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Best Practices

Essential Practices for Teaching with High-Impact Service-Learning at Boise State University

Guiding Principles for Service-Learning (nationwide)

  1. The syllabus is developed and revised to incorporate the service experience into the teaching and learning objectives of the course.
  2. Partner agencies define their needs and are included in planning for the service.
  3. The faculty member becomes acquainted with each community agency that students are placed with, and understands the agency mission, clientele, location and student role.
  4. Preparation for the service addresses student training, clarification of responsibilities, and risk management issues.
  5. Students are introduced to the partner agency before the service begins, and are given an orientation to the issues being addressed.
  6. Academic credit is awarded for the learning gained from the experience, not for the service itself.
  7. The service experience is connected to the course through readings, projects, and class presentations.
  8. Reflection on the service experience is ongoing and includes dialogue about community issues and the need for the service.
  9. Students, faculty, and community representatives participate in the evaluation process.

An Effective Program:

  1. Engages people in responsible and challenging actions for the common good.
  2. Provides structured opportunities for people to reflect critically on their service experience.
  3. Articulates clear service and learning goals for everyone involved.
  4. Allows for those with needs to define their own needs.
  5. Clarifies the responsibilities of each person and organization involved.
  6. Matches service providers and service needs through a process that recognizes changing circumstances.
  7. Expects genuine, active and sustained organizational commitment.
  8. Includes training, supervision, monitoring, support, recognition, and evaluation to meet service and learning goals.
  9. Ensures that the time commitment for service and learning is flexible, appropriate, and in the best interests of all involved.
  10. Is committed to program participation by and with diverse populations.

Further Reading

Honnet, E. P., and Poulen, S. J. (1989). A Wingspread Special Report. Racine, WI: The Johnson Foundation.

Howard, J. (1993). “Principles of Good Practice in Community Service-Learning Pedagogy”. Praxis I, A Faculty Casebook on Community Service-Learning. Ann Arbor, MI: OCSL Press, 5-9.
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Howard, J. (2001). Service-learning course design workbook.

Mintz, S. & Hesser, G. (1996). “Principles of Good Practice in Service-Learning”. In B. Jacoby & Associates, Service-Learning in Higher Education. San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Adapted from The Institute for Learning and Teaching at Colorado State University. Colorado State University Service-Learning Faculty Manual, Fourth Edition, 2007.