Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Aug 2025 Open Access

From Knowledge Transfer to Knowledge Creation: Using Public Pedagogy to Evolve Reciprocity in Service-Learning Roles

Adrienne Lamberti

Abstract

This piece explores a recent change in pedagogy for a professional communication program at a U.S. university. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted a reevaluation of the program’s service-learning curricula. Students’ pre-pandemic challenges are described and compared to their exacerbated struggles post-Covid, especially the impact of misinformation and artificial intelligence upon critical thinking skills. Service- learning clients’ struggles too are analyzed. Intersecting service-learning pedagogy with thought from public pedagogy scholarship can address these challenges by enhancing reciprocity in service-learning relationships. A nuanced understanding of reciprocity in service-learning roles can address power dynamics and break free from restrictive academic conventions, fostering a more equitable learning environment. The piece includes an example of how a revised service-learning curriculum in grant writing affected students’ critical thinking skills and enabled client partners to advocate for their organizations’ constituents.

Journal
Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
Published
2025-08-19
DOI
10.59236/rjv24i2pp162-230
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Topics
writing pedagogy service learning argument transfer professional writing artificial intelligence
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