Service learning is a course-based educational experience. Students in a service learning class participate in an organized service activity designed in active collaboration with the community to address a pressing social or community concern. Through reflection on their community experience, students deepen their understanding of course content, broaden their appreciation of the discipline, and develop an enhanced sense of personal/professional values and civic responsibility.
For example, students in a writing course may complete a writing project for a not-for-profit agency as part of their course work, or students in environmental science may participate in a wetlands planting project. Students in an introductory psychology course may read with children in a local elementary school, or sociology students may co-develop a survey with community groups designed to gain input from residents in an underserved neighborhood that informs the creation of a quality of life.
Service learning provides an opportunity for students to be actively involved in the learning process and to develop out-of-class mentoring relationships with faculty, staff and partners. Service, and other forms of community-engaged learning, help students to clarify their career goals, hone their critical thinking, creativity, integrative reasoning, and leadership skills as well as strengthen their ability to communicate effectively with others they perceive as different from themselves. Such skills are essential for the next generation of scholars and professionals needed to address the challenges 21st century societies face.
A wide range of service learning courses are offered at IUPUI. These courses span the undergraduate, graduate, and professionals levels of the curriculum, and may occur in both domestic and international settings. Courses officially designated as service learning courses can be found on the University Registrar’s website under the “Service and Experiential Learning” tab: http://registrar.iupui.edu/exp_service_learning.html. Please note that many faculty who teach using service learning may elect to not have their courses “tagged” as service learning with the Registrar. To find out about untagged courses, it is useful to consult with the department or school that offers the course of interest. For those seeking information on International Service Learning Programs, detailed information on IUPUI’s offerings are posted on the Office of International Affairs website: http://abroad.iupui.edu/service/ . For general information on service learning, contact the Center for Service and Learning, Hine Hall Suite 243, (317) 278-2662, or visit http://csl.iupui.edu/.
Last Updated: February, 2014.