Rethinking Engineering Education: Service-Learning as a Tool for Social Innovation

Research Paper Recommended citation: Leão, C. P., Alves, A. C., Silva, V., Soares, F., Meireles, A. C., Pinheiro, E. D., & Oliveira, D. (2025). Rethinking Engineering Education: Service-Learning as a Tool for Social Innovation. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Järvinen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53rd Annual Conference. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), Tampere, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631855. This Conference Paper is brought to you for open access by the 53rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. RETHINKING ENGINEERING EDUCATION: SERVICE-LEARNING AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION C. P. Leão a, 1 , A. C. Alves b, V. Silva c, F. Soares d, A. C. Meireles e, E. Pinheiro e, D. Oliveira e a ALGORITMI/LASI Research Centre, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal, 0000-0003-3725-5771 b ALGORITMI/LASI Research Centre, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal, 0000-0002-2926-4187 c ALGORITMI/LASI Research Centre, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal, 0000-0003-0082-343X d ALGORITMI/LASI Research Centre, School of Engineering, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal, 0000-0002-4438-6713 e AFCAB, Braga, Portugal Conference Key Areas: Engineer as a social debater – new skills needed?; Engineering skills, professional skills, and transversal skills Keywords: Service-Learning; Caregivers; Social Innovations; Engineering Education ABSTRACT This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study investigating a servicelearning experience in an interdisciplinary elective course that engaged engineering students from multiple disciplines—including civil, aerospace, industrial, and electronics—across academic levels. Conducted in partnership with a non-profit association supporting informal caregivers, the initiative aimed to bridge technical expertise with social responsibility by challenging students to co-create innovative solutions for real-world caregiving needs. The study investigated how participation in real-world caregiving challenges influences students’ development of empathy, ethical sensitivity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Data were collected from student’s reflection reports, project deliverables, stakeholders’ observations, ad Padlet documentation. Thematic analysis, informed by Tronto’s care ethics framework, was conducted around three guiding research question. Results demonstrated that students co-created user-centred technological solutions, including smart assistive devices, ergonomic tools, health-tracking apps, and IoTbased communication systems, while simultaneously enhancing ethical awareness, 1 Corresponding Author Initials Last name e-mail address civic responsibility, and professional identity. These findings reinforce the value of service-learning as an effective pedagogical approach to integrate engineering education with social innovation, ethical development, and global priorities defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG3, SDG4, and SDG17). 1 INTRODUCTION In recent years, engineering education has increasingly recognized the importance of preparing students as technical problem-solvers and as socially responsible professionals capable of addressing complex societal challenges (Reynante, 2022; Nock et al., 2025). However, traditional curricula often lack opportunities for students to engage with human-centred issues beyond the conventional technological domain (Ferdman & Ratti, 2024). Service-learning (SL), a structured pedagogical model that integrates academic learning with community engagement, has gained increasing recognition for its ability to connect technical education with civic responsibility, ethical awareness, and social justice (Finelli et al., 2012; Narong & Hallinger, 2024). Students engage in meaningful learning by working with real-world stakeholders and addressing authentic social issues while developing critical transversal skills such as empathy, communication, and reflective thinking (Resch & Knapp, 2020). Recent studies emphasize the importance of multi-stakeholders involvement in SL initiatives, combining contributions from educators, students, community organizations, and end-users to enrich learning experience, ensure the real-world relevance of student work, and fosters the development of critical thinking, ethical awareness, and social responsibility (Ferreira et al., 2024). While traditional engineering curricula focus heavily on technical problem-solving, care ethics introduces relational and empathetic dimensions, highlighting responsiveness, mutual respect, and ethical responsibility in addressing real-world challenges (Afroogh et al., 2021; Walther et al., 2017). A recent bibliometric analysis of SL in engineering education reveals a shift toward socially engaged, interdisciplinary learning, emphasizing human-centred design, empathy, sustainability, and emerging technologies (Narong & Hallinger, 2024), further reinforcing the transformative potential of SL in engineering education. Aligned with this pedagogical evolution, this study reports on the design and implementation of an elective course that engaged engineering students from diverse fields—including mechanical, electronics, and industrial engineering— through a service-learning and social innovation approach, developed in partnership with a non-profit organization supporting informal caregivers. The course addressed complex caregiving challenges that require technical innovation, ethical reflection, and user-centred design while contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDG3 – Good Health and Well-Being, SDG4 – Quality Education, and SDG17 – Partnerships for the Goals). Students co-create solutions aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals who care for the elderly, with chronic illness, or with disabilities. To better understand the educational impact of this SL initiative, the study addresses the following research questions: RQ1: How does participating in an SL project influence engineering students’ development of empathy and ethical sensitivity? RQ2: In what ways do students engage with the different phases of Tronto’s care ethics framework throughout the course? RQ3: How do students reflect on their interdisciplinary collaboration and real-world problem-solving skills in the context of caregiving challenges? This paper is structured as follows: Section 2 presents the methodology and structure of the course; Section 3 discusses the main results; and Section 4 offers conclusions and future research directions. 2 METHODOLOGY Following the context described in the introduction, this section presents the methodological approach adopted in designing and implementing the elective course. Grounded in the SL model, the course connected engineering knowledge with a socially relevant challenge—informal caregiving—through collaboration with a non-profit organization. The methodology engaged students in a structured learning process combining technical development, stakeholder involvement, and critical reflection The following subsections describe the course setting, SL framework, and data collection strategies. 2.1 Course and Institutional Context This study was conducted within the context of an elective course on servicelearning and social innovation at the University of Minho (UMinho) (Leão et al., 2024). Initially structured as a challenge-based learning (CBL), the course was later consolidated as a service-learning experience addressing real-world societal challenges. In the first semester of the 2024/25, the course enrolled 32 undergraduate students from different engineering programs and academic years. Students self-organized into six teams, following teachers’ requirement that each team include members from at least two different engineering programs to ensure multidisciplinary collaboration and peer learning. Table 1 summarizes the student participants. Table 1. Profile of student participants Academic Area Year of Study Students Gender Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) 2nd & 3rd year 14 10 female 4 male Mechanical Engineering (EM) 1st, 3rd & 5th year 8 2 female 6 male Industrial Electronics and Computers Engineering (IEEC) 2nd & 3rd year 5 1 female 4 male Aerospace Engineering (AE) 1st year 2 2 male Informatics Engineering (IE) 1st year 1 1 male Civil Engineering (CE) 3rd year 1 1 male Materials Engineering (ME) 2nd year 1 1 female 2.2 Community Partner and Social Challenge The course was developed in collaboration with the non-profit association AFCAB – Associação de Cuidadores, Familiares e Amigos de Braga (Association of Informal Caregivers, Family Members, and Friends of Braga), which supports informal caregivers who provide unpaid care for elderly, disabled, or chronically ill individuals. These caregivers often face significant physical, emotional, social, and logistical challenges. By addressing these caregiving needs, students apply their engineering knowledge to real-world contexts, contributing to global priorities outlined by the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG3, SDG4, and SDG17. AFCAB actively contributed to needs assessment, project development, and final evaluation, ensuring technical feasibility and socially relevance. The SL experience was intentionally structured to reflect Tronto’s (1993) care ethics framework (Edwards, 2009), guiding students through four phases: (1) 'caring about': recognizing and understanding the needs of informal caregivers; (2) 'caring for': taking responsibility to address these needs through engineering tools; (3) 'caregiving': designing and developing technically appropriate solutions; and (4) 'care receiving': incorporating user and association feedback into iterative solution refinement. This framework supported students in recognizing caregiver needs, developing responsive solutions, and ultimately integrating user feedback, thereby reinforcing ethical sensitivity and social responsibility throughout the engineering design process. 2.3 Service-Learning Framework and Phases The project was implemented across four main phases, each aligned with the SL cycle: (1) Familiarization and Needs Analysis: Students attended presentations to gain an understanding of the caregiver context. They held meetings with ACFAB representatives to gather qualitative insights; (2) Problem Identification and Ideation: Based on the needs analysis, teams brainstormed and proposed initial concepts for technological or process-based solutions. The problems ranged from communication challenges to physical strain and lack of monitoring tools; (3) Prototyping and Technical Development: Teams developed early-stage functional prototypes, often involving digital tools (e.g., mobile applications, wearable sensors) or ergonomic physical devices designed for daily caregiver tasks; and (4) Presentation and Feedback Session: Solutions were presented to caregivers, faculty, and partner stakeholders. Feedback was collected to refine the designs and evaluate the impact. Throughout all stages, stakeholders acted as co-creators, and students were encouraged to reflect on both the technical feasibility and social appropriateness of their proposed solutions. Additional training sessions, led by invited speakers, cover topics such as LinkedIn profile building, CV preparation, communication skills, entrepreneurship, transitioning to the labour market, ethics, and artificial intelligence to support students’ personal and professional development. 2.4 Data Collection and Assessment A qualitative evaluation strategy was adopted to investigate the development of ethical awareness, empathy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Multiple sources enabled triangulation and ensure validity of findings: (1) stakeholders' observations: feedback from teachers, AFCAB representatives, and external stakeholders throughout project milestones, including progress review and final presentations; (2) project deliverables: design documents, prototypes (when applicable), presentations, and projects updates documented through Padlet boards (Figure 1), capturing the evolution of each team’s work; and (3) individual reflection reports: final student reflections on learning experiences, ethical insights, and collaborative dynamics. Data collection was integrated throughout the four SL stages, aligned with Tronto’s care ethics framework. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), systematically coding recurring themes within student reflections, stakeholder feedback, and project deliverables. Identified themes included the development of empathy, ethical awareness, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement with real-world complexity. Reflections were further analysed in relation to Tronto’s framework to capture students’ ethical engagement throughout the learning experience. The alignment between data sources and research questions is summarized in Table 2. Fig. 1. Padlet diary overview. Each column represents a student team’s deliverables, including reflections, prototypes, and project documentation Table 2. Data Sources Aligned with Research Questions Research Question Data Source Description RQ1: Empathy and ethical sensitivity development Individual reflection reports Students’ reflections on ethical dilemmas, empathy, and social responsibility during the project RQ2: Engagement with Tronto’s care ethics framework Individual reflection reports, stakeholders observations, project milestones Evidence of student engagement across the four phases of care RQ3: Interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving skills Project deliverables, Padlet documentation Documentations of teamwork, integration of knowledge, and stakeholders feedback during project development 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The outcomes of this service-learning experience demonstrate a meaningful integration of technical knowledge with social responsibility, supported by collaboration with the community partner AFCAB. The thematic analysis of student reflections, project deliverables, Padlet documentation, and stakeholder observations provides insight into students’ development of ethical awareness, empathy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving skills. 3.1 Students’ Project Proposals and Technical Solutions The solutions proposed by the students’ exceeded expectations, impressing both the teaching staff and the leadership of the community partner. The projects reflected a high level of creativity and technical competence, with teams developing solutions tailored to the diverse realities of informal caregiving. These included smart assistive devices, ergonomic support systems, mobile applications for health tracking, and automation tools to facilitate daily caregiving or patient routines. Some teams integrated emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance monitoring and coordination. An overview of these innovative proposals is illustrated in Figure 1. These outputs illustrated the students’ ability to translate theoretical engineering knowledge into practical, user-centred solutions. The complexity of informal caregiving, characterized by emotional strain, limited resources, and unpredictable routines, challenged students to design solutions that were feasible, usable, and adaptable to real-life constraints. Community partner feedback during the final presentations further validated the social relevance and applicability of the proposed prototypes. 3.2 Thematic Analysis of Students’ Reflections The thematic analysis of individual reflection reports revealed four main categories aligned with the research questions: (1) empathy and ethical awareness; (2) engagement with Tronto’s care ethics framework; (3) interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving skills; and (4) personal and professional growth. 3.2.1 Empathy and Ethics Awareness (RQ1) Students’ reflections indicated a notable increase in empathy and ethical sensitivity, becoming more attuned to the human context of engineering solutions by directly engaging with caregivers and designing for their needs: “This project was a way to raise our awareness of the real needs of others. We learned to think about how our solutions impact people's daily lives.” (Student IEEC1, female) “Throughout the semester, we had the chance to learn to listen, to adapt, and to understand problems beyond the technical aspect.” (Student ME1, male) Such reflections reflect a shift in mindset from purely technical problem-solving toward ethically grounded design practices and user-centred thinking, reinforcing the effectiveness of service-learning in promoting socially responsible engineering (Walther et al., 2017; Afroogh et al., 2021). 3.2.2 Engagement with Tronto’s Care Ethics Framework (RQ2) Mapping student experiences to Tronto’s four phases of care ethics revealed students’ progression in ethical reasoning throughout the project lifecycle: (1) Caring about: Students engaged in initial needs assessments with ACFAB representatives, gaining direct exposure to caregivers’ challenges; (2) Caring for: Teams selected and defined specific problems to address, assuming responsibility for proposing viable engineering solutions; (3) Caregiving: Students designed and developed technical solutions that address identified caregiving needs, balancing feasibility and usability; (4) Care receiving: Caregivers and community partner representatives provided feedback during final presentations, enabling teams to reassess and refine their solutions critically. As one student stated: “We learned to iterate based on their needs, not just on what we thought would work.” (Student IE1, male) This progression demonstrates how care ethics can structure ethical reasoning within technical design processes in engineering education (Edwards, 2009). 3.2.3 Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Real-World Problem-Solving (RQ3) The course's multidisciplinary nature encouraged students to work across engineering domains, share perspectives, and learn how to collaborate effectively. Students highlighted the value of multidisciplinary teamwork: “I was actively involved in every stage of the project and had the opportunity to work with colleagues from different areas, which allowed for a broad exchange of ideas.” (Student IEM1, male) “The experience allowed me to develop communication and teamwork skills that I had not had the opportunity to explore so deeply in other courses.” (Student IEM2, female) The caregiving challenge pushed students to navigate practical constraints and adapt their thinking beyond classroom exercises, thus demonstrating how exposure to unpredictable, real-world challenges enhances adaptability and resilience: “It was a very enriching experience, which pushed us to step out of our comfort zone and deal with real-life constraints.” (Student CE1, male) These outcomes SL’s role in developing transversal engineering competencies often underdeveloped in conventional classroom settings (Reynante, 2022; Narong & Hallinger, 2024). 3.2.4 Personal Growth and Professional Identity Formation Students expressed personal transformation and increased motivation to engage in socially impactful engineering work. “I found this unit to be extremely motivating and rewarding. It changed the way I see the role of an engineer in society.” (Student IEM3, female) Such reflections underline the transformative potential of service-learning to inspire civic engagement and reframe students’ understanding of their professional identity. 3.3 Pedagogical Insights and Implementation Challenges Students developed a heightened sense of empathy and responsiveness by engaging directly with informal caregivers and designing with their needs in mind (Edwards, 2009; Afroogh et al., 2021). These learning outcomes align with current calls to move beyond rule-based ethics and incorporate emotional, relational, and contextual understanding into engineering practice (Walther et al., 2017). In parallel, the project showcased how service-learning can deepen engagement by placing students in socially relevant contexts that demand technical problem-solving and ethical reflection (Reynante, 2022). Exposure to the real-world complexity of caregiving encourages students to address feasibility, usability, and inclusivity— dimensions often underexplored in traditional engineering curricula. These findings align with recent analyses that identify service-learning as a means to foster disciplinary competence and civic engagement in future engineers (Narong & Hallinger, 2024). However, the implementation of this pedagogical model also revealed specific challenges. Coordinating with community partners required significant institutional support and flexibility, particularly in scheduling and communication. As noted in previous research, such collaboration can be resourceintensive and dependent on the availability of stakeholder (Ferreira et al., 2024). Additionally, variations in student preparedness and engagement highlighted the difficulty of standardizing learning outcomes in highly contextualized, reflective activities—a common challenge in ethics and service-learning assessment (Finelli et al., 2012). Nevertheless, the pedagogical benefits outweighed these limitations, reinforcing SL’s potential to bridge technical and social dimensions in engineering education. 4 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS This study demonstrates the potential of service-learning (SL) as a pedagogical approach to bridge technical and social dimensions in engineering education. Using a qualitative research design, the study examined how participation in an SL project addressing informal caregiving challenges influenced students’ development of empathy and ethical sensitivity (RQ1), engagement with Tronto’s care ethics framework (RQ2), and interdisciplinary collaboration and problem-solving skills (RQ3). By engaging students in real-world challenges related to informal caregiving, the course provided opportunities for authentic application of disciplinary knowledge while fostering civic responsibility, empathy, ethical reflection, and professional identity development (Reynante, 2022; Finelli et al., 2012). The projects produced technically feasible and socially relevant solutions, including assistive devices, health-tracking apps. and IoT-based tools. Students reported increased motivation, ethical awareness, and readiness for professional practice, confirming SL’s role in promoting socially responsible engineering (Narong & Hallinger, 2024; Ferreira et al., 2024). The integration of Tronto’s care ethics framework provided a structure pathway for students to engage ethically throughout the design process (Edwards, 2009; Afroogh et al., 2021), moving beyond technical problem-solving toward relational and user-centred design. Mapping student experiences to Tonto’s phases—caring about, caring for, caregiving, care receiving—highlighted students’ ethical progression during the project. Aligned with global priorities defined by the Sustainable Development Goals—particularly SDG3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG4 (Quality Education), and SDG17 (Partnerships for the Goals)—this initiative demonstrates the capacity of service-learning to position engineering education as an active contributor to societal well-being through interdisciplinary, socially engaged design. Despite implementation challenges related to partner coordination and varying levels of student engagement (Ferreira et al., 2024; Finelli et al., 2012), the educational benefits remain significant. Future iterations may expand participation beyond engineering, integrating disciplines such as social sciences, health, design, and education to enrich solution diversity and foster truly interdisciplinary collaboration. Further refinement of assessment tools for evaluating ethical development, empathy, and transversal skills is recommended to strengthen the empirical evaluation of students learning outcomes. Longitudinal studies may offer deeper insights into the long-term impact of SL on professional identity formation, civic engagement, and ethical reasoning as students transition into professional practice. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work has been supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the R&D Unit Project Scope UID/00319/Centro ALGORITMI (ALGORITMI/UM).