What Is Service-Learning?
The Service-Learning Program provides consultation to faculty on using service-learning and community-engaged learning in classes, and serves to connect the community (nonprofit, public, and at times the private sector, supporting service providers, education, art, and municipal units) with campus resources.
The mission of CITL's Service-Learning Program is to enhance students' civic development through community-engaged learning by understanding campus- and community-identified need to facilitate and support connections between campus and community for course-based service. The concept is a simple one: Students provide service in their community that is directly connected to their academic coursework, and the community provides an educational experience for the student while receiving support for their work.
Community-engaged teaching and learning can be used in a variety of applications, including discipline-based, project-based, and capstone courses; service-focused internship; undergraduate community-based action research; and directed study for additional or extra credit. Each model combines academic theory with practical real-life experience, giving students a broader and deeper understanding of course content, fostering their sense of civic engagement, and sharpening their insights into themselves and their place in the community.