Using a case study, this paper explores the pedagogy and logistical best practices of leading short-term study trips to the indigenous highlands of Guatemala. The goals of community-engagement are to have students: 1) interact with people of different cultural, linguistic, political, and economic world views, expanding their range of…

This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of service learning through the lens of faculty members, community partners, and student learning outcomes at a midsized community college in North Carolina. As a teaching tool integrating community service with instruction, service learning depends on the collaboration of multiple stakeholders and…

Within the fields of kinesiology and physical education teacher education, there is a growing number of courses and curricula that utilize service-learning as a pedagogical strategy. However, these courses and curricula are often constructed, implemented, and evaluated without a strong framework based on literature in the field, which has led to…

Drawing on a theoretical framework based on "use-inspired" applied research and service learning practice (Honnet-Porter & Poulsen, 1989), this paper argues the relationship between a service-learning approach and Public Relations coursework is a natural and highly desirable fit. Through examination of the goals of both service-learning and public…

Greater interest from students, universities, and communities has increased pressure on faculty to design and implement service-learning courses. Often with no prior experience and limited institutional and programmatic guidance, faculty must make their way through a growing body of literature on service-learning. This article presents a novice…

Service learning is a pedagogy that combines classroom instruction with community service. Its goals are to provide students with learning experiences that reinforce the curriculum, improve students' personal and interpersonal development, and connect students to the needs of the community (Jacoby et al., 2003). Since the mid 1980s, the number of…

Implementing service-learning is challenging in light of issues such as changes in student demographics and pressure from existing curricula goals. However, closer community engagement is increasingly important in the long-term goals of our universities. Members of a faculty learning community at an open-access college reflect on the process of…

Programs falling under the general rubric of "experiential education" take a number of forms, varying on several dimensions; what is offered here is a schematic overview. In general, they all involve students in activities that look rather different from more traditional classroom-based methods: (1) the formal lecture and discussion; (2) the…

Although there are many manifestations of civic and community engagement, curricular engagement in general and service-learning classes in particular are core components as campuses progress beyond traditional models of engagement, such as expert-based approaches to outreach and professional service, that develop broader and deeper impact across…

More faculty report each year that they are incorporating service-learning in their academic courses, which is often related to attempts by colleges and universities to link academics with service to the community as part of their mission, or by the academic disciplines that see service-learning as a way to link theory and practice. Critical to…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Describes the objectives and design of the service learning program at Chatham College (Pennsylvania). Discusses the characteristics of service learning found to be effective: student preparation for service projects; participation; and reflection on the experience, begun by writing a student journal and continued in classroom discussion and…

A recent study revealed that the theme of civic responsibility/civic participation/citizenship is the most frequently articulated intended student outcome of service-learning at the national policy level. In contrast, college students, faculty, staff, and administrators barely mentioned notions of citizenship in describing outcomes of…

Academic service learning contributes to the renewal and satisfaction of faculty, offers new opportunities to think more consciously and creatively about relationships (faculty/student, disciplinary/interdisciplinary knowledge, campus/community), presents opportunities to contribute to the field's development, and offers a vehicle to faculty,…

Explores academic service learning as an innovative pedagogical model capable of transforming traditional teaching and learning practices. Notes that faculty undertaking this challenge can expect initial resistance from students, periodic self-doubt about their teaching accomplishments, and colleagues' skepticism, but also renewed student…