Four Things
Faculty Want to
Know About!
#1 What is Service-Learning?
Although I try to avoid serving up a "definition," there are several
characteristics which make service-learning a unique way to learn, serve, and teach.
Service-learning holds up a mirror for us to see ourselves, a microscope for us to
examine our society, and binoculars for us to see what lies ahead.
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.
#2 How is service-learning different from community service,
internships, cooperative ed., etc.?
- #1 Service-learning uses community service as the vehicle for the attainment
of students' academic goals and objectives.
- #2 Community service fills a need in the community through volunteer efforts. Service-learning also fills that need, but
it uses that need as a foundation to examine ourselves, our society, and our future. Further, service-learning provides
students with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life
situations.
- #3 It identifies in advance, and tracks, specific learning objectives and goals
(as well as the intangible ones).
- #4 Students perform a valuable, significant, and necessary service which has real
consequence to the community.
- #5 The goal of the service is to empower students and those being served.
- #6 The needs of the community dictate the service being provided.
#3 What about Liability?
(First- consult your university/college attorney or risk manager and review all
procedures, coverage and risk, et al.)
**This information is partially excerpted from NSEE "Combining Service and Learning, Vol. II, pg.39-60)
- There is an inherent assumption of risk for which all students are responsible.
All volunteers and service-learners should be fully informed, in advance, of any risks
inherent in the activity, must knowingly consent to undertake such risks.
- Your center will exercise due care and attempt to foresee dangers to students and
take whatever precautions seem reasonable to avoid them.
- Work with faculty to prepare a list or "pre-approved" sites. Discuss the list in
detail going over each agency. Make the professor confident in the agency site, mission,
and service activities.
- All service-learners must sign a waiver of liability written by the university's
attorney.
- The agency that provides the service-learning experience will, in most cases,
be responsible for the acts of students assigned to it and assumes the responsibility
for the student. Be certain the agency has liability coverage/insurance for volunteers.
#4 What is the Faculty's role? What is the Center's role?
Who Does What? Click here for diagram!