Advanced Spanish Conversation and the Non-Traditional Student: A Case Study for Implementing Community-Based Learning at the Urban University

Abstract

This article discusses the unique situation of teaching an upper-level, undergraduate Spanish Conversation course with a service-learning component at a large, public, urban university. With the help of service-learning literature and anonymous pre- and post-surveys, this study aims to offer some qualitative observations and advice on community-based learning for the non-traditional student. Even with the added effort in curriculum development and the imperfections of language instruction for non-traditional students, this article concludes that the implementation of service-learning at the urban university can be a successful experience.