Successful service-learning is a partnership among agencies, faculty, students, and SL staff. Each partner has different goals and roles, so communication is essential. The outline below is a sketch of what many partnerships agree to.
THE AGENCY PARTNER (Nonprofit Organization) will…
Designate a SL supervisor to serve as the liaison with the faculty and the Service-Learning students, and often with SL staff.
- Discuss SL project goals and parameters with faculty
- Orient students to the agency partners’ rules, policies, procedures, methods and operations, community issue, and population served.
- Check-in formally with the faculty and students at regular intervals (recommended: beginning, middle and end of semester AT THE MINIMUM).
BSU-SERVICE-LEARNING STAFF will…
- Recruit, support, and facilitate faculty, students, and agency SLÂ partnerships
- Find, screen, and orient agencies whose needs match class learning objectives
- Provide orientations, trainings, and roundtables about Service-Learning
- Facilitate student placement through classroom visits and agency referral lists
- Provide contracts and forms that clarify responsibilities and increase accountability
- Support and troubleshoot with students, agencies, and faculty
- Maintain regular contact with agency partners, faculty, and students (at beginning, middle, and end of semester). E-mail upcoming opportunities and information
- Seek and respond to feedback from agency partners, Service-Learners, and faculty
FACULTY PARTNER will…
- Set learning objectives for the service experience that relate to course objectives
- Identify community issues or service that relates to the class
- Contact  agencies to clarify course goals, service expectations, and timelines
- Adapt syllabus, class assignments, lecture examples, and class discussion to include links between course theory and service experience.
- Structure reflection discussions or assignments
- Discuss the SL expectations and requirements, agency orientation dates, deadlines for starting service, and evaluation guidelines with students
- Maintain regular contact with agency partners (recommended: beginning, middle, and end of semester)
- Evaluate students’ SL experiences (SL staff can assist)
STUDENTS will…
- Attend agency orientation
- Track hours, if required
- Maintain regular communication with agency partner regarding service hours and activities
- Respect rules, regulations, and confidentiality standards of agency
- Participate in reflection discussions and assignments
- Complete required amount of service hours and/or service project
- Evaluate SL experience (SL staff can help)