Service learning is experiential learning and community service that is part of a course or a structured project or activity under the instruction of a faculty member. It includes academic preparation; service activities needed by the community, and structured reflection. Students have an opportunity to apply course objectives and theories to real-life hands-on experiences while also contributing to the solutions of real community needs.
These opportunities work to enrich the college experience at Kutztown University. Students are encouraged to participate in both community service and service learning simultaneously or separately throughout their collegiate career.
Kutztown University is one of three state-system schools that is a member of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Community Service Honor Roll responds to President Bush’s call to service by building on and supporting the civic engagement mission of our nation’s colleges and universities. This recognition program is designed to increase public awareness of the contributions that college students are making within their local communities and across the country through volunteer service.
Examples of Service Learning Projects
My students did oral history projects with three community organizations--the Trinity Lutheran Church in Kutztown, the Lutheran Home in Topton, and the Kutztown Historical Society. For the most part, these oral histories were done with elderly persons. The Historical Society had a few oral histories with notable local individuals in addition to the elderly folk.
Students conducted interviews with these individuals; tape recorded and transcribed the interviews, and then wrote narratives of the interviews. Formal presentations are then conducted to each organization.
Dr. Charles Cullum, Professor
English, Composition Course
My Desktop Publishing students completed four-paged newsletters for organizations within the community. The students worked with client contacts at the organizations and completed all or most of the writing for the newsletters themselves. They did all of the design work for the publications as well.
Dr. Amy O'Brien, Assistant Professor
English, Desktop Publishing Course
Faculty Resources
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Campus Compact and Pennsylvania Campus Compact
Campus Compact supports colleges by providing technical assistance and training, research, and models on integrating community service and academic study; measuring impacts of service, uncovering supplemental funding, and providing information on formalized programs at other institutions, and; the organization also helps institutions to build sustainable campus/community partnerships.
www.compact.org www.paccompact.org -
Learn and Serve: Corporation for National and Community Service
Learn and Serve America supports and encourages service-learning throughout the United States, and enables over one million students to make meaningful contributions to their community while building their academic and civic skills. By engaging our nation’s young people in service-learning, Learn and Serve America instills an ethic of lifelong community service.
Learn and Serve America provides direct and indirect support to K-12 schools, community groups and higher education institutions to facilitate service-learning projects by:
- Providing grant support for school-community partnerships and higher education institutions;
- Providing training and technical assistance resources to teachers, administrators, parents, schools and community groups;
- Collecting and disseminating research, effective practices, curricula, and program models; and
- Recognizing outstanding youth service through the Presidential Freedom Scholarship, President’s Volunteer Service Awards and other programs
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Coro Center for Civic Leadership
Coro trains ethical, diverse civic leaders nationwide. Coro leaders develop skills; master tools needed to engage and empower communities; gain experience in government, business, labor and not-for-profit community organizations; and participate in special community and political problem solving processes. The program uses an experiential approach to leadership development. After intense, competitive, community-based selection processes, each individual's community learning is supplemented by group seminars; rigorous skills training and individual and group project work assignments. Coro's methodology and group process require individuals to identify and deal with personal strengths and weaknesses, and become skilled team players.
www.coro.org
