Educational Alternatives, Volume 23, 2025

Rezumat: The study examines the impact of service-learning (SL) on civic engagement, emphasizing its relevance in higher education and rural community development. This research is part of the Erasmus+ project CIVENHANCE, which aims to enhance higher education teachers' capacity to implement e-servicelearning (e-SL) initiatives that foster civic engagement and strengthen university-community partnerships, particularly in rural settings. The main objective is to analyse existing literature on the effectiveness of SL in promoting civic attitudes, skills, and long-term engagement, providing a foundation for developing e-SL methodologies tailored to rural contexts. The method employed is a systematic literature review, synthesizing findings from diverse research papers. Key topics include the influence of SL on students' civic attitudes and civic engagement. The results shows that Service-learning generally has positive effects on civic engagement, particularly in areas like political participation, social awareness, and critical reflection. Long-term servicelearning programs tend to have more sustainable and impactful outcomes compared to short-term projects, with high-quality programs benefiting from deep reflection, curriculum integration, and direct community engagement. However, challenges such as depoliticization, uneven accessibility, and shortterm effects without reflection need to be addressed for future programs to foster lasting social participation and address structural issues. These findings are significant in the context of CIVENHANCE, providing empirical support for designing effective e-SL frameworks. By embedding SL strategies into training and orientation programs for higher education teachers and students, the project aims to foster sustainable civic engagement and rural community prosperity.