Assessing the Learning in a Service-Learning Project Using Outcomes Measures Recommended by the Commission on Public Relations Education

In order for service-learning to be sustainable, research is needed that facilitates understanding and acceptance by stakeholders. One way to undertake research of this type is to use a framework suggested by practitioners and educators in a specific discipline. Results derived from an established framework are likely to be particularly compelling. Service-Learning has become a common pedagogical approach in communication; however the absence of standard methods of assessment has made it more difficult to compare service-learning with other pedagogical strategies. This chapter seeks to address that gap by suggesting a methodological approach for assessing service-learning using a framework developed from the 2006 Report of the Commission on Public Relations Education.