DESIGNING THE CURRICULUM

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  1. Introduction

  2. What is Service-Learning

  3. Benefits of Service-Learning

  4. What Service-Learning is Not

  5. Principles of Service-Learning

  6. Bringing Service and Learning Together (PDF file, click here to download Adobe® Acrobat Reader)

  7. Courses with a Service-Learning Component

  8. Examples of Service-Learning Classes

  9. Getting Started: Designing the Curriculum

  10. Service-Learning Development Worksheet

  11. Course Development Timeline

  12. Course Implementation Timeline

  13. Using Reflection

  14. Types of Journals

  15. Liability Issues

  16. Expectations and Responsibilities in Service-Learning

  17. Common Faculty Questions

  18. Top Ten Ways to Do More Service-Learning with Less Work

  19. Resources

 

 Many faculty see the value in developing a Service-Learning course but are not sure how to get started. Faced with curricular revision issues and the daunting task of making community contacts, many people shy away.  There are several resources available, however, to make this process easier.  Talk to Mimi Nakano (455-0341) to get more information on Service-Learning, as well as suitable community agencies to collaborate with.  You might also want to speak with instructors who currently teach Service-Learning classes and find out what has worked for them.

Here are some questions to consider as you revise a syllabus or create a new Service-Learning course:

  • How many hours of service should be required?  How much is "enough"?

There is no official college policy on this, but to adequately involve a service learning aspect in the classroom, it is recommended that the students perform twenty hours of service at a minimum.

  • Should the service be optional or mandatory?

If the experience is a necessary part of learning the course objectives, then make it mandatory.  If it is a method that offers incentive for understanding the course content, but you believe that students should have choice about community service, then you could make it optional.

  • How are students compensated?

Whether service is a requirement or an option in your class, students must clearly understand how they are compensated for this additional work.  For example, some instructors reduce the number of exams or traditional papers and replace them with service-related reflective and evaluative learning activities.  In any case, a key component to insuring the success of Service-Learning is to explain how the hours spent in service learning and related activities are interrelated with course objectives.

 

 

 

 

 

Adapted from From: Almonte Paul, Dorell, Haffalin et.al.  Service Learning at Salt Lake Community College, A Faculty Handbook
 

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