Center for Community Engagement
About USM Service-Learning
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Academic service-learning (ASL) is a pedagogy that faculty can incorporate into academic classes to engage students on projects with community organizations that address critical community needs, reinforces course content and increases student engagement.
Academic service-learning is a 鈥渃ourse-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an 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 personal values and civic responsibility鈥� (Bringle and Hatcher, 1995, p. 112)..
Service-learning partners usually include nonprofit organizations or governmental agencies, PK- 12 schools, or the philanthropic arm of a for-profit organization. The experiences should be designed to meet both student and community partner needs.
To qualify as a service-learning class, the community-based experiences must support academic learning objectives, involve collaboration with a nonprofit or public organization(s) external to USM, and have assigned, structured opportunities (essays, journals, oral, eg) to reflect on how community-based experiences connect with academic learning.
Service-learning classes should meet a need identified by the community and have the potential to impact students鈥� sense of personal values and civic responsibility.
- Faculty teaching designated ASL classes are indicated as using High-Impact Practices in Watermark Faculty Success.
- Students in designated ASL classes receive an end-of-semester certificate and letter from CCE outlining contributions and skills gained.
- Students who take 2 designated ASL courses at USM partially meet the requirements to graduate as a Citizen Scholar. Because of this, students are consistently looking for ASL classes they can take (but only designated classes count).
- Students in designated ASL classes receive end-of-semester course evaluations measuring service-learning outcomes.
Student benefits:
- Deeper understanding of the complexity of social issues
- Encounters with real problems and solutions
- Practical experience while still in college
- Enhanced resume for jobs or graduate school
- Connections with local contacts and interesting people
- Communication with diverse populations
It鈥檚 a high-impact educational practice that positively impacts student learning, retention, and progression. [1]
Service-learning positively impacts students鈥� understanding of social issues, cognitive development, and personal insight[2] plus civic-mindedness and civic action. [3]
Students who participate in service-learning classes are more likely to complete degrees and achieve higher GPAs. [4]
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at USM
- Provides online resources to help you design your class
- Offers the Service-Learning Faculty Fellows program every spring 鈥� participants learn best practices of service-learning, teach ASL class, receive $2400 compensation.
- Leads a three-day service-learning training every December.
- Can work one-on-one with faculty on service-learning course design and partner ideas
