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1. What is "service learning"? Service-learning is a partnership between academic institutions and communities. In contrast to traditional course-based projects that primarily use the community to exemplify a classroom principle, this reciprocal agreement allows communities to identify the needs that the student will fulfill. Instructors then structure the classroom materials around this service experience. Reflection upon the service project is key to this transfer of practical experience to classroom learning. Reflection, facilitated by the classroom instructor, distinguishes service-learning from other hands-on initiatives such as volunteering or internships in which a systematic analysis and application of the service experience may not occur. Through this practice-to-theory format, service-learning engages students with hands-on learning techniques that are then supported with classroom theory. In its departure from the traditional lecture formats that characterize today's "academic culture," service-learning often meets resistence. Consequently, it is important that institutions support and recognize instructors who accept the challenge of integrating their classrooms into service initiatives.
Because service-learning is associated with promoting a strong sense civic responsibility and efficacy, it is especially relevant for Political Science. By actively participating in service experiences that are directly related to their political science courses, students are applying the political knowledge and skills they gain in the classroom and learning first hand the importance of civic engagement. 2. How does service-learning differ from traditional community service projects or internships? Devoted to connecting academic learning to real world service experience, service-learning moves beyond traditional volunteer or internship initiatives. While volunteer projects provide a necessary and worthwhile community service, they typically offer few structured opportunities to reflect upon and draw academic conclusions from service work. On the other hand, though internships provide a strong academic framework, serving the community is rarely their priority. Service-learning addresses these deficiencies by combining the service of volunteerism with the academic focus of internships to create an experience both enriching in its service application and edifying in its scholarly reflection. The September 2000 issue of PS: Political Science and Politics features a symposium on service learning in political science. This collection of essays addresses current research on how service learning affects civic outcomes, effects of community service and service learning on political attitudes, how the concept of "public work" can enrich the service learning experiences of faculty and students, and engaging students the study of politics and power through service. There is considerable literature on "service learning" versus "community service" or "traditional internships." If you would like to learn more about this, consult Experiencing Citizenship: Concepts and Models for Service Learning in Political Science by Richard M. Battistoni and William E. Hudson (American Association of Higher Education, 1997, ISBN 1-56377-007-5, ) and Education for Civic Engagement in Democracy: Service Learning and Other Promising Practices edited by Sheilah Mann and John J. Patrick (Eric Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, 2000, ISBN 0-941339-50-5). 3. What is the benefit of service learning in political science? There is evidence that service learning increase students' enthusiasm for course materials, efficacy, and sense of social and civic responsibility. Service learning is also associated with academic retention and with greater student confidence in the material they have learned. APSA has collected several resources that provide detailed and varied assessments of the impact of service learning. 4. How do you organize a service learning course? There are many effective ways to organize a service learning course. View sample syllabi from political science faculty who are actively conducting service learning courses on their campuses. This collection of syllabi represent several methods of structuring service learning courses. There are also exemplary political science service learning programs at colleges, universities and community colleges throughout the country. In addition, national service learning organizations offer resources which will help you organize a service learning course. The American Association for Higher Education and the National Society for Experiential Education maintain a list of institutions which are models of good practice in service learning. The Carolina Center for Public Service and its APPLES Service Learning Program (Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in Service) is a good example of how to organize a service learning program and offers ideas on how to seek support for starting and sustaining a program. While this is a university-wide program and enjoys extensive community support, you may be able to apply the same themes and procedures within your department. 5. Are funding sources available to faculty who wish to start and sustain a service learning course? Several organizations offer professional funding opportunities and awards to faculty and departments that implement service learning initiatives. Many individual institutions and departments offer funding and campus-wide recognition to faculty who conduct and sustain service learning courses. For example, a university may offer course development stipends or honorarium or reduce course load for conducting the course. 6. What resources are available to PRE-COLLEGE teachers and programs wishing to add a service learning component to their programs? For the teacher of precollege students, APSA has collected references that offer a look at what others are doing in the field and a list of organizations that support service-learning programs and help develop curricula. 7. How do faculty ensure that the service learning assignment is valuable? How can you integrate it into teaching? One of the benefits of service learning is that students see political science in action. Invite service supervisors to the classroom for discussion. 8. How do you prepare students to serve? How do faculty control experience so that students get the most out of their service? Before students begin their service assignments, design role-playing and training sessions to prepare students serve in the community. It can be useful to invite community service agency contacts to the class to participate in this exercise. Give your students a list of internship do's and dont's to guide them. Create a "Student Contract" co-written by the instructor and the community agency contact for each student's service assignment. Ask students and the community agency contacts to sign their contract. This will clearly state to students and the service agencies what is expected from each of them. Faculty and the agency contact should discuss the objective of student service in relation to the course and to the agency. 9. How do you find service projects for your students? How can you tell if these will be appropriate? Many colleges and universities have community service outreach centers on their campuses. If your's does, consult with them and ask your students to take advantage of their services in finding service assignments. It is crucial that faculty have references and assistance in locating project placements for their students. Consider hosting an open house where students can meet representatives from service organizations. In addition, your city, county, or state should have a list of organizations with local offices which solicit volunteers that you or your students can refer to in selecting assignments. Some cities have a designated community outreach or service office which could help you identify organizations. Visit the Official City Sites webpage to find your city, region, and state's websites for information about local service organizations. These lists will be in large part vetted for legitimacy and possibly organized by the kind of service they provide. In addition, the United Way posts a list of participating organizations searchable by city on their website. Take a look at how several university, college and community college political science programs actively conducting service learning courses find service projects and how they organize their programs. Faculty should communicate with the volunteer organization about the important link between students' service to the course. Write a student contract in collaboration with the service organization. Transportation options to the work site should be considered and discussed with students when selecting service organizations. Faculty should attempt to balance students' class assignments with their service obligations. 10. What kind of assignments or reflection projects would work best with a service learning based course? Robin Kolodny of Temple University suggests asking students to write a journal about their experience. Their journals will encourage students to regularly reflect on their service-learning experience and its application to the coursework. In addition, faculty can more easily and quickly identify problems with a particular service project or student. Their journal will be a useful tool in writing an in-depth final research paper. In addition to readings, team projects, case studies, and oral presentations would be appropriate assignments for this type of course as they would encourage students to demonstrate to the instructor and to share with rest of the class the conceptual connections they made between their service experiences and the course. 11. How do you deal/avoid with the natural tendency towards advocacy (of the instructor or student)? Faculty should be conscious of their own tendency towards advocacy. Read a collection of essays on advocacy in the classroom (December 1998, PS: Political Science and Politics) that analyzes the pros and cons of faculty advocacy. On a related topic, the connection of the course facilitator's own research and the student's service projects can be beneficial to both students and faculty (e.g. faculty researching political campaigns and students working in local political parties' campaign offices). Students see the "science" and research of political science as well as the application of the theories they are learning in the classroom. Faculty can use their feedback in their research. 12. How do you incorporate service learning into international relations/comparative politics courses? Encourage students to find assignments in non-governmental organizations with international operations. Provide a list of student-oriented organizations. The latest edition of the Political Science: An Ideal Liberal Arts Major features websites which will help you and your student find information about a variety of non-governmental organizations. Professor Robin Kolodny of Temple University suggests asking students on the first day of class about their foreign language skills to help identify students who might use these skills in their assignments. 13. In political campaign placements, should facilitators try to equally distribute students of particular ideology among political parties? How do you prevent the classroom from being a political battleground? No, it isn't necessary to try to equally distribute students in a class among political parties. Keep discussions focused on the topics and discuss the objectives, strategies and resources of campaigns. Structure opportunities for students to express preferences and listen to their differences. 14. How much time should students spend doing service? Students should spend enough time that they can fully experience the work of the organization. For example, a student who spends 1 hour a week over the semester doing service may not experience as much as a student who spends several hours over a shorter period. In addition, the organization will be more willing to give students substantial work if they are there for longer periods at a time. Talk with the agency supervisor to determine the most reasonable work schedule which will afford each student the most beneficial experience. Another option is to allow students to do their service project over a mid-term break. 15. My department is considering whether to make service required in our service learning courses rather than voluntary. Are there benefits to requiring service? Yes, it is challenging (but not impossible) to facilitate full discussion if some students in the course do not participate in the service aspect of the course. Though requiring service would be preferable, this may not be possible on your campus. Generally, students who do not volunteer to service conduct a research project as an alternative assignment. Faculty can have students doing research and those doing service inform each other by sharing their work and experiences in the classroom through team projects and case studies. 16. How do you implement service learning in a LARGE class? In a large class, students will need to be more independent in finding their own service assignments. Faculty should provide students with a list of possible organizations in which to serve or provide contact information for a local agency or campus office that could provide a list of local organizations seeking volunteers. Many colleges and universities have community service outreach centers on their campuses. If your's does, consult with them and ask your students to take advantage of their services in finding service assignments. It is crucial that faculty have references and assistance in locating project placements for their students. Consider hosting an open house where students can meet representatives from service organizations. In addition, your city, county, or state should have a list of organizations with local offices which solicit volunteers that you or your students can refer to in selecting assignments. Some cities have a designated community outreach or service office which could help you identify organizations. Visit the Official City Sites webpage to find your city, region, and state's websites for information about local service organizations. These lists will be in large part vetted for legitimacy and possibly organized by the kind of service they provide. In addition, the United Way posts a list of participating organizations searchable by city on their website. 17. How do you deal with placing students who you feel shouldn't be placed in the agency they want? Ask students to select a couple choices and present them to you. Meet with each student and advise them which placement would be best in relation to the class. Also, placement in teams might help students who may not be as successful in a placement by themselves. 18. How do you assign a grade for the service learning component of a course? Give specific assignments, such as group reports, oral presentations and individual papers, requiring students to evaluate their experience and analyze the efforts of their service agency or organization and how it works to meet its objectives. In group projects, grade performance as a group but be sure that this is a large portion of the course grade. This should ensure that everyone in the group does his or her part. Base part of the service grade on evaluations from service supervisors. Be sure to give supervisors a list questions to guide and to help them formulate their assessment.
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