Service Learning
What is Service Learning?
Service-learning means a method under which students learn and develop through thoughtfully
organized service that: is conducted in and meets the needs of a community and is
coordinated with an institution of higher education, and with the community; helps
foster civic responsibility; is integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum
of the students enrolled; and includes structured time for students to reflect on
the service experiment.
American Association for Higher Education (AAHE): Series on Service-Learning in the
Disciplines (adapted from the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993)
Service-learning is a 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.
Robert Bringle and Julie Hatcher, A Service Learning Curriculum for Faculty. The Michigan
Journal of Community Service –Learning, Fall 1995, pp.112-122
What is the purpose of Service Learning?
Service-learning seeks to engage individuals in activities that combine both community
service and academic learning. Because service-learning programs are typically rooted
in formal courses (core academic, elective, or vocational), the service activities
are usually based on a particular curricular concepts that are being taught.
Andrew Furco, “Is Service-Learning Really Better than Community Service?” in Furco,
Andrew and Shelly H. Billig, eds. Service-Learning: The Essence of the Pedagogy. Greenwich,
CT: Information Age Publishing Inc. 2002. p. 25
What does Service Learning have to do with education?
Service-learning is a teaching method which combines community service with academic
instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility.
Service-learning programs involve students in organized community service that addresses
local needs, while developing their academic skills, sense of civic responsibility,
and commitment to the community.
Campus Compact National Center for Community Colleges
What are the benefits of Service Learning?
Service-learning is a process through which students are involved in community work
that contributes significantly: 1) to positive change in individuals, organizations,
neighborhoods, and/or larger systems in a community; and 2) to students’ academic
understanding, civic development, personal or career growth, and/or understanding
of larger social issues. This process always includes an intentional and structured
educational/developmental component for students, and may be employed in curricular
or co-curricular settings. Even with an expanded vision for the field, service-learning
will undoubtedly continue to play a critical role in campus-community collaboration.
Charity to Change, by Minnesota Campus Compact
Note: This information is from Campus Compact, June 2002.
“Remember, there is no such thing as a single act of kindness: every act creates a
ripple with no logical end.”
~Scott Adams
