JITE v38n4 - From the Editor - In Praise of Professional Service

In Praise of Professional Service

Service learning is a concept that has gained many proponents in the field of education. It is viewed as an important way to connect students to their communities, and as a way of providing meaningful, real life contexts for applying the content learned in schools. Although the community service component of service learning is important, what distinguishes service learning is the emphasis on active learning through the service experience ( Brown, 1998 ). In this issue, author Kevin Burr describes his use of service learning in a university classroom, and shares the comments made by his students about the value of that experience. It is clear that service learning can take many forms, depending on the nature of the content to be addressed and the local contexts within which the learning takes place.

In the spirit of Burr's article, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the vital role that service plays in the life of educators. There is perhaps no other profession in which service is so widely expected, and so generously offered. Teaching, by its very nature, is a helping profession

The Editor of the Journal relies heavily on the professional service provided by the members of the JITE review board. We count among our team colleagues who have provided long and capable service, as well as a number of newer members, all of whom contribute their time and expertise on a voluntary basis. I would like to acknowledge the following individuals who have served as manuscript reviewers for Volume 38: Thomas Bell, Dan C. Brown, David Bjorkquist, Paul Bott, Paul Brauchle, William R. Caldwell, Jeffrey Cantor, Phillip Cardon, Robert Chin, Rodney Custer, Michael DeMiranda, John Dugger, Thomas Erekson, Cheryl Evanciew, Jeffrey Flesher, W. Tad Foster, Gary Geroy, James Greenan, James Gregson, Larry Hatch, Robert Howell, Scott D. Johnson, Howard Lee, Theodore Lewis, Charles Linnell, James Lorenz, Brian McAlister, Susan J. Olson, Virginia Osgood, John Pannabecker, David Pucel, Dale E. Thompson, Kenneth Volk, Richard Walter, Kenneth Welty, Brenda Wey, and Karen Zuga. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for these individuals' thoughtful comments and the valuable advice they provide our authors.

Additionally, I would like to gratefully acknowledge the reviewing and additional assistance provided by members of our editorial board: George Rogers, Associate Editor; and Janet Burns, Jim Flowers, Stephen Petrina, and Andrew Schultz, Assistant Editors.

In This Issue

Dennis Field and Sheila Rowe describe the detailed process by which the National Association for Industrial Technology (NAIT) certification exam was developed.

MCH

References

Brown , B.L. (1998). Service learning: More than community service . (ERIC Digest No. 198). Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education.