1. Introduction to Service-Learning for Students

2. What is Service-Learning?
Reciprocal Partnership
Need/Interest defined by community
Meaningful integration with course content
Critical Reflection to “harvest” learning from community
Credit/Assessment based on demonstration of learning

3. Service-Learning is…
“Service-Learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development”
(Jacoby, 1996).
Hand out S-L 101 and what does it look like

4. Criteria for UVM SL Courses
There are 5 criteria for designation
It is a credit-bearing undergraduate and/or graduate level course.
It integrates service and academic course content so that each significantly informs and enhances the other.
There are planned benefits for the community partner and the students; and the service addresses a need and follows processes that are mutually agreed upon by the partner agencies and the instructor.
Student course assessment and credit are based upon the demonstration of student learning including critical reflection regarding the integration of the service and the academic course content.
The course actively guides and supports students in critical reflection regarding the integration of the service and the academic course content.

5. Office of Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning
MISSION
To connect the university and community as partners in addressing real-world challenges through engaged scholarship and transformative learning experiences.

6. What We Do
Support faculty in developing service-learning and community-engaged courses at UVM
Connect community partners to faculty and students at UVM
Provide service and community-based learning opportunities for students

7. Benefits of Service-Learning
For the Faculty:
Creates a collaborative, experiential classroom experience for students, making faculty impact more lasting.
Offers opportunities to test theories on real problems.
Provides access to interview, survey, and other data.
Creates a collaborative partnership that can help in securing funding.
For the Institution:
Positively impacts student retention.
Enhances teaching, research, and program development.
Increases institution’s awareness of societal issues as they relate to academic areas of interest.
Engages faculty and students in local and state community issues.
Provides opportunities to extend College’s knowledge and resources.

8. Benefits of Service-Learning
For the Student:
Applies concepts from the classroom to real-world experiences, enhancing understanding and retention.
Increases meaningful connections to faculty, other students, and community.
Provides platforms to analyze and discuss civic, personal, and professional development.
Increases sense of self-efficacy, analytical skills, and social development.
A “high-impact practice” increasing retention & academic challenge
For the Community:
Enhances positive relationships with the college.
Provides awareness-building of community issues, agencies, and constituents.
Contributes to positive exposure in the community.
Creates ways to expand current services by providing both technical and research support, actual onsite work.
May help to secure outside funding.

9. Student Development in S-L
Service-learning is a “high-impact practice” and has demonstrated effects on students in six domains:
Academic and Cognitive Development
Civic Development
Career Development
Ethical and Moral Development
Personal Development
Social Development

10. Partnerships
“Service-Learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development”
(Jacoby, 1996).
Partnership hand outs… Kailee
Reciprocal partnership is a key element of SL course. SL courses work with such orgs. as the UVM office for Sustainability and UVM’s Growing VT store, to legislators’ offices, school districts, VT Family Forrests, CEDO, and more– doing projects such as creating business plans, working directly with elementary school students, or producing marketing materials. CUPS has a database of partners from the past, as well as connections to partners looking for UVM support and a match, so you can begin with a partner in mind or have a project idea and create a mutually beneficial one, lots of support to do so. Across all of these diverse partnerships– good ones have these qualities: HandoutAs you choose a partner or start thinking of a partnership, keep these in mind and find tools to make those possible. Challenges? Resources? (initial connection, communication, project management, assessment/delivery—CUPS consultations)

11. Key Element of Service-Learning
Reciprocity…
Equal benefit and investment;
Every individual, organization, and entity involved in service-learning functions as both a teacher and a learner.
(From:

12. Principles of Good Practice
Agreed upon goals and values
Mutual trust, authenticity, and commitment
Identifying and addressing strengths and weaknesses
Balance of power and sharing of resources
Open Communication
Collaborative process
Feedback for improvement
Sharing of responsibility
Committing time and resources
From Cress et al. (2005), Learning Through Serving

13. Partnership Facilitation
Managing Expectations
Help students limit scope and timeline
Appropriate project matches to student skills
Communication is Key
Syllabus to Partners
Maintain regular and planned communication
Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement
CUPS Community Partner Survey

14. Reflection
“Service-Learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development”
(Jacoby, 1996).
Reflection hand outs… Kim

15. The Learning Cycle
According to David Kolb’s Learning Cycle (the process that participants go through in experiential learning), reflection is one of the four stages in the process that students will be exploring.
Concrete experience Observation and
Active experimentation Reflection
Forming abstract concepts
Concrete experience

16. PARE Model Preparation Action Evaluation Reflection
What is the community need?
What do you hope to learn?
Time you spend doing the project
Reciprocal
Addresses a community need
Evaluation
Reflection
Adjust as necessary
Continuous
Captures your learning

17. Characteristics of quality reflection
Clearly communicate ideas and analysis.
Critically examine experiences with
Relevance, Accuracy, Clarity
Depth, Breadth, Logic, and Significance
Explore connections between academic and service components.
Seek alternative explanations for incidents
1. Critical analysis is key here. Students should be struggling with these concepts and ideas, challenging themselves to think about things they may have ignored before, or

18. Reflection…
Reflection is not just about telling what you did, it’s about making connections between the service and the learning, thinking critically about your experience, and going beyond the surface to uncover the less obvious aspects of the experience.

19. Continuous Reflection Model
During Service Reflection
Pre-Service Reflection
Post-Service Reflection
Continuous Reflection Model

20. For more information: www.uvm.edu/partnerships,
SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER
Training & development
Institute for Community-Engaged Learning
Individual Consultation
Syllabus Feedback
Reflection Assignment Construction
Partner Facilitation
Implementation Support
Service-Learning Implementation Grants
Service-Learning Teaching Assistant Program
Resources
Service-Learning, Engaged Pedagogy and CBR Library
Faculty, Student & Community Partner Guides
Examples in the Disciplines
Sample Syllabi, Reflection and Partnership Materials

21. Questions or Comments?
University of Vermont Community-University Partnerships and Service-Learning uvm.edu/partnerships – –