Service-Learning Through Immersive Technologies in Ecuador

Abstract

Service-learning, as a form of experiential learning, allows universities to work hand-in-hand with local communities, addressing their needs and expectations and putting into practice professional skills acquired by the students. This article reports on two service-learning experiences of communication students and faculty of Ecuador and Ohio working together with local communities in the countryside of the coastal province of Manabí and in the Andean páramo of Chugchilán. These activities were further enhanced via cutting-edge immersive technologies and production experience using these technologies. This article aims to answer the questions of whether and how international stakeholders and immersive technologies play a role in the community outreach roadmap. The outcomes suggest that immersive technologies in service-learning international partnerships present four types of challenges: ontological, technological, narrative, and professional. The introduction of immersive technologies in service-learning projects is an interesting possibility for further development of joint narratives.