Service‐eLearning: educating today's learners for an unscripted future

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer the proposition that by marrying service‐learning and eLearning pedagogies, educators can devise innovative pedagogical approaches that respond to the personal characteristics and educational preferences of today's “millennial” learners. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the complementary pedagogical theories of service‐learning and eLearning in the context of preparing millennial learners for an increasingly “unscripted” future. Findings Research suggests that learners today must be equipped to make knowledge applicable in any setting, to gain the dispositions needed to effectively communicate globally, and to operate within advanced technological systems. Technology is not only a part of what shapes and defines learners' unscripted future; it is likewise essential to education within the context of that unscripted future. When considered in light of the unscripted future faced by millennial learners, service‐learning can gain greater relevance when merged with eLearning pedagogy. Originality/value The paper presents an integrative pedagogy of service‐eLearning, offering a discussion of both the theoretical frameworks and practical considerations undergirding this approach.