The Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement invites faculty to register their summer and fall 2015 courses for service-learning credit. Service-learning presents students an opportunity to learn with work that enhances the common good. Faculty who are taking students off campus for experiential or service-based components are encouraged strongly to register their courses. The benefits for interested faculty include:
- Guidance in building a service-learning course and providing liability assistance. Faculty may find a community partner through OSLCE or establish a partnership on their own behalf. Those seeking support finding organizations will discover UST is connected to both local and global partnerships.
- Finding new avenues for research and publication. Designated courses have access to budgetary and logistical support including pre- and post-experience surveys for assessment. Such assessment data may be useful when publishing an article on this potentially transformative pedagogy, thereby serving faculty research agendas.
- Revitalizing your teaching through this exciting pedagogy, which fosters reciprocal learning between students and faculty.
- Develop students’ civic and leadership skills by offering an opportunity to put the theory they learn in their course into practice. Through hands-on experience, students increase their understanding of the topic and develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Having your course highlighted on OSLCE’s website and social media. A synopsis of your course is featured along with the opportunity for a student to blog about his/her experience working in the community.
- Being eligible to be considered for the annual service-learning faculty award and Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Award.
The steps to designate courses for service-learning are the following:
- Fill out the course designation form here.
- Email syllabi to the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement at servicelearn@stthomas.edu.
Please note that courses must meet all the criteria below to be given the service-learning designation:
- The service-learning component is integrated into the course content and learning objectives.
- Opportunities for structured reflection (written, verbal or other) are incorporated in the course.
- Service-learning activities are meaningful, relevant and intentionally linked to academic content.
- The service-learning component benefits the common good and raises issues of social responsibility.
- Both the community partner and the university benefit from the relationship.
- All students are required to participate in the service-learning experience.
For classes to be designated officially as service-learning, faculty must register with the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement no later than Thursday, April 2. Upon approval by the Service-Learning Curriculum Committee, the registrar’s office will designate the course on students’ transcripts.
For further information or questions, please visit our website or contact OSLCE at servicelearn@stthomas.edu or (651) 962-5380.
