Research Guides: Service Learning: Faculty Resources

Defining Service Learning

Criteria for Service Learning Projects

Ask these questions to see if your project qualifies as a Service Learning Project:

Is it connected with course content?
Do students earn credit for the project?
Does it meet a community need?
Does it have a reflection component?

Sook Lim, & Bloomquist, C. (2015). Distinguishing service learning from other types of experiential learning. Education for Information, 31(4), 195–207. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-150952
This discussion paper examines the lack of clarity surrounding the term service learning in the library and information science (LIS) literature, which frequently conflates service learning with other types of experiential learning. We suggest that the lack of distinction between service learning and other types of experiential learning confuses the practice of service-learning courses in LIS education. We attempt to mitigate this confusion by clarifying the term service learning. We believe that a clear understanding of service learning's unique purposes and characteristics can help LIS educators maximize the benefits of service-learning courses and improve students' educational experiences.
Hatcher, J. A., & Studer, M. L. (2015). Service-Learning and Philanthropy: Implications for Course Design. Theory Into Practice, 54(1), 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2015.977656
Developing good citizens is an historic role for higher education (Sullivan & Rosin, 2008) and the emergence of service-learning as a pedagogical strategy has heightened attention to the intentional educational objectives to be addressed in higher education. This article examines the role of service-learning in developing philanthropic values and behaviors in students that can influence their postgraduate years through careers, civic activities, and family life. Unlike other forms of community-based education (e.g., cooperative education, internship), service-learning extends beyond “serving to learn,” to “learning to serve” (see Chang, this issue) through being involved in community activities (e.g., advocacy, community organizing, volunteering). Two of the explicit dimensions of preparing civic-minded graduates are increasing knowledge of the nonprofit sector and volunteer opportunities and increasing commitment to be involved in the community, both of which can be achieved through service-learning (Steinberg, Hatcher, & Bringle, 2011).
George-Paschal, L., Hawkins, A., & Graybeal, L. (2019). Investigating the overlapping experiences and impacts of service-learning: Juxtaposing perspectives of students, faculty, and community partners. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 25(2),
As service-learning and community-based learning proliferate in higher education, increased attention has been directed toward gathering evidence of their impacts. While the bulk of the literature has focused on student outcomes, little work has been done to examine how the perspectives of stakeholder groups overlap and intersect. This study uses an exploratory qualitative design to examine the experiences of service-learning students, faculty, and community partners at a four-year public university, which revealed five key themes: the time-intensive nature of service-learning, the added value provided by the service-learning faculty member, the additional benefits created by service-learning connections, the unintended opportunities for discovery of self and others, and the impacts of the liminal space of service-learning transcending traditional academic boundaries. Implications of the study reveal the importance of institutional support and coordination to maximize impacts on stakeholders, as well as the need for further study of overlapping stakeholder perspectives in multiple contexts.

Service Learning Tracking Form

SKYCTC Faculty: If you promote service learning projects in your classes, please use the Service Learning tracking form so we can collect data for the college! See below for instructions:

Log into MyPath
Select Blackboard
Select Organizations in Blackboard
Select SKYCTC Best Practices
Scroll to Teaching Resources/Forms
Select Reporting Database for Service Learning

Note: You will need to request access to this site to input data.

Local Resources

Non-profits in the Region
Chamber of Commerce list of non-profit agencies in the region.
United Way of Southern Kentucky
Discover what they do and how to get involved.
WKU Spirit of Engagement Blog
Stories on the programs and their impact on campus and in the community.
HOTEL Inc.
A faith-based non-profit that breaks the cycle of poverty and homelessness to build self-sufficient households.

National Resources

Campus Compact
Campus Compact’s research, online tools, and other initiatives help campuses create effective service-learning programs that meet academic and service goals.
AmeriCorps (Corporation for National and Community Service)
AmeriCorps, officially known as The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that helps more than 5 million Americans improve the lives of their fellow citizens through service. Working hand in hand with local partners, we tap the ingenuity and can-do spirit of the American people to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our nation.

Examples of Service Learning Colleges

Gateway CTC Service Learning
Service learning is a fusion of community service, coursework and reflection. Not only does service learning help you get hands-on learning experience, it also helps your community!
Monroe Community College Center for Service Learning
Service-learning combines civic engagement with academic coursework in a way that benefits both the student and the community. At MCC, students participate in service projects that are tied to courses in English, Law and Criminal Justice, Sociology, Education, Marketing, Business, Art and other curricula.
University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) Service Learning Academy
The Service Learning Academy facilitates university and community-wide partnerships, develops and collaborates on community-based research, and supports rigorous service learning courses in pursuit of UNO’s metropolitan mission to transform and improve the quality of life locally, nationally, and globally.

Off Campus?

Use your KCTCS email ID and password to access databases off campus.

If you are unable to login, try using Kentucky Virtual Library.

Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) Databases
Many of our databases are accessible using KYVL. SKYCTC students and employees can request the username and password for KYVL databases, which is different than your KCTCS login. To request the KYVL username and password, use the following link: https://password.kyvl.org/PasswordRequest.aspx, or contact the SKYCTC Help Desk (270-901-1171).

Still having trouble?

Off Campus Access Guide
Use your SKYCTC username and password to access most library databases off campus. Visit our Off Campus Access guide for more help or call the Library Help Desk at (270) 901-1171.

Example Projects from SKYCTC

Hi my name is Mike’la Doerr. I’m 26 years old going to college for the first time. I have been married for 10 years and have 3 little girls…During a class assignment…I had to pick a place within the Bowling Green community to volunteer 3 hours of my time for a project. I googled the nearest place to me just to see what popped up. New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding Stables appeared. I have lived in Edmonson County for 24 years and have never heard of this wonderful place…I went alone, way out of my comfort zone to this class to sign up to volunteer. Little did I know this small step would lead me into a career path I didn’t even think about…I have been going 3 days a week for 6 months now. I also changed my major and researched options at WKU to get my Equine Therapy degree.

Service Presentation

Identify a social problem and volunteer your time to address this problem. Examples include providing food for the disadvantaged, tutoring, cleaning public areas in the city/county, working with the elderly, etc. The volunteering can be done in collaboration with an institution (such as a church or school), or it can be done entirely on your own.

Volunteer for a minimum of 3 hours. Create a PowerPoint that states the social problem and explains 1) why it is a social problem/important and 2) how you addressed it with volunteering. Also in the PowerPoint, include proof that you volunteered (pictures, signed note, etc.). Your volunteer work must occur during the duration of the course. You will give a 5–10-minute presentation to the class.

PSY 223 Collaborative Service Learning Project
"In Fall 2019, students in PSY 223 completed a collaborative project by either participating in service learning for Room in the Inn – Bowling Green (RITI – BG) or preparing a cultural display about lifespan commemorations for the college-wide Celebrations around the World event. RITI – BG is a non-profit organization providing shelter and sustenance to homeless persons at church congregations throughout Warren County.

I have incorporated service learning in most of my PSY 223 courses since Spring 2013. Students continue to amaze me with the hands-on work they do for non-profit agencies and schools. They did so again in Fall 2019; one collaborative group raised more than $300 for RITI – BG by holding bake sales at local retail establishments. (I did not let them know I was skeptical when they told me their plan for raising money.) ...four students ... completed the fundraising service learning project for RITI – BG, presented the money from their fundraising to Treasurer Janet Yaeger during RITI - BG's board meeting on Tuesday, November 19, 2019.

Service learning was cut short in Spring 2020 due to moving to remote learning because of COVID-19. I pivoted service learning to a discussion board on homelessness and strategies for solving homelessness, especially during COVID-19. I asked the students who were able to complete service hours to share their experiences with their classmates on the discussion board."
- Teresa Ward, Assistant Professor of Psychology, SKYCTC

Example Projects from Cleveland State Community College

Monroe Community College Service Learning Examples

Faculty Presentation for Service Learning at MCC
Monroe Community College Service Learning Faculty Presentation
Faculty, Student, and Community Manuals for Service Learning at MCC
Monroe Community College Service Learning Faculty & Student Resources - time logs and manuals for faculty, students, and community members.

Online Articles and Journals

Gonsalves, J., Metchik, E. Y., Lynch, C., Belezos, C. N., & Richards, P. (2019). Optimizing service-learning for self-efficacy and learner empowerment. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 25(2), 19-41.
A framework widely used in the field of industrial-organizational psychology, the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) (Hackman & Oldham, 1976), was applied in the current study to measure the quality of students' service-learning experiences as they relate to student outcomes. It was hypothesized that service-learning projects with higher motivating potential, in terms of characteristics underlying job satisfaction according to the JCM, would lead to greater increases in learner motivation and general self-efficacy. Study participants were 228 students engaged in service-learning courses at five community colleges and one state university in the Northeastern United States. The results showed that changes in students' self-efficacy scores were moderated by the motivating potential of service-learning courses. Furthermore, learner empowerment appeared to be a partial mediator of this relationship. The study provides support for the application of the JCM in designing service-learning experiences to strengthen students' course motivation and self-efficacy.
Manning-Ouellette, A. & Hemer, K. M. (2019). Service-learning and civic attitudes: A mixed methods approach to civic engagement in the first year of college. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education 11(3), 5-18.
Service-learning contributes to a variety of learning outcomes. This study aims to examine the student learning outcomes associated with service-learning in a first-year leadership course. With this broad focus, we hope to shed light on the benefits of students participating in civic engagement in their first semester of college. Findings suggest student learning outcomes include interpersonal skills, leadership capacity, and social justice perspectives. We conclude by offering considerations for designing future courses.
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
This includes highlighting innovative endeavors; critically examining emerging issues, trends, challenges, and opportunities; and reporting on studies of impact in the areas of public service, outreach, engagement, extension, engaged research, community-based research, community-based participatory research, action research, public scholarship, service-learning, and community service.
International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering
Focuses on projects, programs, research and pedagogy that involve humanitarian engineering, social entrepreneurship, and service learning.
A fantastic resource for service learning in many technical programs.

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