Professor Kelley Beaverford
Associate Professor, Department of Interior Design
307 Russell Building
t 204.474.8654
f 204.474.7532
Kelley.Beaverford@ad.umanitoba.ca
A Model for International Service Learning:
Designing for a More Socially Responsible Future
This project aims to strengthen the capacity of the University of Manitoba to deliver international service learning programs. Building on the success of a course called Service Learning in the Global Community; it strives to develop an adaptable model for educators concerned with enhancing the intercultural and international dimensions of higher education. Service Learning in the Global Community empowers participants to have a voice in the evolution of the design professions as we move towards meeting the demands of society in the 21st century. By working alongside communities affected by poverty, war or pandemic, students learn of complex realities other than their own while gaining the practical and theoretical knowledge that can lead to more socially responsible design. The five-year study illustrates how diverse teaching objectives can be met through community engagement. With the common threads of design-build and collaboration, the course has provided opportunities to explore: Islamic culture and design in a traditional Turkish village, the long-term impact of HIV/AIDS on development in Uganda, and the right to education through the construction of a boarding house for girls in Northern Ghana.
Funding for this research was provided by the Academic Enhancement Fund, the Department of Interior Design, Partners Program, and the local design community.
307 Russell Building
t 204.474.8654
f 204.474.7532
Kelley.Beaverford@ad.umanitoba.ca
A Model for International Service Learning:
Designing for a More Socially Responsible Future
This project aims to strengthen the capacity of the University of Manitoba to deliver international service learning programs. Building on the success of a course called Service Learning in the Global Community; it strives to develop an adaptable model for educators concerned with enhancing the intercultural and international dimensions of higher education. Service Learning in the Global Community empowers participants to have a voice in the evolution of the design professions as we move towards meeting the demands of society in the 21st century. By working alongside communities affected by poverty, war or pandemic, students learn of complex realities other than their own while gaining the practical and theoretical knowledge that can lead to more socially responsible design. The five-year study illustrates how diverse teaching objectives can be met through community engagement. With the common threads of design-build and collaboration, the course has provided opportunities to explore: Islamic culture and design in a traditional Turkish village, the long-term impact of HIV/AIDS on development in Uganda, and the right to education through the construction of a boarding house for girls in Northern Ghana.
Funding for this research was provided by the Academic Enhancement Fund, the Department of Interior Design, Partners Program, and the local design community.
