Service learning is one of the most effective teaching methods for engaging and retaining community college students, but it comes with its challenges. For many students, the added requirements of a service learning experience can become one more responsibility in an already too-long list. In addition to being responsible for children, holding…

This chapter explores elements that should be included in a service learning style internship program in urban community colleges. It provides theoretical background and descriptions of best practices for forming community partnerships, collaboratively developing learning outcomes, and aligning program design with institutional general education…

Introduces the AmeriCorps/Campus Corps program which is designed to integrate service learning into Maryland community colleges. Uses a model that can be replicated on a local level with all of the outside classroom legwork associated with service learning provided by the members of AmeriCorps. Describes the struggles regarding faculty recruitment…

This is the final progress report for the American Association of Community College's (AACC's) Learn and Serve America Program. It covers the time period between September 1, 1994 and August 31, 1997. The goal of the program is to develop an infrastructure for service learning at America's community colleges. Outcomes show that all 10 colleges…

This qualitative study was conducted to explore student perceptions of service learning as well as the importance of service learning to community college students. Data were collected through interviews with 24 community college participants from Virginia Highlands Community College and Mountain Empire Community College, both in southwest…

This digest discusses service learning programs on community college campuses. Service learning integrates community service with academic instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. Projects can range from brief, one-time-only experiences to a student commitment of 15 or more hours during a semester.…

This report outlines the development and implementation of a service-learning program at the Community College of Vermont (CCV). The author describes some of CCV's unique characteristics, all of which heightened the challenge of implementing a service-learning program: (1) CCV has no campus-there are 12 sites of the college scattered throughout…

Describes the author's psychology class, in which she required students to do service work with a resident in a nursing home. Reports that students met for a minimum of eight hours with the resident and wrote both a history of the person and a reflection on the project. States that half of the students decided to continue volunteering after the…

The document discusses a project that sought to create sustainable service learning programs in community colleges. In 1997, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (District of Columbia) began a 3-year grant project to increase the number, quality, and sustainability of service learning programs in community colleges nationwide.…

This study examines how 11 community colleges present and promote their service learning courses via the Internet. Of particular interest to this study are the following features of online presentations: (1) how detailed and developed the Web site is and the extent of the information provided; (2) whether the Web site provides student and faculty…

Service-learning is a pedagogy that combines community service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. This guide is designed to foster the development of service-learning programs at community colleges and presents experiences, ideas, and lessons learned from existing programs. First, reasons…

This paper discusses three forms of community connections: service learning, partnerships, and public service, and offers an overview of the current service-learning movement in community colleges. It argues that, in order for community colleges to fulfill their missions, they must embrace the full implication of the having "community" in their…

This project brief provides a summary of the Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning project, supported by the Corporation for National Service and administered by the American Association of Community Colleges. The project was developed to increase the number, quality, and sustainability of service learning programs in…

Based on the idea that community colleges have a critical role in enhancing civic literacy through community-based programming and service learning, this volume provides descriptions of theoretical frameworks and practical models for incorporating community renewal into the college mission. The following articles are provided: (1) "Service…

Describing collaborative activities between community colleges and the communities they serve, this sourcebook provides 15 essays by practitioners at colleges across the United States. Following introductory materials and the essay, "The Roots of Campus-Community Collaboration" (Terry Pickeral), the following essays are presented detailing…