By Amanda McAndrew, MA, Education, University of Southern California
 

ntroduction
Service-learning has been an area of extreme interest and debate in higher education.  The idea of encouraging and giving students credit for 'community service' has some institutions showing concern and wondering just how this concept will fit into their current institutions mission and curriculum, not to mention whether or not this idea of service-learning connects learning with the overall outcome associated with a student's particular area of study.  The purpose of this paper is to show some of the benefits and challenges of service-learning that institutions might face.  In summary, strategies that faculty can use to establish a service-learning program and the components of an effective program will be outlined.

What is service-learning?  Different sources will vary on their definition, but for the purpose of this paper, service-learning will be defined as:  "A form of experimental education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities intentionally designed to promote student learning and development.  Reflection and reciprocity are key concepts of service-learning" (Jacoby, 1996).

Service-Learning does not happen in the confines of a classroom or on a campus.  Instead service-learning involves partnerships between an institution and the community.  There are several types of service-learning experiences that a student could take part in, such as the following:
 

* Homeless shelters	* Collecting and handing out food
* Battered women shelters	* Hot-lines
* Schools (mentors/tutors)	* Habitat for Humanity
* Beautifying cities	* National parks

When students participate in a service-learning curriculum, they typically have to spend a designated amount of time during the semester volunteering to help the organization that they are servicing.  Several options are often given for students to pick from so that they may pick something that is of interest to them or their given career area.  Most colleges require the student to meet with a group of students and teacher in a classroom setting to discuss experiences.  This is a crucial and critical part of service-learning.

Benefits of Service-Learning
Some colleges feel that placing a requirement for students to complete some type of service-learning can be beneficial to the students development and will enhance the curriculum that is already being taught at the college.  Faculty who support service-learning feel that it will help develop a moral civic society (Lisman, 1998).  This opinion translates to that, by encouraging and requiring students to participate in a service-learning experience, the college is developing the student morally and in turn creating a student who is more adept to contribute to society as a whole.

Service-learning also creates a partnership between the college and the surrounding community.  By placing students into an environment outside of their own, the college is enhancing the individual and allowing him or her to participate in experiences that he or she would not have otherwise.

Another benefit of service-learning is that the actual experience is learning orientated rather than teaching orientated.  The belief is that students can only learn only so much in the classroom and that the real learning experience is achieved by a student taking part in the experience.  This is not to say that the teaching factor should not be involved but, rather, that it should be a combination of the two (Lisman, 1998).  Service-learning is both curricular and co-curricular, meaning that all learning does not evolve within the walls of a classroom  (Jacoby, 1996).  Advocates of different learning styles have often suggested that students will learn a great amount from the simple act of interacting with other students (Rhoads, 1998).

Service-learning also allows students to develop from problem-based learning (Lisman, 1998).  Actual experiences are placed in front of students and, therefore, creating contrived scenarios is not necessary.  Instead, students can learn from actual experiences.  This is also beneficial when used in a classroom because students can share their experience with others and reflect on that experience.

Challenges of Service-Learning
Derek Bok stated, "There is no reason for universities to feel uncomfortable in taking account of society's needs, in fact, they have a clear obligation to do so."  Many people feel that it is neither the college's place nor position to require service-learning for students.  This presents a challenge to faculty who are trying to convince their institutions to pursue service-learning as an option for students.  A common belief is that not everyone is familiar with service-learning, and, therefore, how can you require a campus full of students to be placed out into the 'world' and service it and call it a worthwhile learning experience?  Another common challenge that faculty face is the belief that the community should not be used as a laboratory (Lisman, 1998).  Many feel that we should not be placing students into service-learning experiences where we are making a distinction between 'good' situations, and 'bad' situations.  We do not want to exploit people in the surrounding communities and make them feel like they are a "project" for the students.

Another challenge is whether or not ethics and social matters can really be taught in the classroom setting and whether doing so is the responsibility of the university.  Many propose that ethics are something that should be taught outside of school and should, therefore, already be in place by the time a student arrives at college.  It is in fact our duty to educate our students, and if that means we must educate them about ethics, then we must do so (Lisman, 1998).

Making sure that the service-learning experience is related to the student's curriculum is a challenge as well.  Due to the limited amount of time that we actually have with students, we need to make sure that there is a correlation between the activity and outcome (Rhoads, 1998).

The goal of a college or university is to allow and enhance student learning.  So one must stop and ask him or herself when dealing with the subject of service-learning whether or not student learning is really affected and how we are to go about evaluating that learning.  One of the greatest challenges that institution's face is deciding on a measuring device that gives faculty, administrators, and students the chance to evaluate progress.  One of the concerns faculty may have is that the developmental/learning curve is not the same for all students, and, hence, it becomes extremely difficult to evaluate whether or not a student really learned from the experience.

Strategies for Faculty
In order for service-learning to be effective, students must have reflection and reciprocity.  Service-learning is based on the pedagogy that learning and development do not occur at the same time but, rather, through the reflection of the experience that the student has had.  Various studies have shown time and time again that students learn best through combinations of thought and action, reflection and practice, and theory and application (Jacoby, 1996).  In order for service-learning to be a valuable learning experience, students must have the chance to participate in a teacher-guided reflection process (Lisman, 1998).  This process can be done in a variety of ways such as:

• Journals: Students express their thoughts and feelings
• Research Paper: Students identify a particular experience or set of events and reflect upon and analyze the experience
• Ethical Case Study: Students write case studies of an ethical dilemma that they confronted while at their site
• Directed Reading: Students read  material that probes at issues within their discipline that are connected to their site
• Presentations: Students organize their experiences and develop creative displays
• Electronic Reflection: Students communicate using such methods as class home pages, chat rooms, on-line survey forms, and e-mail in order to discuss issues (Bringle & Hatcher, 1999).

In the case of reciprocity, those being served control the service provided.  The community determines the needs and then the tasks are set.  Through reciprocity, students develop a sense of belonging and responsibility as a community member.  On the other hand, community members that are being assisted learn how to take responsibility for their needs, and--in a way--service-learning is empowering them.  Reciprocity, thus, creates a mutual relationship between the community and the students (Jacoby, 1996).

Designing effective reflection activities can be extremely difficult, not to mention tiresome.  The following are some guidelines for effective reflection for a students service-learning experience.  Reflection should do the following:

• Clearly link the service experience to the course content and learning objectives
• Be structured in terms of description, expectations, and criteria
• Occur on a regular basis during the semester
• Provide feedback, so students learn how to improve their analysis and reflective skills
• Allow students to explore, clarify, and alter their own personal values (Bringle & Hatcher, 1999).

Works Cited

Bringle, Robert, and Julie Hatcher.  (1999).  Reflection in service learning: making meaning of experience.  Educational Horizons.  v.77, n.4.

Jacoby, Barbara.  (1996).  Service-learning in higher education.  San Francisco,  Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Lisman, David.  (1998).  Toward a civil society.  Westport, Bergin & Garvey.

Rhoads, Robert.  (1998).  In the service of citizenship. The Journal of Higher Education.  v.69, n3.