S.O.U.L.S. Service Learning

Thoughtful Service: The Five Critical Elements

For service to have value and meaning and to build effective partnerships between students, faculty and community members, there are five critical elements that must be included in the design and direction of courses and community service programs.

Community Voice/ Student Voice
Community and student voice is essential to build bridges, make change and solve pressing problems. Academic courses which include service and campus community service programs must ensure that the voice and needs of the community and students are included in the development of programs and service placements.

Thoughtful Action
Thoughtful action means that the service that is being done is necessary and valuable to the community itself. Meaningful action benefits both the community and student in that both feel that the service makes a difference in a measurable way and is a productive use of time and resources. When service is not perceived as necessary and valuable, students and community members will quickly lose motivation for the service and the partnership.

Orientation and Training
Orientation and training are important first steps for any service experience. The students, faculty and community members should be provided with information which will help them prepare for the experience. For example, community agencies or members working with students should receive information about the course, a list of contacts on the campus, an academic calendar, and information about any expectations regarding their participation in the training, supervision and evaluation of students. Students should receive information about the community, the issue, agency or community group they will be working with as well as specific training for their service placement and expectations regarding their participation, supervision and evaluation.

Reflection
Reflection is a crucial component of the service learning experience and works as both a vehicle to process the experience and apply academic work. Students, faculty and community members share reactions, stories, feelings and facts about the service and the issues which help to place the experience into a broader context.

Evaluation/ Continuous Improvement
Evaluation measures the impact of the students’ learning experience and the effectiveness of the service in the community. Students, faculty and community partners should evaluate the effectiveness of the partnership and the service. Continuous improvement measures give direction for improvement, growth and change.

Best Practices for Faculty Members

In building service learning classes remember the following:

• Discuss learning plans with students so they fully understand their responsibilities, learning objectives and service objectives, and are informed of the risks associated with their service learning placements. Students should sign the Learning Plan, and have their site supervisor(s) and faculty member review and sign it as well.
• Conduct site reviews before, during and after a service-learning course is offered.
• Offer alternative placements and/or opportunities for students in service-learning courses to avoid potential risks.
• Always meet the special safety needs of any student.

When developing the Syllabi always:

• Include a description of the service as an expressed goal.
• Include a description of the nature of the service placement and/or project.
• Specify the roles and responsibilities of students in the placement and/or service project.
• Include whether or not the service project/experience is mandatory. If it is mandatory, offer an alternative for students who cannot do, for any reason, the specific type of service you have identified.
• Include time requirements (how many hours total/per week/per term).
• Include community-based organization contact information.
• Identify the needs of the community that will be met through this service placement.
• Explain how students will be expected to demonstrate what they have learned in the placement, such as journals, term papers, and in-class presentations.
• Include an explanation of what will be evaluated and how it will be evaluated in terms of the course grade.
• Explain how the course assignments link the service-learning placement to the course content.
• Explain, if appropriate, the expectations for the public dissemination of the students’ work.
• Don’t wait until the beginning of the quarter/semester to determine with which community based organization to partner. Plan ahead.
• Don’t allow students to randomly select their sites for service-learning placements without approval.
• Don’t wait until the end of the term to clarify the reflective process for student evaluation and learning outcomes.