Strengthening an Ethical Platform for International Engagement and Service-learning at UBC: Filling knowledge and educational resource gaps

TitleStrengthening an Ethical Platform for International Engagement and Service-learning at UBC: Filling knowledge and educational resource gaps
Faculty/College/UnitUBC Health
StatusCompleted
Duration2 Year
Initiation04/01/2009
Completion08/06/2013
Funding Details
Year 1: Project TitleEstablishing a Sustainable Platform for Ethical Informational Service Learning Practice
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2009/2010
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorShafik Dharamsi
Year 1: Funded Amount118,567
Year 1: Team Members

Shafik Dharamsi, Assistant Professor, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine / College of Health Disciplines
Katherine Beaumont, Director, Go Global International Learning Program
Tamara Baldwin, Associate Director, Go Global International Learning Program
Jerry Spiegel, Associate Professor, Population and Public Health / Director, Centre for International Health / Director, Global Health, Liu Institute for Global Issues
Leonora C. Angeles, Associate Professor, Community and Regional Planning, Faculty of Applied Science
Grant Charles, Associate Professor, Social Work, Faculty of Arts
Dawn Currie, Professor, Sociology, Faculty of Arts
Susan Dahinten, Associate Professor, Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
Margery Fee, Professor, English, Faculty of Arts
Anita Ho, Assistant Professor, Centre for Applied Ethics, Faculty of Medicine
Larissa Lai, Assistant Professor, English, Faculty of Arts
Charles Larson, Director, International Child Health, BC Children's Hospital
Judy Maclean, Adjunct Professor, Food Nutrition and Health, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Margot Parkes, Research Fellow, CIHR Health Research Fellow
Rena C. Tabata, Coordinator, Community Liaison for Integrating Study and Services, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Robert Woollard, Professor, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Sean Nixon, HCEP Graduate Student, Community Health Initiatives by University Students Co-Chair
Iran Seyed-Raeisy, Student, Biology
Trisha Taneja, Student, Political Science
Angela Kaida, Graduate Student Rep, CIH / Population and Public Health
Ryan Hoskins, Medical Resident Rep, CIH / Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Jo-Ann Osei-Twum, Student, Science
Amaan Banwait, Student, Commerce
Aleem Kara, Student, Science
Manjit Chand, Student, MA Planning
Heather Allyn, Student, Land and Food Systems
Jeremy Taylor, Student, Land and Food Systems
Hans Wu, Student, Medicine
Lena Athanasopoulos, Student, Social Work
Keely Matheson, Student, Integrated Science
Lindsey Lenters, Student, Dietetics
Mary Rendell, Student, Medicine

Year 1: Summary

There is a growing concern among several faculty and students at UBC around the conflicting motivations for international service learning (ISL). Motivations range from a positive desire to promote equity, and to work with and for communities, as well as, and sometimes primarily to, fulfill a graduation requirement, enhance a resume, and/or secure research funds. The negative impact of these often conflicting motivations to the goals of ISL projects and the communities that host volunteers were echoed in a recently published (28/09/2008) Maclean's article titled "Helping the world. And Me."

TLEF support will enable: 1) a constructive dialogue series at UBC for students and faculty to identify and respond to the ethical implications of international service learning, e.g. disruption of community, stereotyping, disrespectful behaviour, creation of dependence, practicing clinical skills without qualifications, etc.; 2) development of a capacity building curriculum for faculty and students that highlights ethical and social justice principles for effective ISL practice; 3) a web-based guide-book for highlighting best ISL practices using a social justice framework; and 4) planning for a model course using a social justice framed ISL component.

Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2010/2011
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorKendra Foster
Year 2: Funded Amount65,000
Year 2: Team Members

Kendra Foster, Student, Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, Faculty of Graduate Studies / Population and Public Health / Faculty of Medicine
Shafik Dharamsi, Assistant Professor, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine / College of Health Disciplines
Tamara Baldwin, Associate Director, Go Global International Learning Programs
Jerry Spiegel, Associate Professor, Population and Public Health / Director, Centre for International Health / Director, Global Health, Liu Institute for Global Issues
Grant Charles, Associate Professor, Social Work, Faculty of Arts
Kristen Patten, Associate Director, Go Global International Learning Programs
Leonora C. Angeles, Associate Professor, Community and Regional Planning
Dawn Currie, Professor, Sociology, Faculty of Arts
Susan Dahinten, Associate Professor, Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science
Margery Fee, Professor, English, Faculty of Arts
Anita Ho, Assistant Professor, Centre for Applied Ethics
Charles Larson, Director, Centre for International Child Health
Judy McLean, Adjunct Professor, Food, Nutrition and Health, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Rena C. Tabata, Coordinator, Community Liaison for Integrating Study and Service
Robert Woollard, Professor, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Lesley Bainbridge, Associate Principle, College of Health Disciplines
Annalee Yassi, Professor, Global Health Research Program
Sunera Thobani, Associate Professor, Women and Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts

Year 2: Summary

A 2009/10 TLEF grant to Dr. Dharamsi enabled the successful development and implementation of a UBC-wide project for students and faculty to identify ethical issues around international engagement and service-learning (IESL) and to develop capacity through workshops for addressing these issues. IESL opportunities are an increasingly popular way for UBC students, staff and faculty to augment their teaching and learning experiences, inline with both UBC’s TREK 2010 and Place of Mind missions. There is growing concern and evidence that IESL opportunities are often being pursued without ethical preparation or established guidelines (“best practices”), potentially placing vulnerable communities at risk for exploitation and unintentional harm.

This second, now student-led phase of the Ethics of International Engagement and Service-learning (EIESL) Project (under Dr. Dharamsi’s supervision) proposes to further strengthen an ethical platform for IESL practices. We will develop an easy to use “EIESL Kit” and a decentralized approach to delivering small-group dialogue-based workshops and seminars involving student, faculty and staff.