Conference Program

In recent years, Service Learning (SL) has established itself as a socio-pedagogical approach capable of integrating academic learning, civic engagement and social impact, placing itself at the intersection between innovative teaching and Third Mission (Palumbo, Scardigno 2024). This paper presents the results of a research study on the development and monitoring of SL initiatives promoted by the University of Bari Aldo Moro, with particular attention to their configuration as public engagement and civic engagement practices and to the evaluation evidence reported in the ANVUR reports (Carrera et. al., 2025). The University of Bari Aldo Moro has launched several service-learning projects and proposals, following the objectives of the Italian University Network for Service-Learning (UNiSL) and its manifesto, which aims to integrate teaching and community service, social justice, and sustainable development (Albanesi et al. 2023, p. 10). The research hypothesis is that the University of Bari Aldo Moro monitors all its initiatives to highlight the institution's role as an agent of regional development. In particular, we believe that actions within the SL framework impact the degree of reflexivity in teaching, while simultaneously underlining the institution's responsibility towards the social, cultural, and change processes of the surrounding society. The research adopts a methodological design based on documentary study and interviews, in addition to the staff in charge of the Third Mission and Public Engagement offices, with teachers and students engaged in awareness-raising activities on issues that can no longer be postponed, such as combating extreme poverty and designing a more sustainable society that is more attentive to inequalities.