Student Participation in Service Learning

Tips from Students

Have fun!
Be open!
It’s a great experience!
Get started early.
Fill out your paper work right away, and start your service learning right away.
Go into this as an experience and an opportunity rather than an assignment.
Try something new! It’s the only way to discover what you really want to do.
Find something totally different from what you like.
Choose a fun population that you are interested in.
Find a site that you don’t know much about so that you have an opportunity to learn about the field.
It’s ok to start from the bottom. Even if you aren’t really in there helping but rather observing most of the time, your eyes and ears are still open and can still learn a lot.
Service Learning is a great experience. I think everyone should have to do service. It is an eye-opening experience.
Get started early on this and don’t let the company you choose push you off because then you’ll get behind.

Timeline for Service Learning

Step 1 (one-week process)

VISTA/Service-Learning coordinator speaks to classes within the first two meetings about Service-Learning and its benefits to students; sites and program choices for that class; sign-up information; any training; applications and information about programs and community site.

Step 2

Students receive the Community Site Choice Student Form and the Service-Learning Log Sheet. The Service-Learning Student Log Sheet tracks: dates, hours, number served (children, youth, adults), duties performed, and supervisor’s signature per session.

Step 3 (one-week process)

Students complete the form with first and second choices for service; the faculty member collects and sends to the service-learning coordinator who matches choices depending on site’s program availability to student’s available hours and days. Notification of the matches and applications is given out at next class meeting.

Step 4 (one-week process)

Applications are filled out by the student and must be turned into the coordinator by specified deadlines for review by the community sites. Then students are called by sites for interview/training. Training and orientation (up to 3 hours) may not count as part of the service learning commitment.

Step 5 (9 to 10 weeks of service)

Includes recording of hours and completion of assessment forms.

Service Learning Forms

Student and Community Site Agreement (a PDF document)
Service Learning Student Contract (a PDF document)
Service Learning Student Log (a PDF document)