What Is Service Learning?
What is Service Learning?
Service Learning: A teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
Crucial Ingredients:
- Community Organization or institution in need
- Prepared students
- Communication between the Director of Service Learning, Faculty, Student and Community partner
- Evaluation of experience – both from students and community partner
- Assessment of student learning through reflection
Evaluation
- Part of a Service Learning assignment needs to be a short series of questions to the student related to how they were treated and did the experience live up to their expectations. Was it meaningful? Were they welcomed? Did it appear to be a functional, organized working environment?
- As responsible educators, we must take the time to check in with the community partner via email or phone call. Were the students of service to the organization? Do they have any further ideas on improving the preparation for their arrival? Were the community partner’s expectations met?
- Tools and ideas for this will be posted soon on the updated Service Learning website.
Assessment of Student Learning
- Offer students opportunity to make connections between concepts and think in new ways
- How did the experience serve as a bridge between experience and discipline-based academic knowledge?
- According to Altman (1996) three levels of thinking:
- Content knowledge
- Process knowledge
- Socially relevant knowledge
- Service Learning has student arrive at Socially Relevant knowledge – not as accessible without real life experience AND reflection
- Methods: written journals, role playing, interviewing classmates, class discussion, photo/video essay, oral class presentation
- Provide, with help from the SL office if necessary, the material/language/questions to assist students in this discovery