Service learning combines community service with academic instruction. Students enrolled in courses with a service-learning component as part of the academic experience are guided through a critical analysis of what they observe in the field and what is presented in class.
The service-learning approach enhances the breadth and depth of student learning in at least three domains:
- Academics and higher order cognitive skills
- Life skills
- Sense of civic responsibility and ability to be an effective member of the communities where they will reside after graduation
The service-learning program focuses on promoting service learning as an effective teaching strategy within the existing curricula of the College. Course learning outcomes are the basis for integrating projects that serve the College or the community at large. In order to preserve the academic integrity of a service-learning opportunity, students are not graded on simply “putting in hours”. Rather, they are graded on specific assignments and projects that demonstrate learning from the service-learning experience. Some courses provide built-in, experiential projects; others require students to identify their own projects. Service-learning activities have been demonstrated as positive learning experiences for both students and faculty. Courses with required service-learning components are labeled SL in the semester course scheduler.