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Frequently
Asked Questions
Answers:
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Service-learning
is a form of experiential education that uses community service
experiences to enhance the academic classroom experience. This teaching
process involves the students in the identification and analysis
of real community needs, developing solutions to meet those needs,
and then implementing those solutions. It also requires that students
evaluate their work and assess their service experience and its
imp act.
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In
its publication, 2003 Service Statistics , Campus Compact reported the results of its 2002-2003 survey of 922 member campuses on their
current state of campus-based community engagement. The 402 campuses
responding highlighted a trend toward increasing civic engagement
among colleges and universities. They reported record participation
in community service and an increase in structural and financial
support for initiatives to improve communities and to make civic
learning part of academic life. Highlights of the findings were:
-Across
member campuses, an average of 36% of students participated in
service activities
-An average of 24 faculty members per institution teach service-learning
courses
-An average of 37 service-learning courses are offered on member
campuses
-93% of member campuses reported having partnerships with K-12
schools
-80% of member campuses say that administrators and faculty actively
support service programs
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Service-learning
is mutually beneficial to both the participating students and
the community. Student s not only gain opportunities to practice
skills, but also to test, refine, and generate theory through
systematic reflection. The community benefits when students are
engaged in service activities that meet real community needs.
Faculty benefit by having an opportunity to integrate teaching,
research, and service. In fact, many Clemson faculty have developed
service-learning across many areas of the curriculum, affording
students who desire to be engaged citizens and public stewards
the opportunity to serve as they learn their chosen field of study.
Clemson faculty are often recognized for their work in service-learning
and civic engagement. Examples include:
College
of Architecture , Arts, and Humanities
Clementina
Adams – Languages
Foreign Language Teachers Association of SC – Outstanding
Service-Learning Project Award -- 2003
College
of Business & Behavioral Sciences
Patricia
Connor- Greene— Psychology
Patrick B. Harris Community Service Award – 2003; South
Carolina Department of Mental Health's Award for the Outstanding
Volunteer Group of the Year (for the Tigers for Mental
Health and "The Green Shoe Project") (2002)
 College
of Agriculture , Forestry, and Life Sciences
Mary Haque – Horticulture
Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning,
and Technology. 2002.
Gloria Sanders McCutcheon- Entomology, Soil, and Plant
Science
Congressional Black Caucus Unsung Hero Award for Community
Service
Dale
Layfield – Genetics and Biochemistry South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education Award for Service-Learning
– 2002
Jerry Waldvogel – Genetics and Biochemistry
Society of College Science Teaching Outstanding Undergraduate
Teaching Award (2002)
College of Health Education and Human Development
Gina K. McLellan – Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management
South Carolina Department of Education Palmetto Serves
Volunteer Award – 2002; South Carolina Commission on
Higher Education Commendation of Excellence in Service-Learning
-- 2001
“We
had horticulture and landscape architecture students
working with city planners, parks and recreation professionals,
teachers, students, and municipal leaders to design
an outdoor learning environment for active living and
community building. The public gardens, track, playgrounds,
and fields were all designed to unite all members of
the community on what had been an abandoned football
field.” – Clemson faculty member.
- In
the report “How Service-Learning Affects Student s” (Astin, A.W.,
Vogelgesang, L.J., Iked
 a, E.K. , and Yee, J.A., Higher Education Research
Institute, UCLA, 2000), researchers sought to determine the effects
of service-learning and community service on college undergraduates
and how learning was impacted by the service experience. Longitudinal
data was collected from 22, 236 college undergraduates attending a
national sample of colleges and universities. Some of the principal
findings related to the impact of service-learning on the student
academic experience were:
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Participation
in a service- learning course demonstrated a significant
positive impact on academic performance ( GPA,
writing skills, critical thinking skills), values
(commitment to activism and promoting racial understanding),
career choice in a public service field, and plans
to continue service participation after college.
The impact of service-learning courses was strongest
for academic performance, particularly writing
skills.
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Better
than four out of five students participating in service-learning
courses stated that they were learning from their
service activity and felt they were making a difference
in the community.
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Qualitative
findings from the study found that both faculty and
students participating in service-learning courses
felt that they had developed an increased awareness
of civic responsibility and a sense of self- efficacy.
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Student
interest in the field of study or subject matter was
the single most important factor connected with a
positive experience in a service-learning course.
Interest in the subject matter was particularly relevant
as it related to how the service experience improved
the student's understanding of the academic course
material. This provides persuasive evidence to support
the idea that service-learning courses should be included
in a student's area of major study.
“Although
we were providing a service to the children, they, in
turn, provided a very profound service to me…. I never
realized how much I could learn from a young group of
children… I learned what it feels like to make a difference
in a child's life… I now realize the importance of the
profession I am entering into.” -- Clemson Horticulture
student
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purpose of the Alliance is to provide a base of support for interdisciplinary
teaching, research, and service activities in service-learning and
community service. The five colleges, the Provost's office, Public
Service Activities, Student Affairs, the Office of Teaching Effectiveness
and Innovation, and local community representatives provide leadership
for the Alliance . The Alliance facilitates training opportunities
and provides resources for faculty in service-learning methodology,
promotes service-learning and community service activities on campus,
and assists with seeking funding for service-learning activities.
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Clemson
University was founded with a mission to be a “high seminary of
learning” dedicated to teaching, research, and service. Nearly 120
years later, these three concepts remain at the heart of the University
and provide the framework for an exceptional and integrated learning
experience for many Clemson students. In the University's mission
statement, it states:
“In all
areas, the goal is to develop students' communication and critical-thinking
skills, ethical judgment, global awareness, and scientific and technological
knowledge. Student s remain the primary focus of the University.”
With
this in mind, Clemson University seeks to foster and promote pedagogical
tools such as service-learning that have demonstrated the capacity
to enhance student communication and problem-solving skills as well
as increase their awareness of the world and communities in which
we live.
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Service-learning
activities can benefit your research initiatives as well as local
communities and your students. It usually begins by finding a match
between your interests, a local community need, and course content.
Students can assist with needs assessment or data collection as
part of a service-learning project. By including students in the
process, you offer them the opportunity to learn about research
procedures.
 Clemson
Public Health Professor Cheryl Dye involved her Health 341 Honors
students in a tobacco education program for local public school
students. She shared the design of the course at one national conference
presentation, shared the data analysis at another conference, and
used the program design and data analysis results in a pilot study
to include in a funding proposal to the National Institutes of Health
for an expanded research project.
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Clemson
faculty are finding a variety of funding sources to support service-learning.
From University grants such as SC Alliance 2020 and the Sustainable
Universities Initiative to national foundations like the WK Kellogg
Foundation to federal funds from the Corporation for National Service,
service-learning has generated substantial support. A number of
faculty have partnered with faculty at other higher education institutions
and have also created interdisciplinary service-learning projects
that have been attractive to outside funders. The Alliance will
continue to work with faculty to seek outside funds to advance the
development of service-learning at Clemson.
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The
Service-Learning Alliance has a collection of publications about
service-learning and experiential education, including research
and ideas for implementing projects. This collection is available
for check-out from the Reserve and Media Services of the Cooper
Library or through the EDDIE document delivery system. Resources
are also available through the International Center for Service-Learning
in Teacher Education located in Tillman Hall. For a quick overview,
read the “Pocket Guide to Service-Learning” which is available
through Clemson's National Dropout Prevention Center. Workshops
related to service-learning for faculty and students are held
throughout the year, so please access this website for up-to-date
information.
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