Faculty perceptions of managing risks related to service learning

Successfully mitigating recognized university risks could only be accomplished if the campus community plays a part in managing various university risks. The purpose of this study was to understand how faculty perceived their role in managing university risk, particularly risks associated with teaching service-learning courses. Data was collected through comprehensive, open-ended interviews with university faculty teaching service-learning courses. This study’s research questions include: 1) How do faculty perceive their role in managing risks in an academic environment? 2) How does the university culture shape faculty understating and/or their approach of managing risks associated within the academic environment? and 3) How will faculty change their beliefs in response to risk communication efforts and exercises? The findings suggested that faculty believed that, due to their nexus to their students and the university, they had an important role in addressing risks. Their role in managing risks was disadvantaged by a lack of resources and support. The results also suggested that the university culture did not play a role in how faculty managed risks. Lastly, the majority of the faculty interviewed did not find that a negative-event risks scenario presented to them changed their opinion on how they perceived risks. In conclusion, the most significant factor in how faculty addressed risks was a lack of resources, including the extra time it takes to assess and mitigate risk.