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Service-Learning for Students | Service-Learning for Faculty
National Definitions | Operating Definitions | Community Partnerships
The Big "Why"
Powerful Pedagogy
Service-learning is a pedagogy that enriches learning and achieves course objectives by embedding community service and structured reflection into the course content.
It is engaged learning that addresses community needs, promotes civic responsibility, and activates multiple levels of learning for the student.
While service-learning is a form of
experiential learning, it does not focus solely on professional preparation as does an internship or field experience.
Service intends to prepare students for “practical community-based problem solving” by requiring that they test skills and facts learned in their studies, sharpen their analytical and problem-solving skills, and “work collaboratively with diverse groups of people for collective action.”
Rich Tradition ~ Current Resonance
Service-learning is not a passing trend nor is it a recent phenomenon, instead it has a rich history rooted in the “transformative progressive educational and social ideals of those such as John Dewy and Jane Addams.”
Learning thus becomes wholeheartedly connected to citizenship and the process of life-long learning through social and civic involvement.
In response to the current “crisis” of political apathy and the demise of civic engagement, universities and colleges across the country are looking for innovative ways of encouraging their students to interact with and positively transform their communities. Service-learning is effective, and the number of service-learning programs and courses offered to students are increasing at a steady rate. Campus Compact reports that approximately one-third of total US colleges and universities utilize service-learning!
Civic Engagement
As Edward Zlotskowski asserted in 2002, “The purpose of service-learning is to teach responsibility for the community. A democracy demands participation. Students need to realize their obligation to participate in something greater than themselves.” Service-learning is an effective tool for cultivating civic responsibility and good citizenship skills because it situates students in community, diversity, and collaboration. Social issues and questions about the public good cannot be avoided for the Meredith graduate who participated in a service-learning course - while here, she learned firsthand the vital need for and positive outcome wielded by an involved citizen.
“This has been the most challenging yet rewarding class that I have taken during my college career. Besides learning about and creating various projects and adaptations for a classroom, I have learned the value of caring and working together to benefit those in need.”
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Beth Miller, ‘03
Academic Enrichment
Meredith College supports several initiatives that enrich the academic environment and learning for students such as undergraduate research, technology, and intensive courses. A service-learning course lends itself well to collaboration not only in community partnerships, but in interdisciplinary efforts and can be naturally teamed with a writing intensive or undergraduate research course. The result is a challenging course that balances learning from action and learning from theory. Students are more engaged not only in the course’s process, but also in its outcome.
“This process was much more beneficial than if the class had been traditional. This course helped me to see the practical applications of what I learned and it gave me hands-on experience at implementing some of the things I had learned.”
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Amanda Nicholls, ‘03
Components
of Service-Learning
• Academic Material
• Relevant Service
• Guided reflection (oral and
written)
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Personal
• Academic
• Civic
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