Exploring Student Perceptions and Individual Factors Shaping Student Success in Virtual and In-Person Service-Learning Business Courses

Background: With the arrival of virtual service-learning (vSL), educators have been able to expand service-learning (SL) opportunities beyond traditional in-person engagements. Although increasingly popular, limited research on vSL exists. Purpose: Given the overall positive impact of SL on various student learning and cognitive outcomes and the significant rise in online course offerings, it becomes essential to assess student perceptions and experiences in vSL courses. Method: We compared student responses to survey questions in the same business course offered in two different modalities taught by the same instructor. Specifically, students responded to Likert-style and open-ended questions assessing their perceptions, experiences, and individual traits. We examined three research questions: (1) How do students’ evaluative perceptions of their SL experience differ based on course modality? (2) How do students’ reports of experiential features differ based on course modality? (3) What individual factors contribute to perceived student learning in vSL courses? Findings: No significant differences were found between modalities with respect to perceived student learning and satisfaction with the course, likelihood to recommend the course to peers and friends, or motivation to help within one's community. Students in the virtual version of the SL course reported more frequent interactions with organization representatives to discuss goals for the projects and deliverables, and rated the course as more challenging than their traditional SL counterparts. Implications: These findings are meaningful in the context of enhancing the societal impact of higher education by exposing a more inclusive population of students to the opportunity to partner with nonprofit organizations to enhance their communities’ well-being.