What is Service-Learning?

In the last twenty years, Service-Learning has become a pedagogical strategy of significant importance in higher education.  For the most part, service-learning is an educational experience in which students participate in a credit bearing course paired with an organized community service (Bringle & Hatcher, 2009).

In the core of the learning process are guided and structured reflections that support learning. For instance, guided reflections:

• Enhance comprehension of the course content

• Integrate academic and service concepts

• Develop civic/social justice responsibility.

Reflection as a critical component for quality

Service-learning is integrated through structured reflections to meet academic and civic learning outcomes for students.

Reflection is the hyphen:

 Service ---------------Learning

What students are saying about service-learning:

It was a fun and learning experience for us and for the children as well. They learned about bullying and we learned how to bring things together for the children. I feel I contributed to my community.” 

Delia was a student in the service-learning class: “Literacy and Language Acquisition.”

Different from other experiential learning activities

“Students enrolled in service-learning classes do not receive academic credit for engaging in community service; rather, they receive academic credit for the learning that occurs as a result of the service experience” (Steinberg, Bringle, & Williams, 2010, p. 2).

What is not service-learning:

•  Volunteering

•  Skills base development (internships)

Service-learning promotes civic responsibilities, students would become better citizens.  How am I part of the community?

How are my actions related to the common good, greater good and social justice?