Service learning is defined as a teaching and learning strategy that combines community service with academic knowledge and reflection to enrich and improve the learning experience. It is also considered as an experiential learning pedagogy that can be incorporated into any discipline. It places students beyond the classroom to become active participants in their learning and develop empathy and civic responsibility for community’s needs as well as different interpersonal & critical thinking skills.

An alternative interesting definition is provided by Suffolk University in Boston (US):

‘Service-learning is a pedagogy integrating academically relevant service activities that address human and community needs into a course. Students connect knowledge and theory to practice by combining service with reflection in a structured learning environment’.

What is Service-Learning? - Suffolk University

Key elements of SL:

As an active learning pedagogy, SL encompasses the following key elements:

  1. Collaboration between students and community members with reciprocal benefits.
  2. Practicing skills in the real world.
  3. Developing a sense of social responsibility (Civil Education).
  4. Reflecting on the Experience (Reflection).
  5. Evaluation and continuous Improvement: evaluation measures the impact of the students’ learning experience and the effectiveness of the service in the community. Students, faculty and community partners evaluate the effectiveness of their partnership/collaboration and reflect on their experience of the service, paving the way for continuous improvement & growth.

New York Institute of Technology disposes a full guide to help university instructors implement Service Learning: Service Learning and Community Engagement (2014) LibGuides: Service Learning and Community Engagement: Home

teamwork

Let’s focus now on what is not Service-Learning.

It is NOT volunteerism, community service, internships, or field education. Although SL shares some of the components of volunteerism, community service, internships and field education, its differentiation lies in the fact that it focuses equally on both learning & service goals.

SL integrates community service and curriculum with a focus on the student. It is academically-based; this means that it requires an academic context and is designed so that the service and learning goals are mutually reinforcing. This offers students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge towards a community project and to create community-based solutions.

SL is considered a flexible pedagogy which can be used in a variety of classroom and community settings. SL can be used in a variety of classroom settings: in seminars, lecture-based classes, classes with labs or tutorials. One of the most important benefits of service learning pedagogy is that it engages students in dynamic, collaborative experiences that help them apply new skills in real settings while also meeting unaddressed community needs.

The service experience during a SL activity can take a wide variety of service formats: it can take place at a single community site, at multiple community sites, or in the classroom while students can serve individually, in groups, or as an entire class. Its application varies according to the local context, the objectives of teaching and the shape of the service. It also differs according to practical constraints, e.g. time spent in a service.