Elizabeth Yost Hammer
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conflicts; whatever the reason, forcing a student into the community does not benefit the
student or the site. As a result, it is important to provide alternatives to service learning.
In developing an alternative, it is essential to make it equivalent in terms of time commit-
ment and difficulty level. In my course, students have an option to read and critique a
novel as opposed to a community site. The time it takes to read the novel is comparable
to that required of service learners, and the paper (or journal) assignments are identical
with the exception of what students critique (i.e., service site interaction versus character
interactions). Incidentally, very few students chose this alternative option.
Visit sites whenever possible. Obviously it is not always possible to visit every site with
every student. However, I cannot emphasize enough the extent to which visiting the site
gives you insight into the experience of the student and allows you to more skillfully
integrate it into class. Further, it allows you to integrate course content on the spot in
interacting with students. Due to the hectic pace of faculty life, visiting sites is difficult to
do, yet I have found it to be an invaluable experience for both myself and my students.
Service learning takes energy and effort from the professor. Beware of burnout. I do not
use service learning in every class each semester. Instead I pick one class in which to use it.
Like anything we do in class (e.g., lectures, assignments), doing the same thing over and
over becomes stale. Rotating which of my courses uses service learning allows me to work
with it within different content areas, student levels, and the like. It keeps me fresh by
challenging me to find new ways to incorporate the service into course content.
Finally, be flexible. One of the benefits of service learning is that it takes learning out of the
classroom and out of the hands of faculty; one of the intimidating aspects of service learning
is that it takes learning out of the classroom and out of the hands of faculty. However, true
experiential learning requires faculty to turn over control of the classroom and empower
students to take charge of their own learning. Service learning epitomizes this approach and can
be an exceptional way to enhance student learning of course content, expand their perspectives
of their communities and the social world, and increase their critical thinking skills. In addi-
tion, it can enrich your teaching, encourage your involvement in the community, and add a
new dimension to your class. As Ozorak (2004, p. 138) asked: What are we waiting for?
Notes
1 During this time I was a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Loyola University,
New Orleans.
2 The lower percentages reflect a semester where there was difficulty with one particular service-
learning site. As a result, I dropped that site midsemester, and students made alternative arrange-
ments. Interestingly, in my 10 semesters of using service learning, this was the only semester
I had to discontinue a site midsemester.
References
Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers
(2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Beckman, M. (1997). Learning in action. College Teaching, 45, 72–75.