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Roles and Responsibilities

Successful service-learning is a partnership among community organizations, instructors, students, and SL staff.  Each partner has different goals and roles, so communication is essential.

THE COMMUNITY PARTNER (CP) will…

Designate a SL supervisor to serve as the liaison with the instructor and the Service-Learning students, and often with SL staff.

  • Discuss SL project goals and details with instructors
  • Orient students to the organization’s rules, policies, procedures, methods and operations, community issue, and population served.
  • Check-in formally with the instructor and students at regular intervals (recommended: beginning, middle and end of semester).

BSU-SERVICE-LEARNING STAFF will…

Kara Brascia welcoming all participants at the SL Exhibition
Program Director Kara Brascia announcing award winners at the SL Poster Session
  • Cultivate and support instructor, students, and community partner (CP) relationships
  • Identify, recruit, and orient CPs whose needs match class learning objectives
  • Provide orientations, trainings, and roundtables about Service-Learning
  • Provide guidance to facilitate student placement through classroom visits and templates
  • Provide contracts and forms that clarify responsibilities and increase accountability
  • Support and troubleshoot with students, CPs, and instructors
  • Maintain regular contact with CPs, instructors, and students (at beginning, middle, and end of semester). E-mail upcoming opportunities and information
  • Seek and respond to feedback from CPs, instructors, and students

INSTRUCTORS will…

  • Set learning objectives for the service experience that relate to course objectives
  • Identify community issues or service that relates to the class
  • Contact  CPs to discuss course goals, service expectations, and timelines
  • Adapt syllabus, class assignments, lecture examples, and class discussion to include links between course concepts and service experience.
  • Outline for students the SL expectations and requirements, CP orientation dates, deadlines for starting service, and evaluation guidelines
  • Maintain regular contact with CPs (recommended: beginning, middle, and end of semester)

STUDENTS will…

students working at exhibition guides for the Discover Center of Idaho
Service-Learning student working with the Discovery Center of Idaho as an exhibit guide
  • Attend CP orientation, if required
  • Track hours, if required
  • Respect rules, regulations, and confidentiality standards of the organization
  • Participate in reflection discussions and assignments
  • Complete service expectations, complete service, and wrap up with the CP