Deciding to Use Service Learning

To incorporate service learning effectively, you must be intentional about why and how you want to use it in your course. A good place to start is to examine your motives, hopes and goals:

• What are some of your reasons for wanting to incorporate service activities into your teaching? Which of your reasons are most important to you? Which are least important?
• What changes would you like to see occur in your students by incorporating service learning instructional activities in your course?
• If you successfully implement service learning pedagogy in this course, how would it alter the course? What would you need to do to make sure the course alterations are positive? Are you willing to change the course somewhat?
• What skills, knowledge, resources and values do you have that will assist you in incorporating service learning pedagogy? What more do you need?
• To what extent are the objectives of service learning compatible or incompatible with the needs and values of students in your department?
• What knowledge, skills and interests should students possess to use service learning in this course? Are there categories of students who would be better off not choosing the service option?
• What, if any, controversial topics may come up as a result of students being out in the community? How do you anticipate dealing with these potentially “hot” issues?
• How do you feel about the possibility that students may be exposed to a few more risks being in the community than if they were sitting in the library writing a research paper?

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