Author: Mary-Lynn Starkey

Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates community service with academic instruction and structured reflection in such a way that students gain further understanding of course content, meet genuine community needs, develop career-related skills, and become responsible citizens.

Hands-on application of knowledge and skills connecting course content to real-world situations
Opportunities for meaningful involvement with the local community
Increased interaction with community members of diverse backgrounds
Improved critical-thinking, communication, and leadership skills
Better understanding of civic responsibility
Enhanced self-confidence and self-efficacy
Exploration of career options and valuable work experience
Effective rapport with fellow students and faculty

Helping children learn to read
Sharing stories with the elderly in a nursing home
Preparing and serving meals at a soup kitchen
Raising funds for cancer research
Building houses as part of a Habitat project
Repairing and programming computers for a nonprofit agency
Supporting projects to improve low-income neighborhoods
Creating marketing plans for small businesses

Center for Service Learning
273 Belk
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723 ● (828) 227-7184 servicelearning.wcu.edu

Student Learning and Development Outcomes
Related to Service Learning
Intellectual growth: Employ critical-thinking skills to address social issues in the community; use complex information from a variety of sources, including personal experience and observation, to form an opinion or make a decision; apply previously understood information and concepts to a new situation or setting
Effective communication: Write and speak coherently and effectively; listen effectively and be able to engage in controversy with civility; make presentations or give performances; be able to influence others through writing, speaking, or artistic expression
Career exploration: Articulate career choices based on an assessment of interests, values, skills, and abilities; document knowledge, skills, and accomplishments resulting from community-based learning; articulate the characteristics of a preferred work environment
Collaboration: Work cooperatively with others; seek the involvement of others; elicit feedback from others; contribute to the achievement of group goals
Social and civic responsibility: Demonstrate civic engagement in campus, local, national, and global communities; understand, abide by, and participate in the development, maintenance, and/or orderly change of community, social, and legal standards or norms; appropriately challenge unfair, unjust, or uncivil behavior of individuals or groups
Appreciation of diversity: Seek involvement with people different from oneself; articulate the advantages and challenges of a diverse society; challenge appropriately the abusive use of stereotypes by others; develop an informed perspective on issues of diversity and democracy; reflect on issues of power and privilege