Bridging Local Action to Global Citizenship: Service-learning in Indonesia’s Digital Era

Abstract

Rapid technological advances in the digital era have brought both significant benefits and new challenges to global citizens, compelling higher education institutions to transform their approaches by adopting innovative learning methods that connect academic study with real-world societal issues. Consequently, this study aims to identify how Service-Learning pedagogy fosters Global Citizenship among university students in the digital era through direct community-based learning experiences. This study used a qualitative, multiple-case study design and collected data through observation, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. The findings reveal that Service-Learning serves as a multidimensional space for cultivating Global Citizenship, encompassing Digital Citizenship development, covering aspects such as digital access, literacy, ethics, and security, as well as citizenship oriented toward sustainability and the shared well-being. The results indicate that reflecting on learning experiences in society bridges local issues with global responsibilities. Furthermore, the study recommends strengthening Service-Learning as a form of global citizenship education and encourages further relevant research and comparative studies to examine its impact.