Driving Social Innovation with AI-Powered Service Learning is a collaborative initiative, supported by the Arqus Innovation Fund (Call 2024). It aims to institutionalise Service Learning (SL) within the Arqus Alliance by promoting its integration into university curricula as a transformative model for social innovation, civic engagement, and high-quality learning. By combining civic responsibility, academic rigour, and the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the project seeks to foster inclusive, forward-looking educational practices that address real-world challenges. This initiative, coordinated by the University of Minho, brings together four other member universities of the Arqus European University Alliance — University of Granada (Spain), University of Vilnius (Lithuania), University of Padua (Italy), and University of Lyon 1 (France) — to collaboratively explore and advance the intersection of AI and SL in higher education. Through shared methodologies, co-created resources, and interinstitutional dialogue, the project empowers faculty and students to design and implement socially meaningful learning experiences that are context-sensitive, interdisciplinary, and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By building bridges between academia and society, the project aims to redefine the civic mission of the university in the age of digital transformation. It contributes to building a global learning ecosystem where universities are positioned as active agents of social change—mobilizing knowledge, innovation, and technology to tackle pressing societal needs and promote democratic, sustainable, and inclusive futures.
Related links
🔗 Dedicated Project Website for Dissemination and Resources:
Driving Social Innovation with AI-Powered Service Learning
Continuously updated platform with open access to all project-related materials.
🔗 Executable Book – “Service Learning with AI” Framework:
Service Learning with AI – Executable Framework
A work in progress presenting two practical scenarios for AI-supported Service Learning: Challenge-Based Simulation and Structured Service Learning.
🔗 CISPEE 2025 Conference Presentation:
CISPEE 2025 Workshop: Critical Minds in Action
Workshop presentation of the project outcomes at the Conference of the Portuguese Society for Engineering Education (July 2025).
