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SIX MODELS FOR INTEGRATING SERVICE-LEARNING
INTO THE CURRICULUM
Author and educator Kerrissa Heffernan has outlined six different
models for faculty to consider when developing service-learning into
their discipline. The following is adapted from her
Fundamentals of
Service-Learning Course Construction
(Providence: Campus Compact,
2001: 2-7, 9).
1. Discipline-Based Service-Learning Model
In this model, students are expected to have a presence in the
community throughout the semester (e.g., through weekly service)
and reflect on their experiences on a regular basis, using course
content as a basis for their analysis and understanding. The link
between course content and community experience must be made
very clear to students. With this model, the students’ education
becomes multifaceted and their overall understanding of theoretical
concepts improves. (Most common model for service-
learning at TAMIU.)
2. Problem-Based Service-Learning Model
With this approach, students relate to the community much as
“consultants”working for a “client.” Students work with community
members to understand a particular community problem or need. This
model presumes that the students will have some knowledge they can
draw upon to make recommendations to the community or develop
a solution to the problem. For example, architecture students might
design a park, business students might develop a web site, and
botany students might identify non-native plants and suggest
eradication methods. One benefit of this model is that it can alleviate
some of the logistical difficulties posed by requiring students to make
a weekly commitment. A potential drawback of this approach, though,
is that promoting the idea of students as “experts” and communities
as “clients” can re-emphasize the disparities between Universities and
communities and re-instill the “ivory tower” phenomenon. We
recommend this model for upper division and graduate courses.