About Service-LearningTo help the campus better understand what service-learning is (and is not), the Community of Service-Learning Faculty Fellows crafted a definition for service-learning for Purdue University. Besides clarity of purpose, such a definition is needed for the campus to appropriately note what role service-learning activities play in the promotion and tenure process, and for eligibility when applying for external service-engagement grants. This definition was approved by the Educational Policy Committee of the University Faculty Senate and Interim Provost Vic Lechtenberg in December 2007.
Service-learning, a subset of service-engagement, is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students
- Participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs;
- Use knowledge and skills directly related to a course or discipline; and
- Reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain
- further understanding of course content,
- a broader appreciation of the discipline, and
- an enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility.
Another frequently referenced definition of service-learning is depicted in the table below. Each type of program across the top emphasizes service and/or learning based on who the primary intended beneficiary is. A visual diagram of this definition can be seen here.
|
Community Service
(Service-learning)
|
Service-Learning
(Service-Learning)
|
Service-Based Internship
(service-Learning)
|
| Primary Intended Beneficiary |
Recipient |
Recipient AND Provider |
Provider |
| Primary Focus |
Service |
Service AND Learning |
Learning |
| Intended Educational Purposes |
Civic and Ethical Development |
Academic and Civic Development |
Career and Academic Development |
| Integration with Curriculum |
Peripheral |
Integrated |
Co-curricular/ Supplemental |
| Nature of Service Activity |
Based on a Social Cause |
Based on Academic Descipline |
Based on an Industry or Career |
Source: Furco, Andrew. “Is Service-Learning Really Better Than Community Service? A Study of High School Service Program Outcomes.” In Service-Learning: The Essence of the Pedagogy, edited by Andrew Furco and Shelly Billig. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing, 2002.
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