Webinars
Demystifying Service Learning and Community Engagement Methodologies
October 3rd, 2025 at 9 am PT | 12 pm ET
Hosted by the IARSLCE Special Programming Committee, this interactive workshop is designed to support faculty, staff, students and community partners in gaining clarity and confidence in using service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) as a research methodology. Participants will learn from leading scholars in the field who will share practical strategies and frameworks for designing rigorous, community-engaged research projects.
Through a guided panel discussion, attendees will explore how SLCE can advance scholarship, improve student learning outcomes, and create meaningful impact with community partners. The session will also introduce some best practices for integrating SLCE methodologies into research design and assessment.
This session is ideal for faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and community partners interested in incorporating SLCE into their teaching, research, and institutional initiatives.
Speakers
Dr. Sudhansubala Sahu holds a PhD in Sociology from the Central University of Hyderabad and has been serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Christ University, Bangalore, since 2012. Her teaching and research interests span Gender Studies, Sociology of Media, Disability Studies, and Pedagogy. She has published extensively in reputed national and international journals and was awarded the prestigious Professor M.N. Srinivas Memorial Prize in 2019 for her scholarly contributions.
An accomplished academic, Dr. Sahu integrates rigorous sociological research with practical impact, bridging scholarship, consultancy, and higher education reform. Passionate about teaching and mentorship, she works actively to foster student engagement and institutional collaborations. Her work reflects a deep commitment to advancing knowledge, pedagogy, and social change through interdisciplinary research and public engagement.
Dr. Meghan Zulian is a solutions-driven researcher in coastal and climate science, community engagement, and science-policy integration. As a Science Policy Fellow for the California Ocean Science Trust (OST), she synthesizes best-available science in support of California’s ocean governance. Prior to joining OST, Meghan worked with in environmental consulting, supporting Indigenous-led climate solutions and the reinstatement of Tribal harvesting rights. Meghan holds a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from UC Davis, where part of her graduate research, supported by the UC Davis Office for Public Scholarship and Engagement, focused on a national synthesis of interdisciplinary programs for training community-engaged scholars.
A message from our speakers:
“Experiential Pedagogy and Service Learning: Rethinking Research and Teaching: I will be speaking on “Demystifying Research” through the lens of Service Learning as a Pedagogy. My engagement with Service Learning began in 2014, when I experimented with experiential approaches while teaching Contemporary Social Problems at CHRIST University. What started as an attempt to move learning beyond the classroom and into real communities gradually evolved into a structured pedagogical practice, formally integrated into the curriculum and enriched through institutional collaborations. In my talk, I will share this journey—how reflective fieldwork, community partnerships, and theoretical application came together to shape a meaningful model of Service Learning, and how it continues to inform both teaching and research. “ - Dr. Sudhansubala Sahu
“Earth science to community-engaged graduate education: switching modes of landscape analysis: Through this talk, I hope to “demystify” the process of coming into community-engaged research as someone with disciplinary training in physical (earth) science. Given my background, I was introduced to community-engaged research through the American Geophysical Union Thriving Earth Exchange (TEX), where I worked with other scientists and community leaders in North Andros, Bahamas, to evaluate how a proposed limestone mine would affect their freshwater resources, and the health of their people and environment. Deeply impacted by my experience with TEX and my participation in the University of California, Davis’ Public Scholars for the Future program, I became very curious about existing support for graduate students pursuing community-engaged research and scholarship. This curiosity fueled my current study - a national synthesis of interdisciplinary programs for training community-engaged scholars. I am excited to share a bit about my journey of coming to this community-engaged work as an “outsider”, including lessons learned along the way, and some preliminary findings from my research.” - Dr. Meghan Zulian