Six Steps to Incorporate Service-Learning
1. Integrate service-learning into the syllabus and/or create service-learning assignment handout for students (submit to the Service-Learning Office).
- Post all syllabi to the repository. Only assignment sheets should be sent to the Service-Learning OFfice.
- Students should see the ONE service-learning course learning “outcome” and your class-specific rationale for service.
- Do they understand what to do and how it’s important to their learning of your material?
- Students who are serving at community sites should do at least 10 hours of service-learning. According to research, 20 hours is an ideal amount of “face time” to effect change and significant development in the service-learning student. Serving for 20+ hours also helps our community organizers see the benefits of the training they’ve given students.
- We can help introduce service-learning to your class, please email Candice Sakuda to schedule a visit.
2. All service-learning students must register online.
Direct them to our service-learning website to get started. Registration is important as it covers:
- liability and release of student work/likeness
- site/community agreement
- students doing service-learning for more than one class
- WASC requirements
- helps with student scholarships, awards, development of new projects
We will send you a report after the registration deadline.
3. Facilitate student reflection.
- Offer written and/or oral prompts (see samples).
- As you cover material in class, ask students for insights/examples from their service-learning experience.
Whether or not they opted for service-learning, all your students should understand why you offered it in your course.
4. Follow up.
Did we honor commitment to the community? Does the Service-Learning Office have complete records of your students’ service hours?
- Attrition? Technical/logistical problems? Just communicate. The Service-Learning Office can help manage the community relationship IF we know what’s going on.
- We’ll send you an end-of-semester report, with everything your students submit. Please SEND US any other data you may have.
5. Submit evidence to the Service-Learning Office.
- Share raw evidence of progress toward
service – learning Course Learning Outcome: How did students demonstrate that they understood the connection between the service experience and the course content? - Typically, this is easily assessed through written reflections. All we need is the “raw material” from students.
- You don’t have to process anything (except for your own grading purposes).
6. Share work at Service-Learning Day.
We can pick up and store anything you have to share.
- Our annual celebration of service-learning needs submissions from both fall and spring semesters.
- Posters, presentations, photos, etc. are all welcome.
- We can help prepare displays year-round.
General Learning Outcomes
As a result of the Service-Learning experience, students will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the connections between academic work and real-life situations. (This is a course learning outcome).
- Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to their role in issues of public concern.*
- Demonstrate how service-learning increased their interest in being civically engaged.*
*These are program learning outcomes.
