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Using Service Learning
this course made me aware of some of my own biases or prejudices,” 77% to 92%
responded “Agree” or “Strongly agree.” When asked to identify positive aspects of the
service-learning experience, students’ responses included “The opportunity to get out of
my comfort zone and grow more as a person,” “A better understanding of how social
psychology relates to everyday life,” “Made the theory we learned in class more realistic,”
“Gave me personal satisfaction,” and “Chance to help in the community.” When asked
to identify negative aspects of the service-learning experience, students responses included
“Time-consuming,” “Hard to fit in schedule,” and “Transportation was an issue.”
Tips for Getting Started and Maximizing Your Success
Like any tool, successful service learning requires that faculty carefully match the pedagogy
to student learning outcomes (Valerius & Hamilton, 2001). So the first place to start is to
carefully consider your course objectives. What do you hope to accomplish from the
assignment, and how can you meet this goal?
If possible, work with your service-learning office. If your campus has an office, the staff
can help you match your course objectives to appropriate sites, to make contact with site
supervisors and facilitate communication, and to advise and negotiate should any problems
arise at a site. If your university does not have a specific office set aside for service learning,
you need to make contact with community sites yourself. Look to local organizations with
which you are familiar or have contacts. Keep in mind that there might be staff on campus
who can help facilitate these community contacts. For instance, someone in student affairs
or campus ministry who organizes student volunteers can be a valuable resource for
identifying community needs and establishing contacts.
It is very important to develop meaningful assignments around service learning. Although
the service-learning site itself is an important factor (e.g., students get a very different
experience tutoring school children versus gutting a flooded home), the actual assignment
that focuses the service-learning experience on the course content is crucial in meeting
course objectives. I have worked closely with the Writing Across the Curriculum director
over the semesters to refine the quality of my writing assignments, and as a result they have
changed significantly from when I began incorporating service learning.
Pick a variety of sites. Students have different interests and career goals, so it is nice to
offer them an array of site options from which to choose. I usually work with three to five
sites. I have found that fewer limits students’ options whereas more makes oversight
unwieldy. I make an effort to have variety in the sites in terms of location (e.g., walking
distance to campus, on a public transportation line, requiring a car), services needed (e.g.,
tutoring, physical labor, art skills), required schedule (e.g., 2 hours a week, a one-shot all-
day commitment), and population served (e.g., kids, elderly, disabled) Note that students
typically like working with children, and the one semester I did not offer a site that served
children I heard many complaints.
I caution against absolutely requiring service learning, having done this my first semes-
ter. Not all students in your class will be ready to engage in the community. The reasons
can range from explanations such as personal stress or trauma to scheduling or time