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skill levels. Remember that reflection connects students’ service to
course content. Even with young students, reflections should be an
ongoing class activity.
Does service-learning work with large courses?
Service-Learning Center has supported service-learning courses
ranging from 15 to 200 students. The key to success is making sure
students understand the service-learning component. Logistics can be
more complicated in larger courses, but the Service-Learning Center
staff can help track students’ hours throughout the semester and
provide reports to instructor as needed. For large courses, it is
important to provide students with various dates to perform their
service.
What are potential barriers to service-learning?
When reflecting on their service-learning experiences, faculty have
identified the following potential barriers.
Students may:
• Find it hard to make time for community work or match their
schedules to the organization’s, given the demands of school,
the need to work, family responsibilities, etc.
• Lack convenient transportation options to get to the
community organization
• Be hesitant about traveling to unfamiliar neighborhoods and/
or working with people they’ve never had experience
interacting with
• Experience uncertainty about what’s expected of them – in
class and/or at the community organization – and reluctance
to ask for clarification, direction, or guidance
• Have difficulty making connections between the community
experience and the course content.