Benefits
of
Service Learning
Benefits to students:
- Service learning enriches students' learning of course material by
moving students from the margin of the classroom experience to the center.
"It brings books to life and life to
books."
- Students come to see the relevance and importance of academic
work in their real life experiences.
- It enhances students' self esteem and sense
of civic responsibility by allowing them to "make a
difference" through active and meaningful contributions to their
communities.
- It broadens perspectives and
enhances critical thinking skills.
- It improves interpersonal and human relation
skills, which are increasingly viewed as the most important
skills in achieving success in professional and personal spheres.
Benefits to faculty members:
- Service Learning enriches and enlivens
teaching.
- It changes the faculty's role from the
expert on top to the expert on tap, and with that change
the faculty enjoy a new relationship with
students and a new understanding of how learning occurs.
- As faculty connect the community with the curriculum, they become
more aware of current societal issues as they relate to academic areas
of interest.
- The faculty identify new areas of research
and publication, and thus increase
opportunities for professional recognition and reward.
Benefits to the community:
- Service Learning initiatives provide the
community with substantial human resources to meet its educational,
human, safety, and environmental needs. The talent, energy,
and enthusiasm of college students are applied to meet these ever increasing
needs.
- Many students commit to a lifetime of volunteering
after this experience creating a democracy of participation.
- Service Learning creates a spirit of civic responsibility that replaces
the current state of dependence on government programs and altruism
by the experts. It results in a renewed sense
of community and encourages participative democracy.
- Community agencies gain the opportunity
to participate in educational partnerships.
Benefits to the university:
- Service Learning provides better equipped
graduates with core competencies for professional and social
development.
- It is a mechanism for the university to provide
community service in response to community-identified needs.
- It demands continual re-examination of
course curricula in consideration of business and industry
needs.
- It is a true partnership with business,
industry, and community affiliations.
Updated
September 19, 2008
