These questions were written using Engineering as the professional field, but are of equal value to any pre-professional program (law, medicine, teaching, fine arts, etc.)
- Is there a difference between the way the professionals in your intended field view problems and the way they are viewed by people you are working with? What are the differences? Why do these differences exist?
- What non-professional information did you learn about the project from the people you worked with? Is this information relevant to your work? If so, why?
- How can professionals in your intended field work with community members together to solve problems? Why should they?
- Do you have any ethical dilemma about taking on this project? Have you been asked to do something that contradicts your values or beliefs? Are there social issues which affect or are effected by the project you have been assigned and, if so, how will you take then into account? What is the ultimate outcome of your project? Who will benefit?
- How has the nature of your intended profession changed over your lifetime? How does this affect you? If you put this project on a resume, would you list it as community “service”? Does your professional community value volunteer work? Why the professional community’s valuation important?
- Is there a difference between what we think is needed and what the recipients of the services think is needed? How do you know? (Hopefully, because the students have spoken with the recipients!) Will this relate to your work in the future? Why is this important?
- Think of a principle of your intended profession that can be applied to help understand a social problem. How does your thought process as a pre-professional in this field affect the way you view social issues? Can social issues affect the way you practice it?
- What are the stereotypes of professionals in your intended field? Are they true? If so, in what circumstance is it critical that they be true?
Adapted from Decker, R. and Moffat, J. (2000). “Service-Learning Reflection for Engineering: A Faculty Guide” in Tsang, E. (Ed.). Projects that Matter: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Engineering. Washington, D.C.: AAHE.