About Service Learning

“Service-learning is now a major national movement at every educational level, and is a particularly powerful force in undergraduate education. Connecting academic study with community service through structured reflection is widely recognized as contributing to learning that is deeper, longer-lasting, and more portable to new situations and circumstances.”  - Thomas Ehrlich, Carnegie Foundation.

Service-learning is a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate Service-learning project tutoring ELL students at JFK Elementaryin a thoughtfully-organized service activity that meets identified community needs, and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.

At Saint Michael’s College, this definition of service-learning is complemented by the following criteria for service-learning courses:

  • It is a credit-bearing undergraduate and/or graduate course.
  • The syllabus makes explicit how service and academic course content significantly inform and enhance each other.
  • There are planned benefits for the community being served and for the students learning.  The service addresses a need and follows processes that are mutually agreed upon by the community and the instructor.  This mutual agreement should be part of the course proposal.
  • The course activity guides and supports students in critical reflection regarding the integration of the service and academic course content.
  • Student course assessment and credit are based upon the demonstration of student learning, including critical reflection regarding the integration of the service and the academic course content.

How does service-learning differ from community service?

Service-learning is a comprehensive teaching method in which community service is connected to academic instruction through critical, thoughtful reflection. Unlike co-curricular volunteer activities, such as those sponsored by our MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) Office, service-learning programs involve students in organized community service that corresponds to the academic content of a specific course.

This pedagogy also strives to ensure that both the providers (our students) and recipients (our community partners) benefit equally throughout the course of the service. The experience is structured in such a way that our students make actual academic gains and community partners see legitimate needs met as a result of the collaboration.