Reframing planning pedagogy: professional preparedness through non-studio based service-learning

Abstract

Service-learning has emerged in planning and design education as a valuable pedagogical strategy for connecting classroom learning to community-engaged practice. However, the majority of scholarship in urban planning pedagogy privileges studio-based learning formats, leaving less empirical attention to how non-studio based service-learning contributes to student learning and professional preparation. This thesis examines the impact of non-studio based service-learning on the professional preparedness of planning students through a study examining PLAN 640, an interdisciplinary urban design seminar course at Kansas State University. Using a mixed-methods research design, this study draws on survey responses from 62 former students and 21 semi-structured interviews with former students across various academic backgrounds. Survey and interview data were used to analyze how students understood the relationship between course experience and later professional practice, with interview coding used to identify recurring themes across student accounts. Key findings show that non-studio based service-learning contributed meaningfully to professional preparedness in several ways. First, students described stronger professional role clarification and clearer professional identity development through interdisciplinary, community-facing work. Second, students reported technical and soft skill development through the demands of a community-accountable project and interdisciplinary teamwork. Third, students described the course as meaningful and applied, especially through the course structure connecting theory to practice, emphasizing ethical responsibility, and preparing them for community-engaged professional work. Together, these findings indicate that non-studio based service-learning can promote a broad range of professional development opportunities often associated with studio-based service-learning pedagogy while offering unique advantages through meaningful experiences, discussions, and interdisciplinary teamwork.