Principles of Good Practice

The following principles of good practice are guideposts for developing an effective service-learning experience for your students. They help measure the quality of a service-learning program. When a faculty member seeks funding for his/her service-learning program, these Principles of Good Practice are the criteria that the Service-Learning Committee will use in granting requests. Each faculty member should seek to incorporate these principles into his/her service-learning program. This Faculty Guidebook is organized around these principles and provides insights into incorporating each principle into your program.

Establish a clear connection between the service-learning experience and the course content.

This is most successfully done when a faculty member rewrites his/her syllabus to show a connection between the course objectives and the potential learning experience of students who participate in a service-learning course component. This is a big first step in making sure that academic credit is not awarded for service, but rather for the learning that can be gained from the service experience.

Choose a Community Partner that matches a community need with your course objectives.

There are many federal, state, county, and community agencies helping people or groups in the areas of advocacy, companionship, technology training, counseling, office or clerical assistance, public relations and marketing problems, project planning, tutoring, and mentoring. Your academic discipline probably connects to at least one of many human, environmental, or scientific issues which are met by these local agencies. Matching a service-learning experience with a community agency that meets real-life needs and gives students opportunities for learning is an important step in achieving an effective service-learning experience. The Service-Learning Team can help you find a match for your course content. Contact Shane Wasden, Community Service Advisor, MC 380, ext. 2599 for ideas and assistance in establishing contact with a Community Partner.

Ensure appropriate training so that students are safe, and effective volunteers.

Developing and conducting an effective service-learning program is requires constant attention. An important aspects of this endeavor is student training and orientation. Some of this may be done by the partner agency at the site; however, the responsibility for a student’s successful experience will rest mainly on the shoulders of the faculty member. Student training and orientation is also an important aspect of risk-management and liability protection.

Ensure learning is derived from the service experience by conducting effective reflection experiences.

Reflection experiences can be conducted in and out of class; with individuals or large classes; and before, during, or at the conclusion of service experiences. Reflection activities link student’s service with specific principles in the course and discipline that the students are studying. Without reflection activities, service is not service-learning.

This dimension includes students, Community Partners, and service recipients to ensure that learning has taken place and effective service has been rendered. Overall improvement will result in all dimensions of service-learning.