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Did You Know?
Faculty members can also incorporate Service-Learning into the Maintenance of Continuing Contract process. Contact us for more information or to certify participation.
Benefits of Adding Service-Learning to Your Classroom
Faculty Guide to Service-Learning
Service-Learning is an effective teaching method used extensively across the country. At EFSC, more than 150 faculty members integrate service with academic study. Many instructors have commented about the significant benefits of Service-Learning for students’ personal, civic, career, and academic growth and say that their classrooms have been enriched by students’ real-life experiences.
With hundreds of community partner placements and projects available, we have developed an intricate student placement and support system that enables you to concentrate your efforts on assessing student learning through their community-based reciprocal experiences. Follow our step-by-step process to get started:
Integrating Service-Learning
Step 1: Meet with the Center for Service-Learning & Civic Engagement (CSLCE)
We can assist with determining which option will be the best fit for your courses. We will provide you with many resources to help, including course outlines, sample syllabi, and forms to track hours and guide reflection assignments.
Step 2: Determine How You Will Evaluate Service-Learning Assignments
Decide how much extra credit students can earn through service hours and which assignments can be substituted with Service-Learning options. Designate the number of service hours you will require, appropriate course-related service sites or projects, and requirements for evaluation or reflection assignments.
Step 3: Include the Service-Learning Option in Your Syllabus
You can find links to sample syllabi in the Course Plans & Syllabi tab of the Service-Learning Resources box on this web page. If needed, the CSLCE can provide additional sample syllabi to help with this process.
Step 4: Schedule a Class Presentation
If you’d like a representative from the CSLCE to speak to your classes about Service-Learning opportunities and processes, contact us to schedule a presentation. Class presentations usually last 15 to 20 minutes and include information about how to get started, as well as the programs and benefits that the CSLCE offers.
Step 5: Distribute the Necessary Forms/Assignments to Students
Refer students to the CSLCE office to ensure all required Service-Learning forms are completed prior to the commencement of Service-Learning hours.
Students participating in the 4th/5th credit option must also schedule a reflection seminar. View the Deadlines & Events Calendar for more information on the seminars, which are also listed on the Important Dates Downloadable flyer.
Encourage students to use the online Service-Learning Questionnaire to provide feedback. If needed, you can pass out and collect the paper version of the Service-Learning Questionnaire from students and return them to the CSLCE.
Step 6: Return Completed Forms to the CSLCE
Students may return forms directly to our office, or the instructor may choose to collect forms in class and forward copies to the CSLCE. The CSLCE staff maintains student service files and records service hours on students’ academic transcripts.
Step 7: Complete the Service-Learning Faculty Assessment Form
Return the completed assessment to the CSLCE at the end of the semester. We encourage new Service-Learning faculty to meet with a CSLCE representative to discuss their experience with Service-Learning options, any questions or concerns they have, and additional ways Service-Learning can benefit their students. With student permission, instructors may also share exemplary journal articles or service reflections with the CSLCE.
Service-Learning Resources
Service in the Classroom
Ron Rountree
Humanities Instructor
"The CSLCE provides faculty with an opportunity to partner with local organizations, thus giving students an excellent range of academic, social and employment connections. The result? Our students become active and engaged citizens in the local community."