Service-Learning at EKU

What is ACADEMIC SERVICE LEARNING?

Service learning is defined as a credit-bearing, high-impact teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. (EKU Academic Engagement/Service Learning Task Force, 2016)

• Academic service learning has a learning agenda-- intentional efforts to engage students in planned and purposeful learning related to the service experiences.
• Academic service learning integrates service into an academic course and utilizes the service experience as a course "text" for both academic learning and civic learning.

ACADEMIC SERVICE LEARNING is More Than Just Inserting Community Service into a Course:

• Adding community service to an otherwise unchanged course does not create academic servicelearning.
• Community service must be integrated with other planned learning strategies in the course.
• The specific community service must be chosen to align with the learning outcomes of the course.
• The specific community service must allow students to apply the desired knowledge/skills from a course or program of study.
• LEARNING comes first.  Community engagement is essential, but is undertaken in service of the learning goals for the course.

Source:  Howard, Jeffrey (Ed) (2001) Service-Learning Course Design Workbook. Michigan University, Ann Arbor. Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning. Corporation for National Service, Washington, DC.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?  See the documents attached below

Interested in developing a Service-Learning course? See the Process Document below. 

CONTACT:  Karrie Adkins karrie.adkins@eku.edu