Students
- To have a professor explain how the service relates to the course content and what is expected.
- To be presented with service opportunities that meaningfully relate to course content.
- To be adequately oriented, trained, and supervised by the agency.
- To respectfully ask questions, voice concerns, receive sound direction and honest feedback.
- To share ideas in a considerate, respectful environment.
- To get recognition for meaningful contributions.
- To have opportunities to think/talk about service experiences and issues.
- To be graded for learning, not just for service.
Professors
- To form a relationship with community partner
- To know what service work students are participating in
- To see the final products of students' work at the community partner
- To receive assistance from OSLCA
Community Partner
- To receive support from OSLCA
- To ask for a copy of the syllabus that a faculty member gives to the service-learners
- To screen service-learning students as necessary
- To require students to attend orientation
- To expect serving-learning students to be responsible and professional
- To reassign serving-learning students to new projects or work as necessary
- To receive course schedule, including relevant deadlines, vacations, etc.
- To have regular contact with professor
- To be treated as co-educator, respected professional, and partner in a mutually beneficial and reciprocal relationship
- To share ideas and voice concerns
- To debrief
- To determine what is in the organization's or client's best interest
- To give feedback about the quality of the performance and/or products
Responsibilities
Students
- Maintain a professional relationship with the community partner and be aware of the time commitment that the community partner has placed in service-learning: be on time, follow-up on communication, give advanced warning if unable to show up for service
- Keep track of service-learning hours
- Be flexible and open-minded
- Seriously engage in reflections, both in-class and on-site
- Make professors and community partners aware of fears, concerns, and questions
- Be a positive representation of the university
- Dress appropriately and use appropriate language
- Respect the confidentiality of staff, clients, members and other service-learners
- Be considerate about the views of staff, clients or members, and other service-learners
- Understand your role within the organization
- Ask for help when needed
Professors
- Articulate learning objectives for the course such that the relevance of service-learning is evident
- Develop syllabus to include service component
- Create assignments that draw upon service experience
- Structure reflection into the course
- Inform OSLCA of successes, challenges, and progress made
- Identify community partners and work with them to create service-learning projects
- Evaluate students' academic performance
- Communicate with community partners over the course of the semester
- Follow-up on students' work within the organization
- Share with community partner any products made by service-learners and then solicit feedback
Community Partners
- Identify issues of the organization that service-learning students could satisfy
- Identify the maximum number of students the organization's infrastructure can support
- Orient students to relevant social issues, the mission of the organization, and the specifics of the service-learning project
- Supervise students when on-site, or when engaged in service
- Communicate with faculty member about students' work
- Contribute to the course as agreed upon with faculty
- Assist students in acknowledging and thinking about their misconceptions/stereotypes of the organization's work and clients
- Give space for student reflection, feedback and questions
- Share feedback about service-learner's performance and/or product with professor
Office of Service-Learning and Community Action
- Provide information on service-learning pedagogy to faculty
- Identify ongoing community issues that might be addressed by service-learning class
- Introduce faculty member to potential community partners and vice versa
- Provide templates of learning contracts and other relevant documents for students, community organizations, and faculty
- Assist with orientation session in class or community
- Assist with reflection activities and student leaders for reflection sessions
- Be familiar with organizations where students are serving during semester
- Include service-learning students in OSLCA programs and resources
- Assist with debriefing
- Promote effective SL partnerships via presentations, publicity, etc.
