IARSLCE Asia-Pacific Community of Practice | Service-Learning and Leadership Office

IARSLCE Asia-Pacific Community of Practice (APCoP)

Introduction

The IARSLCE Asia-Pacific Community of Practice is a community established to promote the development and dissemination of research on service-learning and community engagement and build strong partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. This community of practice (CoP), part of the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), is an international non-profit organization for scholars, practitioners, and community partners to engage in high quality trans-disciplinary research across a wide range of approaches and forms of service-learning and community engagement.

At the IARSLCE Virtual Conference held in November 2021, a gathering was organised for the Asia-Pacific Region. Participants expressed interest in continued dialogue and cooperation. Subsequently, a series of email exchanges among individual parties led to the formation of the APCoP under IARSLCE. Membership for the APCoP is open. Interested parties please contact the provisional secretariat.

In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has become more and more active in adopting service-learning as an impactful teaching pedagogy. The region is tremendously rich in diversity in many dimensions: ethnicity, culture, history, language, political system, economic progress, etc. Such diversity offers great challenges as well as opportunities for innovative applications in service-learning; hence there is a greater need for scholarly research in a wide range of relevant aspects.

The community realizes that we have a lot to learn from and collaborate with each other. We recognize that many related communities have already existed, such as conferences, national organizations, etc., each with its own history, objectives, and membership. The APCoP encourages collaboration in scholarly research and applications. Our membership is open and inclusive. Most founding and current members are also members of multiple existing organisations.

Universities/ organizations/ countries currently involved

(Surname in alphabetical order; the list will be updated periodically as appropriate)

Name	Affiliations
Jiawen CAI	Duke Kunshan University, China
Rina F. CAMUS	Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Wing Fung CHAN, Chad	Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China
Thera CHIU	Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, China
Liu HONG	Fudan University, China
Atsuko KURONUMA	The University of Tokyo, Japan
Kam Por KWAN	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Lisa LAM	Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Shuheng LIN	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Xiangling LIU	Shantou University, China
Kenneth WK LO	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Aik Min NG	Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China
Grace NGAI	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Mikiko NISHIMURA	International Christian University, Japan
Yuanyuan WANG	Shenzhen University, China
Rong XIANG	Yunnan University, China
Hironori YAMAGUCHI	Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Xiaodong ZENG	Beijing Normal University, China

Name	Affiliations
Mark Anthony D. ABENIR	Ateneo de Manila University, The Philippines
Ming Huei CHIA	Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore
Un LEANG	Royal University of Phnom Pehn, Cambodia
Tran Lan Chi NGUYEN	Da Nang Architecture University, Vietnam
Thi Thanh Huong TRAN	Vietnam Campus Engage, Vietnam
George THADATHIL	Salesian College, India
Harry VANANH	ECO Vietnam Group, Vietnam
Wiyatiningsih	Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana, Indonesia
Shirley WORLAND	Chiang Mai University, Thailand

Name	Affiliations
Margaret MALONE	University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Louella McCARTHY	University of Wollongong, Australia
Dung NGUYEN	Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Name	Affiliations
Lentson AMOS	The United Board of Christian Higher Education
Mercy PUSHPALATHA	The United Board of Christian Higher Education
Maher SPURGEON	The United Board of Christian Higher Education