Yes, I Want to Use Academic Service-Learning: Where Do I Begin?

Abstract

As we were reviewing the syllabus on the first day of class, one of my university students raised a hand and asked, “we don’t really have to do this service … do we?” I explained that, yes, we were all going to work on a service-learning project together. As I continued, I showed slides from Camp Sharigan, showing that we would be going out into the community to build a make-believe reading camp for children who were struggling in reading. From the other side of the room, another student spoke up and said, “this is going to be great. When do we start?”  Service-learning should change the lives of the community in which you work. Academic service-learning can also change the lives of the students you teach. Academic service-learning opens a new door and invites students to participate in the learning process, not as passive listeners but as active partners in a learning community.  Academic service-learning produces higher grades and assessment scores (GPA, test scores, and knowledge learned), better retention and graduation rates, stronger student engagement, commitment, persistence, and improved self-efficacy. With academic service-learning, service-learning becomes the method through which the professor teaches the course. The feature that makes academic service-learning stand out above all other forms of service and learning is fully connecting the course material and the service project.