1. Learning Through Serving
An Introduction to Service-Learning

2. Introductions Your name Your discipline How long you’ve been at SDSU
Discuss the following questions:
What draws you to explore this pedagogy?
How do you think SL will affect student learning?
How do you envision your role changing, if at all?

3. Definition What is service-learning?
Service-learning combines meaningful service in the community with a formal educational curriculum and structured time for participants to reflect on their service and educational experience. Service-learning stands in contrast to traditional volunteering or community service, which generally does not include reflection or links to any organized curriculum. (Hollis, 2004, p. 576)

4. Another Definition
Service-learning is a “course-based, 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.” Bringle & Hatcher, p. 83 in Toolkit

5. Essential Elements
Learning and service objectives are clearly identified and compatible
Service is meaningful, challenging, and meets a real need
Fosters learning about larger social issues
Reflection is continuous, structured, and complex

6. Types of Service
Direct
Indirect
Advocacy
Research
Capacity Building

7. Service Projects One-time group projects Cross-disciplinary projects
Multi-semester projects
Immersion experiences
Alternative Weekend
Alternative Breaks

8. Asset-Based vs. Need-Based
Intending to “fix” and “help” can drive community groups to feel marginalized and disengage
“Development” orientation encourages discovery of community assets and devising ways to build upon them

9. Needs vs. Assets Needs Assets Focuses on deficiencies
Focuses on effectiveness
Results in fragmentation of responses to local needs
Builds interdependencies
Makes people consumers of services; builds dependencies
Identifies ways that people can give of their talents
Residents have little voice in deciding how to address local concerns
Seeks to empower people

10. Partnership Common plan Resource sharing Investment of time together
Closeness determined by
Frequency of interaction
Diversity of interaction
Strength of interdependency

11. The Power of Partnerships
Establish missing but critical connections
Identify new/better way to solve problems
Link complementary skills and resources of diverse people and organizations
Plan and carry out comprehensive actions that coordinate reinforcing strategies and systems

12. Campus-Community Partnerships
A series of interpersonal relationships between
Campus administrators, faculty, staff, and students
Community leaders, agency personnel, and members of community
To leverage resources to address critical issues in local community

13. Service-Learning Partnership
Faculty member and agency representative articulate
Educational and community needs
Roles and expectations
Communication plan
Time line
Evaluation process
What success will look like

14. Service-Learning Partnership
Faculty shares syllabus and learning objectives
Community partner provides matching service activity, orientation, and supervision
Partners communicate throughout and make adjustments if service or learning needs aren’t being met
Conclude by celebrating accomplishments and evaluating results

15. Things to Consider
How do the students benefit academically from the project?
Is there a balance between the agency’s needs and students’ abilities?
Have you assessed the length of the project?
Are the service projects designed to fit students’ class and semester schedules?
Is staff available to provide supervision and evaluation?

16. Something to avoid… Student shows up at agency and says:
“I need X hours for my class. Can I get them this week?”

17. What’s wrong with this scene?
Learning objectives
What will student learn in X hours?
Can this be learned at this agency?
Service objectives
What are the agency’s needs?
Can the student be effective without training and orientation?
Where is the partnership?

18. Benefits to Students
Personal – enhanced sense of efficacy, identity, morality, leadership
Social – diversity, social responsibility, citizenship skills, commitment to service
Academic – increased complexity of understanding, problem analysis, critical thinking, GPA, cognitive development, ability to apply learning to “real world”

19. Benefits to Faculty Enrich and enliven teaching
Identify new areas for research and publication
Develop projects that are simultaneously productive in research, service, and teaching
More efficient use of available resources
Foster cross-disciplinary learning communities

20. Benefits to Agencies Infusion of people power to meet needs
Voice in education of next generation
More informed/involved citizenry
Build networks with others active in community development
Foster potential future donors and volunteers
New ideas, energy, and technical assistance
Gain perspective of outsiders; 3rd party evaluations

21. Benefits to Institution
Enhance student satisfaction, retention, and graduation rates
Improve relationships with community
Advance institutional goals
Social Responsibility
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Diversity Enhancement
Promote coherent collaborative curriculum

22. TLC Development of Community Partners
Discover needs of active service groups on campus and in the community
Attempt to connect faculty with potential partners to foster a relationship between them
Identify new organizations to add to a partner list encompassing more than 40 members

23. TLC Approach to Developing Partners
Identify active service organizations
Identify perceived needs and then investigate their validity
Soliciting recommendations from current partners on new potential partners
Maintain an open dialogue with Faculty to discover what they recognize as needs

24. Assessment
Key to establish learning outcomes related to integration of content and service-learning experience. Can be done by combining traditional classroom assessment with service-learning project assessments.
Presentations
Papers
Portfolios

25. Critical Reflection
Is an essential process for transforming experiences into genuine learning
Requires students to analyze concepts, evaluate experiences, and form opinions
Promotes higher-level thinking, problem-solving, self-awareness, and the habit of questioning
Challenges students to combine facts, ideas, and experiences to derive new meaning
Enables students to become knowledge producers, not just consumers
Generates, deepens, and documents learning

26. Critical Reflection Links experience to course learning objectives
Is guided and purposeful
Challenges assumptions and complacency
Occurs before, during, and after service
Includes components that can be evaluated according to well-defined criteria
Involve reading, writing, doing and telling
Clarifies values and fosters civic responsibility

27. Reflecting Before Service
Helps students
understand community needs and organization
consider different perspectives
prepare to work with diverse population
examine own beliefs, assumptions, attitudes
establish baseline to measure change and growth at end of project

28. Reflecting During Service
Provides a means for instructor to
assess student progress toward goals
ensure that students are performing tasks competently
offer feedback, helping students to refine and develop ideas
determine developmental level of student
seize teachable moments
reinforce connection with course content

29. Reflecting After Service
Helps students to
evaluate the meaning of their experience
connect service back to disciplinary knowledge
explore future applications
acknowledge personal growth
Enables instructor to challenge students to
engage in critical thinking
practice public problem-solving
consider responsible application of knowledge
evaluate impact of service

30. Student Dissemination of Experience
Service-Learning Showcase
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Conferences