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About Service-Learning

 

Every NP student takes at least one Service-Learning module, in which they apply the skills and knowledge from their course to address community needs and effect positive societal change.

This enhances their:

  • Academic learning
  • Civic engagement and active citizenry
  • Personal growth
  • Critical thinking
 

Close to 10,000 students​ are impacted by Service-Learning

 

More than 500 staff have been trained in Service-Learning

 

More than 7​0 community organisations have partnered us

 

More than 65 Service-Learning modules are offered ​

Our Service-Learning Stories

Design & Environment

A Service-Learning project in Lombok led to friendships being forged, so much so that when tragedy struck, staff and students rallied to provide support.

Business & Accountancy

A personal budgeting course saw Accountancy students working with migrant workers and learning from them.

Humanities & Social Sciences

Psychology Studies students integrated their skills and knowledge from 5 different modules in a Service-Learning project involving disadvantaged children in an afterschool care centre.

Humanities & Social Sciences

Business & Social Enterprise students apply project management concepts and tools to work on real-world projects for community partners​

Film & Media Studies

Service-Learning helped Mass Communication students to think about serious critical issues and how to use words and images responsibly.

What Students Say

 
Business & Accountancy

Vanessa Rachel, Accountancy

“We were to gather data on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of elderly clients of Lions Befrienders, then use accounting software to display it interactively. This experience taught me how to sensitively elicit information and challenged my stereotypical thinking about the elderly being unable to live independent lives.”

 
School of Design & Environment

Gabriel Reece Granadino Quintana, Sustainable Urban Design & Engineering

“I never thought that I’d have to become a teacher for a day, in order to redesign the space in a childcare centre for underprivileged children! In seeking the children’s input, we got a real taste of involving clients in design development. The experience also changed my mind about volunteering with children, something I’d thought I would dread.”

 
School of Engineering

Dai Le Tian, Aerospace Electronics

“In gathering data for a community partner, I gained insights into migrant workers’ living and working conditions, and safety knowledge. The experience deepened my understanding of how such factors might cause accidents across industries, including aerospace. It also enhanced my appreciation and respect for our foreign workers.”

Image: Video developed by Sheryl Chong and team used in Muscular Dystrophy Association’s website
School of Film & Media Studies

Sheryl Chong, Visual Effects

“We learnt more than just production techniques when we interviewed and recorded patients, to develop awareness videos on Muscular Dystrophy. What is simple and easy for us, requires a lot of effort and help for these patients. I realised that I should cherish my life more and complain less.”

 
School of Humanities & Social Sciences

Ivelyn Tan, Psychology Studies

“I used to view children with special needs as ‘weird’ or ‘violent’. But after observing and interacting with them at a centre, I realised that they face challenges in expressing themselves and are often misunderstood. Knowing this helped my classmates and I come up with new activities to better engage them and complement the centre’s services.”

 
School of Health Sciences

Elisabeth Wong, Nursing

“I’d never realised how heart-breaking it must be for migrant workers and how society’s invisible discrimination towards them makes things worse. After interacting with them to gather data for an NGO, I no longer view them as just random persons building our HDBs or cleaning our houses. I’m now better prepared to deal with patients from diverse racial and economic backgrounds.”

 
School of Infocomm Technology

Alan Wong, Financial Informatics

"For our Service-Learning, we conducted mobile apps workshops for community leaders, making use of knowledge and skills from our course. In teaching them, I found myself learning important lessons – like how to be patient and better engage with people from diverse age groups and language backgrounds. I was also inspired by their spirit of lifelong learning."

 
School of Life Sciences & Chemical Technology

Eurosia Kim, Molecular Biotechnology

“We had to sort and weigh residents’ recyclable discards, then analyse the data collected using statistical tests to draw conclusions and make recommendations. The experience made our ‘dry’ module come to life and taught me lots about reducing waste. I’ll now think twice when I have something to throw away — can I reuse or recycle it instead?”


Training & Events

OSL conducts training on how to effectively use the Service-Learning pedagogy. Training can be customised to meet the needs of different schools/organisations, including curating specific experiential activities to bring the learning to life. In addition, OSL periodically organises forums, seminars, and conferences where experts are brought in to deepen knowledge and challenge thinking.

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Catch the action at our Empathy Challenge and Design Thinking Workshop for educators​

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Check out our Service-Learning training which can be customised to suit your school/faculty’s needs.

Highlights of our recent conference, “Our Social Future: Innovating for Tomorrow” that aimed to inspire and enable the social sector to be more future-ready.

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This opening video for the “Our Social Future” conference touches on social concerns of today and asks how we might better tap into technology for greater social good.

Youth Expedition Programmes

 

“We taught the children about primary and secondary colours and those of the rainbow. This photo was taken during the last lesson when the children experimented with the colours themselves. Red and yellow become orange, yellow and blue become green, and red and blue become violet. As they were mixing, we observed their delighted faces, all fascinated by how the colours mixed. We taught them colours. They taught us how to be content with the simple things in life. Like colours.”

Nicholas Kok

Biomedical Engineering
Youth Expedition Programme in China

 

“After our lunch break, we were back to churning cement for the roads. We saw two local children, playing in the mud. They were having fun, oblivious of the dirt and danger. On the other hand, the mud had made areas inaccessible and travelling difficult. I snapped a picture, then caught up with the rest, motivated to work harder to finish up the road.”

Ahmad Rusyaidi Bin Rasimans

Marine & Offshore Technology
Youth Expedition Programme in Cambodia

 

“It was a correct answer, though it sounded slightly wrong, that brought a smile to this child’s face. I reminded myself how simple happiness can be – how learning a new thing can bring so much joy – and how fortunate I am to be able to learn new things everyday. ”

Jolene Gina Abelarde

Mass Communication
Youth Expedition Programme in Laos

Our Partners

Over 7​0 community organisations from more than 10 sectors have partnered us, and the list is growing. Keen to partner us on Service-Learning projects? Simply contact our Office of Service-Learning to explore collaboration.

A Slice of Service-Learning

Read past issues of our newsletter to get a peek at NP’s Service-Learning journey.

​Dialogue in the Dark Singapore​ ​

Dialogue in the Dark Singapore (DIDsg) is an experiential training facility that promotes social inclusion of the disabled and disadvantaged. It offers a wide array of programmes and employs the blind as facilitators and speakers. For more information on DiDsg’s programmes and to make a booking, click below​.​

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Contact

Office of Service-Learning | Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Blk 4, #01-07
535 Clementi Road
Singapore 599489

np_osl@np.edu.sg
(65) 6460 7985
NPServiceLearning
@NPServiceLearning
linkedin.com/in/np-office-of-service-learning
 
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