On growing awareness and change: Introduction to IJRSLCE, Volume 6

As Heraclitus noted, “all things change.” This constant change is expressed in the needs and experiences of students, faculty, and community partners, who, as key partners of the service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) space, continue to evolve. As learning and teaching environments change, as the needs of community partners shift, and as SLCE practices evolve, investigations into how to move forward in more intentional and effective ways are of critical importance. Einstein described insanity as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. The same is potentially true when one does the same thing over and over again in a dynamic environment such as SLCE and expects the the same results. As students, institutions, communities, pedagogy, and learning environments continue to develop, so too must the practices and understanding of the critical elements of SLCE. This issue seeks to address and better understand this evolution.