This site offers resources, ideas, and links to other sites that provide information on service learning. The resources provide assistance to faculty interested in connecting the work students do in the classroom to real-world problems and real-world needs.
Type of Material:
Reference Material
Recommended Uses:
This website provides inspiration, models, and guidelines for developing courses with a community-based service learning component.
Technical Requirements:
Web browser and Adobe Reader are needed for access to some links. The UCLA Service Learning Clearinghouse is committed to keep the site low tech to ensure that all users can readily access the information.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Service-learning is a form of experiential learning where students and faculty collaborate with communities to address problems and issues, simultaneously gaining knowledge and skills and advancing personal development. There is an equal emphasis on helping communities and providing valid learning experience to students.Service-learning requires that faculty members be actively engaged as teacher/mentors with students. Students learn new knowledge and skills that contribute to their education. Students have the opportunity to reflect critically upon their experiences. The service provided meets a need identified by the community to be served. Those receiving the service have significant involvement and control over the activities engaged in by students and faculty.[Adapted from Ruth Marcous Bounous, ed., New Directions: Teaching and Research (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, Working Papers Series on Service-Learning, v. 1, 1997), p.5.]National studies validate the claims that service-learning improves academic achievement across a wide variety of disciplines. Service connected to specific courses can enhance the learning of the course content. [1] Service-Learning has impact on students' personal,
social and cognitive outcomes. [2] Participation in a service-learning program can improve the interaction between faculty members and students, whichitself has a positive impact on learning. Furthermore,[3] service-learning enhances students' beliefs in their personal efficacy, and can be a predictor in their further professional development.
Target Student Population:
The focus of the website and sample course syllabi target students in higher education; however, some resources are relevant to all levels from elementary through post-secondary.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
None
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This web site contains annotated bibliographies as well as links to other sources of information on research instruments, tools, rubrics, and guides intended to assist those who have an interest in studying the effectiveness of service-learning. Links to on-line articles provide access to published materials from nationally recognized service-learning resources such as Campus Compact, the American Educational Research Association, Learn and Serve America, the Corporation for National Service, and the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). Faculty Rewards, Promotion and Tenure (RPT) for work in community service is addressed with links to resources and a list of journals for publishing articles/research on service-learning and K-H partnerships.
Concerns:
Some links such as to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse and the 1999 RAND Report Combining Service and Learning in Higher Education: Summary Report are not functional and should be updated.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Service-learning engages students by connecting the work students do in the classroom to real-world problems and real-world needs. The materials could be used as models for designing discipline-specific capstone courses that incorporate community service learning, for incorporating service into existing courses without compromising academic rigor, or for evaluating and improving existing service-learning instructional experiments.
Concerns:
Perhaps the list is too extensive. A faculty member browsing these resources for examples from syllabi of teaching-learning goals or service-learning assignments that can be readily integrated into course work might get lost or distracted following links that no longer lead to useful information. Perhaps these resources could be reviewed and culled as newer and even better resources become available.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface is consistent and visually distinct. The site map is user-friendly, and the mailing address and contact information are easily accessed.
Concerns:
This web provides an important enough resource for faculty to merit the funding needed to hire a webmaster who could correct minor spelling errors and update resource links. (Example: ?Especially for Faculty? label reads ultimate resource for facuty.)
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
