Both of these pedagogies, at their very best (think Gold Standard PBL, and Shelley Billig’s high quality service learning), have a lot in common. They both invite students to explore their own interests; ask relevant and meaningful questions; engage in prolonged inquiry, research and reflection, assessment and feedback; and ask students to create something that is of service to the world and share it with an authentic audience.

There are many intersections between service and project based learning. But don’t let me just tell you about it, let student projects from the field describe this intersection, in a sweet spot that promotes engagement and greater service to the world.