The University of Findlay

The Campus Compact Center's staff is available to assist in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of academic service-learning courses. To begin the process, consider the following components in academic service-learning course design.

The Process for Developing a Service Learning Course

1. Community Need and Voice

Service learning projects should meet real community needs. To truly solve problems and provide authentic learning opportunities for students, faculty, and community members, actively engage the community in identifying needs.

2. Learning Objectives

Students should understand what they are expected to learn through their service. Outline objectives of what students will learn on personal, social, and intellectual levels.

3. Orientation and Training

To provide effective service and maximize the learning experience, faculty and students must understand all aspects of the project: issues, organization, expectations, atmosphere of service site, date and time, personalities of beneficiaries, risk management, skills for any equipment they may use, what could go wrong, etc.

4. Meaningful Service

A successful service experience requires thorough planning of goals, resources, supervision, transportation, logistics, and risk management.

5. Reflection

Students should employ critical thinking skills to examine the service experience. This process helps youth to grow on a personal, social, and intellectual level.

6. Assessment

Throughout the service experience, students, faculty, and community members should analyze the process (what was done) and the impact (results) of the service.

7. Celebration and Recognition

Students and faculty should always be recognized and celebrated for providing valuable service to the community. Celebration can bring closure to the project and reinforces the value of participant’s connection to what they accomplished. The review and celebration time can include the recipients of the service as well.

Adapted from: The Elements of Service Learning at The University of Tennessee

For more extensive help in designing an academic service-learning course, please contact Dr. Diana Montague, Faculty Liaison for Academic Service-Learninig, at 419-434-4623 or montague@findlay.edu. Also, please see the following document:

Academic Service-Learning Course Planning Worksheet

National Campus Compact Service Learning Syllabi Archive
http://www.compact.org/syllabi/

Service Learning Reflection Resources:

Facilitating Reflection: A Manual for Leaders and Educators
http://www.uvm.edu/~dewey/reflection_manual/

Using Structured Reflection to Enhance Learning From Service
http://www.compact.org/disciplines/reflection/index.html

Risk Management and Learning Agreements in Academic Service-Learning Courses

In order to insure the rights and responsibilities of both students and community agencies in the academic service-learning process, the Campus Compact Center has developed two academic service-learning agreement and liability waivers which should be completed by students and community groups when agreeing on an academic service-learning placement. Instructors should keep originals of these forms and copies should be sent to the Campus Compact Center via intercampus mail.

If the instructor is requiring 10 hours or less of service with the academic service-learning project, please use this form:
Academic Service-Learning Waiver Form

If the instructor is requiring more than 10 hours of service with the academic service-learning project or is requiring a product as part of the service, please use this form:
Academic Service-Learning Agreement Spring 2009

Reporting Your Academic Service-Learning Course Activity

The Campus Compact Center tracks the number of academic service learning courses, service hours completed by students and faculty, and connections to community partners. Faculty should complete the Tracking Form for Academic Service-Learning and return it to the Campus Compact Center. The link is:

Tracking Form for Academic Service-Learning

Funding and Grant Opportunities for Academic Service-Learning

The following are links to prominent funding sources to help support service learning and civic engagement activities. The Campus Compact Center can also help to identify other potential funding sources.

National Campus Compact Service Learning Funding List
http://www.compact.org/grants/

Ohio Campus Compact Grants
http://www.ohiok-16service.org/occ/occgrants.cfm

Corporation for National & Community Service Grants
http://www.cns.gov/for_organizations/funding/index.asp