Service Learning Service Learning 101:101:

What is it and why?What is it and why?Faculty Fellows Program Faculty Fellows Program

20082008

Brenda Marsteller Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski, Ph.D.Kowalewski, Ph.D.

Community Involvement CenterCommunity Involvement Center

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ObjectivesObjectives

• Define Service-LearningDefine Service-Learning• Show the impact of Service-Learning on:Show the impact of Service-Learning on:

– StudentsStudents– FacultyFaculty– CommunityCommunity

• Provide service-learning best practicesProvide service-learning best practices• Provide you with an opportunity to get Provide you with an opportunity to get

startedstarted

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Service Learning: What Service Learning: What Is It?Is It?

• National Commission on Service-National Commission on Service-LearningLearning

“…“…a teaching and learning approach a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service that integrates community service with academic study to enrich with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.”and strengthen communities.”

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Service Learning: What Service Learning: What Is It?Is It?

• From the From the Faculty Toolkit for Service-Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher EducationLearning in Higher Education::

“… “…a teaching and learning strategy a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.”strengthen communities.”

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Key elements of S-LKey elements of S-L

• Collaboration Collaboration – establishing community partnersestablishing community partners

• Knowledge Knowledge – learning via reflectionlearning via reflection

• Action Action – social justice, civic responsibilitysocial justice, civic responsibility

6Adapted from the National and Community Service Act of 1990

Corporation for National Corporation for National and Community Service and Community Service

• Promotes learning through active Promotes learning through active participationparticipation

• Provides structured time for students to Provides structured time for students to reflectreflect

• Provides a opportunities to use skills and Provides a opportunities to use skills and knowledge in real-life situationsknowledge in real-life situations

• Extends learning beyond the classroomExtends learning beyond the classroom• Fosters a sense of caring for othersFosters a sense of caring for others

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Service-Learning: A Balanced Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education Approach to Experiential Education

(Furco, 2006)(Furco, 2006)

Learning

FOCUS

PRIMARY INTENDED BENEFICIARY

Service

Recipient Provider

Volunteerism

Community Service

Service-Learning

Field Education

Internships

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Community service Community service exampleexample

If students remove trash from a If students remove trash from a streambed: streambed:

they are providing a service to the they are providing a service to the community as volunteers.community as volunteers.

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Service-learning exampleService-learning example

• When students remove trash from a When students remove trash from a streambed, streambed,

• analyze what they found,analyze what they found,• share the results and offer suggestions share the results and offer suggestions

for the neighborhood to reduce for the neighborhood to reduce pollution,pollution,

• and then reflect on their experienceand then reflect on their experience

THAT is THAT is service-learningservice-learning!!

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Many roads to service-Many roads to service-learning learning

– Combination of Combination of service objectives service objectives with intentional with intentional learning objectiveslearning objectives

– Changes in both Changes in both the recipient and the recipient and the provider of the the provider of the serviceservice

DifferentDifferent

InterpretationsInterpretations

ObjectivesObjectives

ContextsContexts

All seek

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Reflection: A Key Reflection: A Key ComponentComponent

The intentional consideration of an The intentional consideration of an experience in light of particular experience in light of particular learning objectives learning objectives (Hatcher & Bringle, 1997).(Hatcher & Bringle, 1997).

• ConnectedConnected• ContinuousContinuous• ChallengingChallenging• ContextualizedContextualized

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Service Learning: Why Service Learning: Why Do It?Do It?

• StudentStudent

• Faculty Faculty

• CommunityCommunity

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Students Benefit Students Benefit PersonallyPersonally

• positively affects student personal development – such as: sense of personal efficacy, personal

identity, spiritual growth, and moral development

• positively affects interpersonal development– the ability to work well with others, leadership,

and communication skills

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Raises Student Raises Student AwarenessAwareness

• positive effect on reducing stereotypes and facilitating cultural & racial understanding

• positive effect on sense of social responsibility and citizenship skills

• positive effect on commitment to service

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Students’ Academic Students’ Academic Learning IncreasesLearning Increases

• Students' ability to apply what they have learned to “the real world”

• Complexity of understanding, problem analysis, critical thinking, and cognitive development

• Service-learning contributes to career development

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Students have a Positive Students have a Positive Relationship with the Relationship with the

InstitutionInstitution• Students engaged in service-learning report Students engaged in service-learning report

stronger faculty relationships than those stronger faculty relationships than those who are not involved in service-learning.who are not involved in service-learning.

• Service-learning improves student Service-learning improves student satisfaction with college.satisfaction with college.

• Service-learning positively affects student Service-learning positively affects student retention.retention.

• Students engaged in service-learning are Students engaged in service-learning are more likely to graduatemore likely to graduate..

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Faculty BenefitFaculty Benefit

• Service-Learning provides experiential Service-Learning provides experiential learning of classroom concepts within learning of classroom concepts within the local community reinforcing the local community reinforcing application of classroom knowledge.application of classroom knowledge.

• Students learn the core information Students learn the core information that faculty want them to learn.that faculty want them to learn.

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From: “From: “Transcending Disciplines, Reinforcing Curricula: Why Faculty Teach With Service Learning.” American Association of Community Colleges, 2005.

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Community BenefitsCommunity Benefits

Percent of Partners - Percent of Partners - increasing:increasing:

• 72% - Services72% - Services• 52% - Volunteers52% - Volunteers• 49% - Clients Served49% - Clients Served• 49% - Resources49% - Resources• 45% - Project Completion45% - Project Completion• 45% - Collaboration45% - Collaboration• 24% - Staff Recruitment24% - Staff Recruitment

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Best PracticesBest Practices

• Academic credit is for learning, Not for service

• Do not compromise academic rigor

• Establish learning objectives

• Establish criteria for the selection of service-placements

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Best Practices Best Practices (cont’d)(cont’d)

• Provide educationally-sound learning strategies to harvest community learning and realize course learning objectives

• Prepare students for learning from the community

• Minimize the distinction between the students’ community learning role and classroom learning role

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Best Practices Best Practices (cont’d)(cont’d)

• Rethink the faculty instructional role

• Be prepared for variation in, and some loss of control with, student learning outcomes

• Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the course

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ResourcesResources

• Handout bibliographyHandout bibliography

• National Service-Learning National Service-Learning ClearinghouseClearinghousehttp://www.servicelearning.org

• Learn and Serve AmericaLearn and Serve Americahttp://www.learnandserve.org

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Getting Started: S-L and Getting Started: S-L and Your CourseYour Course

• Which course is the best candidate for Which course is the best candidate for incorporating a service-learning component?incorporating a service-learning component?

• Course Development WorksheetCourse Development Worksheet– List course objectives and what you want List course objectives and what you want

students to get out of the service-learning students to get out of the service-learning project.project.

• CBL DesignationCBL Designation– Look through CBL criteria and example Look through CBL criteria and example

(handouts)(handouts)