What is Service-Learning

Service Learning definition and philosophy: Service-learning is a teaching method which combines service to the community with academic instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. -Campus Compact National Center for Community Colleges-

A true Service-learning experience is tied to the curriculum; meets a community need and includes self-reflection of the experience. Service-Learning is a method by which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully-organized service experiences.

Top Ten Reasons to do Service-Learning

  • 1. Service-Learning has a positive effect on student personal development such as sense of personal efficacy, personal identity, spiritual growth, and moral development.
  • 2. Service-Learning has a positive effect on interpersonal development and the ability to work well with others, leadership, and communication skills.
  • 3. Service-Learning has a positive effect on reducing stereotypes and facilitating cultural and racial understanding.
  • 4. Service-Learning has a positive effect on sense of social responsibility, citizenship skills, and commitment to service.
  • 5. Service-Learning has an impact on academic outcomes such as demonstrated complexity of understanding, problem analysis, critical thinking, and cognitive development.
  • 6. Service-Learning contributes to career development and can influence major and career selection.
  • 7. Service-Learning contributes to stronger student/faculty relationships.
  • 8. Service-Learning has long-term effects that may surface even years after graduation in terms of public service commitment, willingness to contribute to social causes, and willingness to give back to one's institution.
  • 9. Service-Learning has relevancy - it helps to link the often abstract theory of the classroom with day-to-day experiences of students and community members.
  • 10. Service-Learning builds community - links students, faculty and the institution of higher learning to the local community and beyond.

Sources of Support for these Conclusions

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Factsheet

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse publishes a Fact Sheet that addresses the topic of the evidence base for service-learning in higher education.

The History of Service-Learning

While service-learning is a cutting-edge methodology at Western, it has been gaining momentum for years. Groups like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt, and the Peace Corps, established in 1961 by President John Kennedy, were a precursor to today's service-learning movement. In 1989-1990, President George H.W. Bush began promoting the idea of community involvement during his presidency and created the Office of National Service in the White House and the Points of Light Foundation to foster volunteering. In 1990, Congress passed, and President Bush signed, the National and Community Service Act of 1990. This legislation authorized grants to schools to support service-learning and demonstration grants for national service programs to youth corps, nonprofits, and colleges and universities. President Clinton continued the idea of service-learning by signing the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, creating AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National Service. President George W. Bush has continued the legacy of his predecessors by encouraging volunteerism as part of an American citizen's duty to his or her country.

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