Q: What is service learning?
Service-learning is a credit bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.
Robert Bringle & Julie Hatcher, “A Service-Learning Curriculum for Faculty.” The Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, Fall 1995, pages 112-122
Q: What distinguishes service learning from community service and internships/practicum?
Community service programs emphasize service and volunteerism and are focused solely on benefiting the community, and internships emphasize student learning. Service learning brings the two together, creating a relationship of mutual benefit to both the community and the student.
Q: Do students receive credit for service?
No, students do not receive credit solely for completing community service. Service learning implies that students have a meaningful service experience, in which they both meet a community need and somehow enhance course curriculum. Therefore, students receive credit for demonstrating that learning took place through service, either through reflection, journaling, or other means.
Q: How does service learning maintain the academic rigor necessary for a college-level course?
Service learning, when carefully, deliberately planned, can be academically rigorous. However, several criteria must be followed in order to ensure that students are, indeed, learning from their service experience. First, placement sites must be chosen that will allow students to meet a community need, have a meaningful service experience, and learn valuable lessons that enhance course curriculum. LSI has a clearinghouse of potential volunteer sites, and the service learning coordinator is available to help seek out appropriate placement sites. Next, the course must be designed to facilitate learning through service. Appropriate reflection time must be allocated, and students should be given basic instructions on how to reflect on a service experience. Popular reflection tools include journaling, in-class presentation, and large and small group discussion of the service experience. No matter what tool is used, students should be given prompt questions to use as a starting point for reflection. One model that is frequently used is the “what,” “so what,” and “now what” approach to encourage students to move from simply describing the service experience to reflecting on the deeper, more probing issues behind the experience. Finally, students should be able to properly articulate the connection they see between their service experience and course material.
Q: I want to begin a service learning course. What’s the first step?
The AmeriCorps*VISTA Service Learning Coordinator can provide you with assistance in generating ideas, course development, finding community partners, and developing reflection resources. As a member of Wisconsin Campus Compact, the VISTA has received extensive training in service learning course development and receives crucial updates on trends in the field. The Department of Leadership, Service, and Engagement (Campus Center, 3rd floor) also has a number of service learning resources in its library that can help answer your questions and set you on the right path to developing a challenging course.
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For Faculty
Interested in Incorporating Service Learning into Their Curriculum
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