Service-Learning & Civic Engagement

Course Designation Application

Service-learning is a teaching method that utilizes student involvement in community service to meet instructional objectives of a course.  Students apply information from a class to authentic settings while addressing real needs in the community.  In addition to relating theory to practice, this service enhances their sense of citizenry in a democratic society.  Furthermore, service-learning supports and fulfills SUU’s institutional mission, vision, and core values.

Service-learning is not adding on “volunteer” activities to a course.  It is integrating service in such a way that students apply the knowledge and skills they are learning in class to meet identified community needs.  The student’s service receives a grade similar to traditional assignments, such as written papers or exams.  The service activity is incorporated as part of the “out-of-class” work expected per credit hour.   Many students consider service-learning a desirable way to learn, while others want the credits to satisfy requirements for the Service-Learning Scholars Program and/or to assist with acceptance into graduate school.   For more information about SUU’s Undergraduate S-L Scholars Program, please see its web site.

Reflection is an essential element of service-learning courses.  It is a structured time for students to recount and analyze their experiences.  Reflection can be accomplished in a number of different ways depending on the instructor’s preference.  Some common forms of reflection include writing in journals, answering specific questions posed through a class list-serve or blog, papers, classroom discussions, and other in-class activities.  The SUU Service & Learning Center and the Service-Learning Committee can assist in providing reflection resources and teaching materials.   Also, faculty are urged to explore the SL&CE web site that includes online and print materials from the Campus Compact and the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, among others.

Faculty members interested in using service-learning pedagogy are invited to submit an application and syllabus for review by the SUU Service-Learning Committee.  Once accepted, the course will have the “SL” designation in the Catalogand, when possible, on students’ transcripts and academic records.  SUU’s Service-Learning Committee is chaired by the Faculty Coordinator of Civic Engagement and is comprised of faculty members familiar with service-learning.  Together, they serve as a peer review committee for service-learning course submissions.

The choice of a course’s community partners is critical to the successful student service-learning experience. The SUU Service & Learning Center and the Service Learning Committee can assist faculty in identifying community partners and projects, and maintaining positive relationships with them.

Service-Learning Course Criteria

Each of the following criteria must be addressed and incorporated into the course syllabus.   Criteria in determining the “SL” designation include:

1. Relation of service-learning to course subject matter.  (Note: Offer specific examples of appropriate service that students may perform for this course.)
2. Service-learning components provide a needed service to individuals, organizations, schools or other entities in the community.
3. Course requirements and syllabusprovide a method or methods for students to reflect about what they learned through the service experience and how these leanings relate to the subject of the course.  Credit is earned for the learning and its relation to the course, not for the service alone.
4. Projectsrecognize the needs of the service recipients and provide an opportunity for recipients to be involved in the evaluation of the service.
5. Service-learning aims at the development of civic education of the participants, even though they may also be focused on career or graduate school preparation.
6. Course options ensure that no student is required to participate in a service placement that creates a religious, political, and/or moral conflict for the student.

Submission Process and Deadlines

Each proposed course submission must include the following five elements:

1. Completion of the Service-Learning Course Submission Form (available online)
2. A one-paragraph description of the course, its objectives, and proposed service-learning activities
3. A course syllabus that incorporates the service-leaning criteria listed above, along with a brief explanation of how the course meets each of the criteria for service-learning
4. A list of proposed community partners
5. A letter of support from department chair or program director (and any cross-listed department chair(s) or program director(s)) that identifies when the course will be offered and the instructor (if known)

Deadlines for Proposed Course Submissions

Proposals must be submitted to the SUU Service-Learning Committee in a timely manner for inclusion in the official schedule and catalog.  In general, applications must be submitted one semester in advance of the course offering for it to be considered for official designation as an “SL” course.

- Service-Learning Course Submission Form