Service Learning

Elizabeth HeinemanDepartment of History

Department of Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies

What is Service Learning?

Service learning incorporates community engagement into academic coursework. Assignments link community-based student experience to course learning goals and objectives. Service learning experiences respond to real community needs and enhance students' civic responsibility.

Students not only learn to serve but also serve to learn. Service learning is a deliberate, adaptable, interdisciplinary pedagogy. It is based on intellectual rigor, civic involvement, and lifelong learning.

Adapted from Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technologyhttp://teach.its.uiowa.edu/instructors/design-course

Service Learning: Advice and Pitfalls

• Mutuality with community partner • Our students assist with community partner’s goals• The project furthers the course’s learning goals

• Pedagogical goals & assignments to match• Logistics

• advance planning; relationship-building• good communication with community partner• clear expectations of teaching staff, CP, and students

• Common pitfalls / misconceptions• For CP: service learning is not volunteer work• For students: showing up isn’t enough• For instructors: service learning isn’t an “add-on”

• Campus resources• Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology• Provost’s Office of Outreach and Engagement

http://discover.uiowa.edu/

Gender, Sexuality & Human Rights

• Upper-level undergrad course; cross-listed in History and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies

• 5 groups partnering with 4 organizations• Guidelines (including mandatory first meeting

already scheduled) in syllabus• CEP-related assignments:• Schedule/agreement with CEP• 2 reflection papers• 1 6-page paper • Wiki• Group presentation on project• Group presentation on wiki

• Sample wiki pages: • Monsoon: Asian United Women of Iowa• LGBTQ Clinic