement at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The research primarily used faculty interviews as a data source.

  • PIs: Christopher Swan (Tufts University), Angela R. Bielefeldt (University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Boulder), Kurt Paterson (formerly Michigan Tech, currently James Madison University), Olga Pierrakos (formerly James Madison University, currently Wake Forest University), John Duffy and Dave Kazmer (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
  • Additional members of the research team: Nathan Canney, Greg Rulifson, Bowa Tucker, Annie Soisson

Evaluation of Sustainable Engineering Education via Service Learning Efforts in Engineering.

A collaborative research project funded by the National Science Foundation, Engineering Education & Centers, Award #0935209 (2009-2011). 

  • Overview: This project explored how service learning activities can best be used to enhance student learning about sustainability.  To facilitate this study, two research instruments were developed: a student survey to evaluate sustainable engineering self-efficacy based on expectancy value theory (EVT) and a method to evaluate sustainable engineering knowledge based on a challenge question and assessment rubric.

  • PIs: Christopher Swan (Tufts University), Angela R. Bielefeldt (University of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Boulder), Kurt Paterson (formerly Michigan Tech, currently James Madison University)
  • Additional members of the research team: Mary McCormick (Tufts), K. Lawyer (Michigan Tech), Jonathan Wiggins (ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥)

Journal Publications:

  1. B.G. Tucker, D.O. Kazmer, A.R. Bielefeldt, K. Paterson, O. Pierrakos, A. Soisson, C. Swan. 2014. The Reflective Learner: Perspectives of Engineering Faculty Engaged in Learning through Service. International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering. vol. 9, no. 2. https://doi.org/10.24908/ijsle.v9i2.5448
  2. B.G. Tucker, D.O. Kazmer, A.R. Bielefeldt, K. Paterson, O. Pierrakos, A. Soisson, C. Swan. 2014. Principles of Sustaining Partnerships between Higher Education and their Larger Communities: Perspectives from Engineering Faculty Engaged in Learning through Service. International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering. Special Issue Jan. 2014. pp. 48-63. https://doi.org/10.24908/ijsle.v0i0.5131
  3. K.G. Paterson, A.R. Bielefeldt, C.W. Swan, G. Rulifson, D. Kazmer, O. Pierrakos. 2014. Designing Value into Engineering Learning Through Service Activities Using a Blueprint Model. International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering. Special Issue Jan. 2014. pp. 64-83. https://doi.org/10.24908/ijsle.v0i0.5132

Conference Paper Publications:

  1. Bielefeldt, A.R., C. Swan, K. Paterson, D.O. Kazmer, O. Pierrakos. 2015. Learning Through Service Engineering Faculty: Characteristics and Changes over Time. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 15-17. Seattle, WA. Paper ID #12480. DOI: 10.18260/p.24415. 18 pp. https://peer.asee.org/24415
  2. Tucker, B.G., D.O. Kazmer, C. Swan, A.R. Bielefeldt, K. Paterson, O. Pierrakos, G.A. Rulifson, L. Barrington. 2014. Research Institutions’ Teaching Imperative: Rising to the Commitment of Service-Learning in Engineering Education. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 15-18. Indianapolis, IN.  Paper ID #9136. 13 pp. https://peer.asee.org/22976
  3. Bielefeldt, A.R., K. Paterson, C. Swan, O. Pierrakos, D.O. Kazmer, A. Soisson. 2013. Spectra of Learning Through Service Programs. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 22-26. Atlanta, GA. Paper ID #7162. 17 pp. https://peer.asee.org/22465
  4. Tucker, B.G., D.O. Kazmer, O. Pierrakos, C. Swan, A.R. Bielefeldt, K. Paterson, A. Soisson. 2013. Faculty Perspectives on Learning Through Service in Engineering Education: Challenges and Opportunities. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 22-26. Atlanta, GA.  Paper ID #6469. 18 pp. https://peer.asee.org/19610
  5. Swan, C., A.R. Bielefeldt, K. Paterson, D.O. Kazmer, O. Pierrakos, A. Soisson, B.G. Tucker. 2013. Workshops for the Engineering Faculty Engagement in Learning Through Service (EFELTS) Project: Development and Initial Findings.  American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 22-26. Atlanta, GA. Paper ID #7552. 12 pp. https://peer.asee.org/22786
  6. Bielefeldt, A.R., K. Paterson, C. Swan, J.J. Duffy, O. Pierrakos, N.E. Canney. 2012. Engineering Faculty Engagement in Learning Through Service Summit: Best Practices and Affinity Mapping.  American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 10-13. San Antonio, TX. Paper AC 2012-4351. 16 pp. https://peer.asee.org/21304
  7. Pierrakos, O., A. Zilberberg, C.W. Swan, A.R. Bielefeldt, K. Paterson, J.J. Duffy, S. Mcvay. 2012. Faculty Survey on Learning Through Service: Development and Initial Findings. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 10-13. San Antonio, TX. Paper AC 2012-5229. 22 pp. https://peer.asee.org/21392
  8. Swan, C., J. Duffy, O. Pierrakos, K. Paterson, A. Bielefeldt. 2011. The EFELTS Project – Engineering Faculty Engagement in Learning Through Service. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 26-29. Vancouver, BC. Paper 2011-1324. 14 pp. https://peer.asee.org/18987

Book Chapter Publications:

  1. Bielefeldt, A.R. and M. Lima. 2019. Service-Learning and Civic Engagement as the Basis for Engineering Design Education. Chapter in: Engineering Design and Innovation Methods. Mur Md. Sayeed Hassan, Ed. ISBN 978-1-78984-038-4. IntechOpen Publishing. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.83699
  2. 'Bielefeldt, A.R. 2018. Chapter 3 - Faculty and Student Perspectives on Community Engagement in Engineering Education. Community Engagement: Principles, Strategies, and Practices. R. Kronick, ed. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-53613-023-2. pp. 41-92.
  3. Swan, C., K. Paterson, A. Bielefeldt. 2014. Community Engagement in Engineering Education as a Way to Increase Inclusiveness.  Chapter 18 in: Cambridge Handbook of Engineering Education Research (CHEER), A. Johri and B. Olds, Eds. ISBN: 9781107014107. pp. 357-372.  American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division I Outstanding Publication Award for Books in 2014.
  4. Bielefeldt, A. and J.M. Pearce. 2012.  Chapter 2 – Service Learning in Engineering. In:  "Convergence:  Philosophies and Pedagogies for Developing the Next Generation of Humanitarian Engineers and Social Entrepreneurs".  T.Colledge, ed. E-book. ISBN: 978-0-615-60997-3