Nurturing Community: Using Community-Based Service Learning In Biopharmaceutical Engineering Education.

This project evaluates the use of CBSL as a strategy for teaching clinical investigation in the development of biopharmaceutical products based on the nutritional needs of children of a low-income community. To achieve this purpose, our students formulated various functional foods that provided the necessary nutrients for the children in the target community. Afterwards, they drafted the corresponding clinical protocols for each formulation, considering possible ethical implications. The academic evaluation was based on the comparison of courses with and without CBSL. The study found that students showed a slight improvement in academic performance with CBSL. This suggests that CBSL can promote academic excellence while fostering engagement with the local community. Pre- and post-course surveys were used to measure the impact of community work on students and its impact on social commitment. The results showed that students had a greater social commitment to the community after completing the service- based learning activity. This finding suggests that CBSL can play an important role in developing social awareness and responsibility in students. In conclusion, this study supports the use of CBSL as a strategy to promote academic excellence while fostering social engagement and responsibility. CBSL empowers students to make a significant contribution to the local community while also enabling them to learn through practical experience. By incorporating CBSL into the curriculum, students develop a greater sense of social responsibility, which can benefit both their academic and personal lives.