Atanasko Atanasovski (JFDP 2009-10, Macedonia, Business Administration) is currently hosted at Fairfield University in Connecticut. He recently attended an event entitled, "Service Learning Roundtable: Classroom Models for Engaging Service to Advance Learning and the Common Good." The roundtable was jointly organized by Fairfield’s Center of Academic Excellence and Office of Service Learning. It served as an introduction to a series of events to be organized during the spring 2010 semester dedicated to the topic of service learning and it benefits for faculty, students and the community.
The goal of the roundtable was to inform professors interested in developing service learning courses with the insight into benefits and setbacks with using such an educational approach. Business and core science professors from the university shared their experiences of designing and teaching service learning courses, followed by an interesting debate on the pros and cons of this educational component. Mr. Atanasovski was impressed by the roundtable’s worthwhile topic and its ability to provoke critical thinking about the goals of higher education overall.
Atanasovski commented that after he returns home to Macedonia it could be possible for him to develop such a course or educational component at his university. However, for Macedonia’s circumstances and business culture, he would have to find a way to break down the great barrier of confidentiality and reliability which accountants in practice are expected to have. Atanasovski teaches at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, and focuses his studies at Fairfield on accounting and auditing. He thinks that for accounting courses the potential benefits for students and professors from service learning courses are considerable. He recognized from the roundtable’s presentations and shared experiences by those who have implemented such service learning courses, that it takes a lot of effort on the part of the instructor, the students, and the public practice where the service component is held, but the outcomes are uniquely beneficial to all involved.
- Activity Category: Conference/Workshop Attendance
- Activity Period: 02/17/2010 12:00 - 14:00
- Collaboration: U.S. faculty or administrators
- Approved Date: 03-17-2010