What is Service-Learning

Service-Learning is a process that links academic learning and community participation.

 

 The goals of Service-Learning are generally to:

• facilitate the development of effective community participants
• teach academic content in an applied, experiential and reflective manner
• contribute to the community in ways that build on community identified assets and strengths and address community needs

How We Can Help

The Service-Learning Department is here to provide you with any assistance you may need if you are considering participating in Service-Learning or during your Service-Learning experience.

 

Please contact us if you need assistance with:

• Help finding an appropriate placement
• Issues at your current location
• Discussing your experience
• Linking your experience at your location with your class.

Benefits of Service-Learning

Students benefit through...

• Hands-on use of skills and knowledge that increases relevance of academic skills
• Accommodation of different learning styles
• Interaction with people of diverse cultures and lifestyles
• Increased sense of self-worth, analytical skills, and social development
• Valuable and competitive career guidance and experience
• Opportunities for meaningful involvement with the local community
• Increased civic responsibility "It brings books to life and life to books."

1. Personal and Interpersonal Development

Service-Learning, which develops mastery of academic subject matter, critical thinking, and development of citizenship skills and attitudes furthers such goals of higher education as interpersonal competence, personal development, and increased experience with diverse environments.

2. Understanding and applying knowledge

Service-Learning, where course and community service are well integrated---has a powerful impact on student understanding. A majority of Service-Learning students report that they learn more and are motivated to work harder in Service-Learning classes than in regular classes.

3. Engagement, curiosity, and reflective practice

Students believe that the learning that results from their Service-Learning experience is richer and more applicable to real-world contexts than material they learn in traditional classes.

4. Critical Thinking

Service-Learning has an impact on the quality of student thinking and problem solving. The quality of Service-Learning impacts reports of critical thinking, ability to see consequences of actions, issue identification, and openness to new ideas.

5. Perspective Transformation

Students who have spent lots of time in service developing leadership roles and studying the issues in the classroom may challenge their assumptions and move in the direction of political and community action.

6. Citizenship

Participation in Service-Learning leads to the values, knowledge, skills, competence, and commitment that underlie effective citizenship.