Service Learning

STUDENTS and SERVICE LEARNING

WHAT IT IS

Service Learning is an instructional strategy in which an optional or required service activity is included as part of your academic coursework. Essentially, the goal of Service Learning is reciprocal growth for everyone involved in the service activity: you, the community members with whom you interact, and the Community Partner agency. Service Learning provides you with an opportunity to apply course concepts to a real-life experience that meets a community need, and then to use that service experience to better understand what you are learning in class.

Service Learning is practiced at over 1,000 universities and by over two million college students nationwide, and reflects national trends both in higher education (which seeks to increase civic engagement among college students) and in employers (who are increasingly looking for graduates with real-world experience). In addition, at John Carroll University, Service Learning contributes to fulfilling the Jesuit mission to"inspire individuals to excel in learning, leadership, and service in the region and in the world."

WHAT IT INVOLVES

Like any other project or reading assignment, your service involvement is an integral component of your course; you might think of it as a "living text." Depending on your service placement site and your instructor's criteria for service, Service Learning typically involves a weekly service activity of about 90 minutes (excluding travel time) over the course of the semester. Service begins around the third week of the semester and ends the week before finals (service does not take place on days when John Carroll University is closed). The Center for Service and Social Action provides transportation to and from most service sites. You will need to sign in/out on a time sheet every time you participate in service at your service site so that our office can track your service hours for you.

WHAT IT DOES

In addition to giving you hands-on experience in support of your coursework, Service Learning can give you an opportunity to interact with diverse people, cultures, and lifestyles. It can enhance your self-efficacy, your analytical skills, and your awareness of civic responsibility as you engage in meaningful involvement with your local community. As one student has observed, "It brings books to life and life to books." 

To participate in Service Learning, simply click on the "Getting Started" link on the left. If you have questions or want further information about Service Learning or any of our programs, feel free to call our office anytime at 216.397.4698. We'd be happy to speak with you!