Academic Service-Learning

What is Service-Learning?

Service-learning is defined as, "a credit-bearing, educational, experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility" (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995).

Service-learning is not a recent phenomenon or an educational fad, but instead has a rich history rooted in the progressive educational and social ideals of those such as John Dewey. Service-learning allows students to test skills and facets learned in the classroom, sharpen problem-solving abilities, and work collaboratively with diverse groups of people for collective action.

At the same time, service-learning differs from other forms of experiential education. Rather than focusing simply on preparing students for a particular job, service prepares students for practical community-based problem solving. It offers students an opportunity to explore the connections between the theoretical realm of the classroom and the practical needs of the community.

Service-learning is inherently linked to civic and community purposes: it reinforces the skills of critical thinking, public discourse, collective activity, and community building. Moreover, because the service activity is occurring in the context of an educational setting, faculty ask students to reflect upon their service experiences in relation to particular community principles, civic ideals, universal virtues, and course content. Perhaps the most important long-term benefit if service-learning is the opportunity it can provide for students to connect to a community and clearly identify their own civic duties.

UVSC Volunteer & Service-Learning Center seeks to support faculty by providing:

• current service-learning resources and information
• examples of on-campus, in-state, and nation-wide curricula that include service-learning components
• workbooks and other resources that guide faculty through the service-learning curriculum
• ideas and examples of possible service-learning course projects
• training and resources on how to help students to reflect upon the service they participate in through the course
• contact to key community agencies and officials who are supportive of service-learning initiatives
• information on journals and other publications where faculty can publish their research on service-learning in the curriculum
• access to Campus Compact, a national organization that seeks to promote and support service-learning
• access to small group or one-on-one training development workshops, including the Faculty Service-Learning Fellowship
• access to on-site office hours for the faculty coordinator of academic service-learning

Off Campus Service-Learning Resources

Campus Compact

Corporation for National & community Service's Epicenter for Effective Practices

Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning

The Volunteer & Service-Learning Center does have a subscription to the Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning.

Contact Us

If you would like to know more about service-learning at UVU and would like to receive a personal consultation about the opportunities of implementing service-learning into your courses, please contact Dr. Trudy Christensen at the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, SC 101, 863-6063.