Developing evaluation criteria for a service-learning course in computer science education

Service learning, by which students apply what they have learned in a specific field to voluntary service work, continues to garner attention as an educational method for nurturing multiple diverse skills. To the best of our knowledge, a reliable evaluation method has not yet been established for service learning. In this study, we develop evaluation criteria for Information Volunteer, a servicelearning course started in 1997 wherein students engage in information-based educational activities at nearby schools. In this study, we analyzed (1) the types of problems students faced in during volunteering, (2) how students solved (or failed to solve) these given problems, and (3) what students found to be meaningful in practice. We used participant observation and group interviews as research methods as well as a case-code matrix, a qualitative data analysis method. We generated 30 cases that we organized into the following three categories: problems, provision, and what they learned from the activity. Each of these categories was further divided into the following subcategories: communication, office work, and teaching. In our observations and interviews, we found that undergraduates were unable to solve all problems. Furthermore, students demonstrated different levels of performance, which we concluded might stem from disparities in the academic abilities of the students as well as the variety of activities from school to school. From our results, we developed assessment criteria in the form of a rubric for assessing student performance in the given subject areas.