An Introduction To Service- Learning

1. An Introduction To Service- Learning Office of Community Service 2129 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20052 Phone: (202) 994-5493 E-mail: ocs@gwu.edu Andrew Leon Bryn McMahon

2. “Service-learning is one of the hallmarks of a GW education.”-President Steven Knapp

3. What Is Service-Learning? • Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Source: Campus Compact

4. What Is Service-Learning? Furco, Andrew. “Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach To Experimental Education.” Corporation For National Service, 1996, pgs. 2-6.

5. Differentiating Service-Learning from Other Forms of Education • Experiential Learning: The knowledge and skills acquired through life, work experience and study which have not been formally attested through any educational or professional certification. (http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/administration/rules/senateregs/foreward) • Internship:A work-related learning experience for individuals who wish to develop hands on work experience in a certain occupational field (http://www.intstudy.com/articles/nusinter.htm) • Practicum: A college course that is designed to give students supervised practical application of a previously studied theory (http://www.answers.com/topic/practicum-1)

6. Examples of Service-Learning • In a course on creating business plans, students could design actual business plans for a non-profit start-up. • In a course on data management, students could help a community partner with data management needs. • In a course on community health, students could come up with ideas to advocate healthy eating habits for adolescents and find ways to implement them.

7. What are Some Components of Service-Learning? • Most students work for not-for-profit partner (must be faculty approved) • The service-learning project should clearly integrate the topics being covered in the class curriculum • The projectstudents complete should benefit the community and the student • The project needs clearly identified learning objectives • The students should be required to reflect on and evaluate their Service-Learning project and objectives • The student could be involved in designing the project

8. Who Benefits from Service-Learning? Students Faculty Community Partners Site Staff The University Community at Large

9. Where does Service-Learning Take Place? Service-learning takes place both in the classroom and in the community.

10. To enhance teaching and learning To increase retention and graduation rates To create a sense of social responsibility To enhance community relations To enrich the professional identity for GW faculty Why Should GW Incorporate Service-Learning?

11. Academic Voices on Service-Learning • “Students overall get a feeling of accomplishment, confidence, and value as a result of taking part in a service learning experience.” Academic Service Learning in Human Resource Management Education by Susan Madsen • “The learning outcomes of service learning include development of leadership and problem-solving skills, connecting the theoretical with the practical, and educating students for citizenship.” Rationale, Benefits, and Methods of Service Learning in Marketing Education by Debbie Easterling, Fredrica Rudell

12. Market-Basket Schools with Service-Learning Classes • Northeastern University http://www.northeastern.edu/communityservice/servicelearning/index.html • University of Michigan http://ginsberg.umich.edu/courses/service_learning.html • Tulane University http://tulane.edu/cps/students/service-learning.cfm • Georgetown University http://socialjustice.georgetown.edu/faculty/courses/ • American University http://www.american.edu/ocl/volunteer/sl/sl.html

13. How can Service-Learning be Incorporated into your Academic Class? • As a fourth credit option for a three credit course • As a capstone project for a student or students to complete • As a teaching methodology

14. What are the Guiding Principles for Organizing and Constructing a Service-Learning Course? • Reflection: Is there a mechanism that encourages students to link their service experience to course content and to reflect upon why the service is important? • Reciprocity: Is reciprocity evident in the service component?

15. What are the Steps to Creating a Service-Learning Course? • Step 1: Contact Office of Community Service • Step 2: Identify the course that you would like to infuse with Service-Learning • Step 3: With the help of the Office of Community Service design a syllabus explaining: • why this kind of service should be part of the course • make explicit connections between the course, departmental objectives and the student’s goals and expectations • Step 4: Identify Service-Learning sites • Step 5: Look at Campus Compact’s guidelines for syllabi

16. Biostatistics Communications Computer Science English Exercise Science Geography Human Services Management Medicine and Health Sciences (graduate programs) Music Political Science Psychology Public Health and Health Services (undergraduate and graduate programs) Public Policy & Public Administration Religion Sociology Spanish Women’s Studies and the Women’s Leadership Program Writing Program Are Other Professors At GW Incorporating Service-Learning?Currently, more than 30 faculty members across 17 departments have included Service-Learning in their classes including:

17. What Does the Office of Community Service Provide to Help GW Faculty Incorporate Service-Learning into their Curricula? Ideas Preparation Implementation Assessment Modification of Course Syllabi Connections with Community Partners The Tracking of Service-Learning Hours

18. How Can I Contact the Office of Community Service? Office of Community Service 2129 G Street, NW Washington, DC 20052 Phone: (202) 994-5493 E-mail: ocs@gwu.edu