Steps to Service Learning for Faculty
Faculty
Congratulations! Just by visiting this web page, you have taken your first step towards designing a successful service-learning project. Service-learning involves a five-step process. If you are having any problems implementing a step, contact the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Esther Pacheco, epacheco@prairiestate.edu (708) 709-3503for additional help and she will gladly assist you.
Step 1: Preparation.
Preparation includes planning service activities and providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to participate in and benefit from the service activity. Depending on the nature of your planning process, preparation may include:
- Identifying the community need(s) to be addressed.
- Selecting and planning the specific service to be addressed.
- Identifying and enlisting the assistance of appropriate service agencies with the help of Esther Pacheco
- Providing content area instruction and specific training students will need to conduct the service activity.
- Review the Faculty Report Checklist.
The faculty member should:
- Download the PSC Faculty Handbook for Service Learning, or obtain a copy from Esther Pacheco.
- Contact the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Esther Pacheco, epacheco@prairiestate.edu (708) 709-3503 for any information or resources needed to start the desired project.
- Contact Agency representative(s) or Esther Pacheco to discuss plans and goals for the service project and confirm project/curriculum compatibility.
- Present the service possibilities to your students, discussing all phases and requirements of the project.
- Enter into a written agreement that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the faculty member(s), students, and the community agency.
Step 2: Action.
Action is the service activity. Service activities should have the following characteristics:
- The service should be meaningful.
- There should be clear links between the service activity and the objectives of the course.
- Students should have a sense of ownership in the project.
- There should be adequate supervision and evaluation of student activities.
The Faculty Member and Service Learning liaison should:
- Maintain regular contact with the Agency through the duration of the service-learning project to address successes and/or concerns with the project and the student(s).
- Ensure that course concepts are being applied in the service-learning activity and that academic goals are being met.
- Provide curricular and motivational support to the student(s) involved in the service-learning project.
The Faculty Member should:
- Contactthe Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Esther Pacheco, epacheco@prairiestate.edu (708) 709-3503 with any questions, concerns or comments.
- Keepthe Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Esther Pacheco, epacheco@prairiestate.edu (708) 709-3503 informed about any significant achievements and/or reasons to celebrate.
Step 3: Reflection.
This step offers the opportunity for the Student(s) to critically think about his or her service-learning experience and apply insights to a broader academic and social context. Reflection activities also provide additional opportunities to link academic work with the service activities. Reflection is not just a third sequential step in the service-learning process, but should be an integral part of all the steps of service-learning.
The Faculty Member should:
- Establish the need for the reflection as an integral component of the service-learning project.
- Stimulate service-learning Student(s) to think critically about the experience and to put it in his or her own terms.
Step 4: Celebration.
This step recognizes the contributions made by the students, faculty and community agency, and provides closure to the service-learning activity.
TheFaculty Member should:
- Recognize the efforts of all involved (that includes those being served!) in making the service-learning project a worthwhile and rewarding experience.
- Encourage students to share reflections with one another.
Step 5: Evaluation.
As with reflection, evaluation is a step that must be integrated throughout the process rather than be considered only as the last step. Evaluation should serve several purposes including:
- Formative and summative evaluation of the impact of the entire project on students, faculty, partner, agencies, the university and the community.
- An additional reflection opportunity.
- Evaluation of student performance.
- Information to be combined with data from other service-learning projects to help assess the overall impact of service-learning at PSC.
- Information to design future service-learning projects and to enhance the services of Prairie State College.
The Faculty Member should:
- Work with the community agency and students in the development of appropriate measures of student performance and overall formative and summative project evaluation.