According to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, service-learning is described as the combination of service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity changes both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by blending service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content.

Characteristics of Service-Learning

• Community service serves as the vehicle for the achievement of specific academic goals and objectives.
• It provides structured time for students to reflect on their service and learning experiences through a mix of writing, reading, speaking, listening, and creating in small and large groups and individual work.
• It fosters the development of those "intangibles"- empathy, personal values, beliefs, awareness, self-esteem, self-confidence, social-responsibility, and helps to foster a sense of caring for others.
• It is based on a reciprocal relationship in which the service reinforces and strengthens the learning, and the learning reinforces and strengthens the service.
• Credit is awarded for learning, college-level learning, not for a requisite number of service hours.

Benefits of Service-Learning include:

• increased the relevancy of education to students 'living in a real world
• enhanced personalized education for students;
• teaches positive values, leadership, citizenship and personal responsibility;
• empowerment of students as learners, teachers, achievers and leaders;
• invites students to become members of their own community;
• teaches job skills and prepares students for careers after college;
• encourages faculty to be innovative and creative in their teaching;
• contributes to a university's outreach efforts to the local community, the state and beyond;
• increases campus-community collaboration and partnerships.

Who does what? The SUGGESTED role of the faculty and community service center:

Office of Community Service Learning: Logistics / Administrative Tasks

• Develops volunteer placement list.
• Makes presentations about service-learning component of course.
• Registers and records all students and service placements. (List given to faculty)
• Monitoring, problem-solving.
• Conducts small group reflection sessions.
• Evaluations/Assessment (pre- and post-service survey)

Faculty: Teaching / Instructional Tasks

• Consents to be advisor.
• Sets learning objectives. (use S.L. Dev. Form)
• Includes service-learning in syllabus.
• Guides/fosters in-class reflection.
• Reviews final reflective journals.
• Gives final letter grade.

BOTH Community Service Learning AND Faculty: Advisement, Follow-up, Reflection

• Faculty and Volunteer Center meet to discuss service-learning options.
• Approve volunteer site selections and volunteer duties. (Are volunteer duties are harmonious with learning objectives?)
• Get involved- attend reflection sessions, go out and volunteer with your students, facilitate in-class discussions, read journals, etc.

Office of Community Service
Student Development Programs
Kanbar Campus Center, Suite 311
Phone: 215.951.2634
Fax: 215.951.2644
Email: Community Service@PhilaU.edu