Integrating service learning into a first-year engineering course

Over the last several years, the first-year-engineering course offered at Calvin College (USA) has included a significant team design project. What has made the project special to both faculty and students is the service-learning aspect. The author has developed relationships with several local organizations that support and assist disabled persons to become employed in the community. The design projects require the students to design and build assistive devices for specific clients of these organizations. The motto of the service learning program at Calvin College is "Learning to Serve, Serving to Learn" and the author has found that this project is a rewarding experience as it combines the students' engineering education with service opportunities. This paper provides examples of past projects and discuss the organization, the difficulties, and the benefits of this service-learning project.