Academic Resources

Learn More About Service-Learning

Description

Foundational Readings

Campus Compact Introduction to service-learning toolkit
Readings and resources for faculty (2nd ed.). Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

Resources on service-learning, from learning theory and pedagogy to practical guidance on how to implement service-learning in the classroom. Includes chapters on community partnerships, student development, and redesigning curriculum, exploring the connection between service- learning and civic engagement, and community-based research.

Civic engagement across the curriculum: A resource book for service-learning faculty in all disciplines.  
Battistoni, R. M. (2002). Civic engagement across the curriculum: A resource book for service-learning faculty in all disciplines. Providence, RI: Campus Compact.

This volume offers faculty in all disciplines rationales and resources for connecting their service-learning efforts to the broader goals of civic engagement. It provides concrete examples of course materials, exercises, and assignments that can be used to develop students’ civic capacities regardless of disciplinary area. Annotation from Service Learning and Civic Engagement (below).

Community Agency Perspectives in Higher Education: Service-Learning and Volunteerism. Service-learning through a multidisciplinary lens
Vernon, A., Foster, L. (2002). Community Agency Perspectives in Higher Education: Service-Learning and Volunteerism. Service-learning through a multidisciplinary lens. (Eds. Billig, S., & Furco, A.) Greenwich, CT: Information Age.

This study examined the perceived impacts that college students have at the community agencies where they serve and on the needs of the youth their service is addressing. It provides a little represented voice in the SL literature, that of the community agency.

Where's the learning in service-learning?
Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (1999). Where's the learning in service-learning? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

This is a foundational text that provides an overview of how SL helps students achieve important outcomes in a college education. It identifies how particular characteristics of SL make a difference. A sample of some of these learning outcomes: personal and interpersonal development, critical thinking, perspective transformation, citizenship. The book provides data from two national research projects conducted between 1993-1998 and subsequent interviews.

Bibliography of Civic Engagement
A bibliography of readings on civic engagement and service-learning, prepared by the Center for Service Learning at Western Carolina University,

 

Description

Sample Syllabi

Campus Compact Syllabi Library
A syllabi bank spanning dozens of disciplines.  Searchable by themes and disciplines. Find inspiration for your own syllabus with additional readings and resources.

CHANGE:  A Guide to Teaching Social Action
A sample syllabus with reading and video references for Sociology 163.  CHANGE:  A Guide to Teaching Social Action.

Model Syllabus:  Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector
A sample POL 324 syllabus from Professor Ken Menkhaus at Davidson College.
Model Syllabus:  Spanish Service-Learning
A sample syllabus from Introduction to Spanish Translation with Professor Jack Child, 

East Tennessee State University.

Model Syllabus:  Biology in Engineering
A sample syllabus from a Biology in Engineering course with Dr. Marybeth Lima, Louisiana State University.  

Tips for Constructing a Syllabus

A Practice-Based Guide for Creating STEM Service-Learning Courses
This practice-based article by Genna Miller and Mina Ng describes two undergraduate service learning (SL) courses in STEM disciplines: economics and neuroscience.

Constructing a Service-Learning Syllabus
A checklist of items and concerns to list in a service-learning syllabus.
Potential Student Learning Outcomes for Service-Learning Courses
A list of outcomes for service-learning courses such as understanding course content, awareness of community, commitment to service, career development, self awareness, sensitivity to diversity, etc. 
Learning Objectives for Service-Learning
Learning outcomes written as learning objectives.  By the end of this course, students will be able to. . . . .
Syllabus Review Checklist
A checklist to review syllabi.

Readings on Pedagogy

Service-Learning Definitions and Principles of Good Practice
An overview of service-learning definitions and checklists for best practices pedagogy and community engagement.
Practical Ideas for Confronting Curricular Bias
Back in the 1970s and the 1980s, publishers and professional associations issued guidelines for non-racist and non-sexist books. As a result, texts of the last twenty years are much improved. Unfortunately, they are far from bias-free. The following seven forms of bias can be found not only in K-12 textbooks but also in college texts, in the media – in fact, they are all around us. Feel free to explore these definitions with your students, as well as try the strategies suggested.
Anti-racist pedagogy:  from faculty's self reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom
This article is a synthesis of my own work as well as a critical reading of the key literature in anti-racist pedagogy. Its purpose is to define antiracist pedagogy and what applying this to courses and the fullness of our professional lives entails. I argue that faculty need to be aware of their social position, but more importantly, to begin and continue critical self-reflection in order to effectively implement anti-racist pedagogy, which has three components: (1) incorporating the topics of race and inequality into course content, (2) teaching from an anti-racist pedagogical approach, and (3) anti-racist organizing within the campus and linking our efforts to the surrounding community. In other words, anti-racist pedagogy is an organizing effort for institutional and social change that is much broader than teaching in the classroom.

 

Reflection in Service-Learning:  Making Meaning of Experience
Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1999). Reflection in service learning: Making Meaning of Experience.  Educational Horizons. 77(4), 179-185.

This article explores how reflection is a cornerstone of service-learning and how active learning strategies foster academic persistence and success. It provides a theoretical framework for the pedagogy of experiential education (Dewey). It identifies types of reflection: writing, readings, presentations, etc. The article provides guidance on how to structure reflection to meet learning objectives and a rubric to assess student performance.

Facilitating reflection: A manual for higher education.
Reed, J., & Koliba, C. (1996). Facilitating reflection: A manual for higher education. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Volunteer and Public Service Center.

This manual provides an overview of what reflection is, best practices for facilitation, and examples of reflection activities.

A Practical Guide for Integrating Civic Responsibility into the Curriculum
Context for and a list of resources focused on service and civic engagement. A bit dated and most examples focused on community college and civic engagement. Could work as a good partner resource to one focused on social justice.

The DEAL Model for Critical Reflection – Describe, Examine, and Articulate Learning
Specific questions to guide the process of critical reflection.

 

Reading with Discussion Questions

Why Service-Learning is Bad
This paper examines potential negative aspects of service-learning and identifies an agenda for strengthening the service provided through service-learning.

Reflection Questions
Questions to accompany the article, Why Service-Learning is Bad.

Starfish Hurling and Community Service
This short text provides an opportunity to debate the actions of an individual trying to save starfish that are washed up on a beach. It is a good departure point to discuss different models of service and to explore ethical issues linked to our behaviors and building sustainable community partnerships.

 

In the Service of What?  The Politics of Service-Learning.
An article from the Phi Delta Kappa that explores the political side of service-learning through two case studies.

Discussion and Reflection Activities
Questions to accompany the article, In the Service of What?

 

Personal Reflections

Organizing 101:  Lessons I Wish I'd Learned on Campus
A reflection from an experienced communtiy organizer about the lessons learned from his work in organizing and several best practices from the organizing approach that service-learning can be challenged by.

What I Didn't Know Then
A personal reflection by Kelli Covey, reflecting on her year of service directly after college graduation.

Sit Down.  Be Quiet.  Pay Attention.
A point of view reflection by Robert L. Sigmon. Published in the NSEE Quarterly. 

 

Description

Summary of Outcomes

At a glance: What we know about the effects of service-learning on college students, faculty, institutions and communities
Eyler, J., Giles, D., Stenson, C., & Gray, C. J. (2001). At a glance: What we know about the effects of service-learning on college students, faculty, institutions and communities, 1993-2000. Corporation for National Service: Learn and Serve America National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.

This includes lists of resources on many aspects of SL: the effects of Service-Learning on students with Personal Outcomes, Social Outcomes, and Learning Outcomes; impact of program characteristics; impact on faculty; impact of university; impact on communities.   It includes an annotated Bibliography of Service-Learning Research, 1993-2000

The Effects of Community-Based Engagement in Higher Education: What We Know and Questions that Remain

A report by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) summarizing the positive outcomes of community-based and civic-engaged programs.  

Collections of Resources

Campus Compact:  Institutional Assessment Resources
This collection of resources includes indicators of an engaged campus, self-assessment tools, rubrics, and more resources related to institutional assessment.  
Campus Compact:  Assessment of Higher Education Community Engagement
A collection of readings, rubrics, tools, and other resources to assist with assessment of higher education community engagement.
Campus Compact:  Civic Action Plan Library
A database of over 100 Civic Action Plans from affiliated institutions.  Civic action plans provide a framework for aligning institutional values with civic engagement.

Frameworks for Assessment and Evaluation

The measure of service learning: Research scales to assess student experiences
Bringle, R. G., Phillips, M. A., & Hudson, M. (2004). The measure of service learning: Research scales to assess student experiences. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

This is a practical resource for researchers and program evaluators that introduces an overview of scientific research and measurement. It providesexamples of scales that measure key contructs associated with the experiences of students in SL. It also provides an explanation of the characteristics that multiple-item scales should possess in order for them to be used in research.

Assessing the impact of service-learning and civic engagement: Principles and techniques.
Gelmon, S. B., Holland, B. A., Driscoll, A., Spring, A., and Kerrigan, S. (2001). Assessing the impact of service-learning and civic engagement: Principles and techniques. Providence. RI: Campus Compact.

This definitive volume offers a broad overview of issues related to assessment in higher education, with specific application for measuring the impact of service-learning and civic engagement initiatives on students, faculty, the institution, and the community. This volume will assist individuals seeking a comprehensive resource on assessment issues, with applicability particularly in higher education as well as potential applications to other groups interested in assessment. 

Democratically engaged assessment: Reimagining the purposes and practices of assessment in community engagement
Bandy, J., Price, M. F., Clayton, P. H., Metzker, J., Nigro, G., Stanlick, S., Etheridge Woodson, S., Bartel, A., & Gale, S. (2018). Democratically engaged assessment: Reimagining the purposes and practices of assessment in community engagement

This document is a project of reclamation and transformation, one that is both ongoing and rooted in years of dialogue within Imagining America and the work of its Assessing Practices of Public Scholarship research group (APPS). It emerges from our own experiences with assessment related to community engagement and from those of many other colleagues on campuses and in diverse communities. It is intended to bring together those who wish to reimagine assessment in light of its civic potential — to develop what we refer to as Democratically Engaged Assessment (DEA).

 

Resource
Clifford, Joan, and Deborah S. Reisinger. Community-Based Language Learning: A Framework for Educators. Georgetown University Press, 2019, JSTOR, www.jstor.org.
Porto, Melina. “Affordances, complexities, and challenges of intercultural citizenship for foreign language teachers.” Foreign Language Annals. 2019; 52: 141– 164.
Jann Purdy, Editor (2018) Language Beyond the Classroom: A Guide to Community-Based Learning for World Language Programs. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Randolph, L.J., & Johnson, Stacey Margarita (2017). “Social justice in the language classroom: A call to action”. Dimension, 9-31.
Zapata, Gabriela. 2011. “The Effects of Community Service Learning Projects on L2 Learners’ Cultural Understanding.” Hispania 94, no. 1: 86-102.
Lafford, Barbara, Annie R. Abbott, and Darcy Lear. "Spanish in the Professions and in the Community in the US" Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 1.2 (2014): 171-186. 
Morales, Marisol. 2023. "The Essential Role of ABCD in Developing Two Community Engagement Frameworks for Supporting Latinx StudentsJournal of Multidisciplinary International Studies 16, no. 2. 
Tilley-Lubbs, Griselda. "Service-Learning and Foreign-Language Teacher Education" Hispania 87.1 (2004):132-134.
Syllabi for FL Courses
Program Models of Service-Learning in Foreign Languages
Best Practices in Campus-Based Mentoring
Modules Supporting Latino Service-Learning from the University of Georgia's Office of Service-Learning
CARLA's Social Justice in Language Education project creates instructional materials that address a wide range of social justice topics in ten languages. Grounded in multiliteracies pedagogy, these materials will improve students' language abilities, intercultural understanding, and career competencies through critical engagement with target language texts.
CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) offers recordings and handouts from past presentations and workshops from a wide variety of conferences, workshops, institutes, and presentations.
Database of publications and presentations from CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition).
Recorded Presentation: "Bringing Social Justice Into Language Classrooms: Templates to Guide Instructional Planning," with Lauren Goodspeed, Mandy Menke, Helena Ruf, and Kate Paesani at CARLA (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition), University of Minnesota. This presentation describes the process of developing research-based curricular unit and lesson plan templates that support language instructors in the teaching of social justice themes.
The Social Justice Bibliography provides a curated list of resources in three main categories: general social justice resources, social justice and language education, and language-specific resources. The resources included in each area are broken into subtopics and include scholarly publications, blog posts, podcasts, resource repositories, websites, videos, and the like. 
Recorded Presentation: “Why World Languages Matter in Social Justice Education,” with Kate Paesani, Director, Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), and Affiliate Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts; Lauren Goodspeed, Lecturer, Department of French and Italian; Mandy Menke, Associate Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies; Helena Ruf, Senior Lecturer, Department of German, Nordic, Slavic, and Dutch.

 

 

This guide highlights library and freely accessible resources to support service-learning courses at Duke.

https://guides.library.duke.edu/service-learning/getting-started

Trends and thinkers in higher education community engagement

Scan of Promising Efforts to Broaden Faculty Reward Systems to Support Societally Impactful Research
Prepared for the Transforming Evidence Funders Network October 2023
Co-Authored by Bruce Jentleson, William Preston Few Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science, Duke University 

Develop Your Scholarship

Campus Compact 
a national coalition of colleges and universities

CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)
a non-partisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health
a nonprofit membership organization that promotes health equity and social justice through partnerships between communities and academic institutions

International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement
promotes high quality trans-disciplinary research across a wide range of approaches and forms and builds the capacity of scholars, practitioners, and community partners to engage in such research.

Learn & Serve America
support institutions of higher education that use innovative service-learning programming to meet the needs of local communities

National Society for Experiential Education
a national resource center for the development and improvement of experiential education programs nationwide

National Youth Leadership Council
offers training, resources, coaching, curriculum and grants to support service-learningwork

The Talloires Network
global coalition of 426 university presidents, vice-chancellors and rectors in 85 countries who have publicly committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of their institutions

The Research University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN)
to advance civic engagement and engaged scholarship among research universities. TRUCEN members are R-1 institutions that share a fundamental commitment to leveraging their resources, skills, and energy to address the most challenging issues in society.

Learn More About Durham

Context and Connections

Each fall, Duke Service-Learning hosts Context and Connections: an Immersive Experience for Duke Faculty in Durham, an engaged bus tour of Durham for new Duke faculty and those interested in deepening their own knowledge of and connections to the Durham community and in exploring connections with their teaching, research, and service. Learn more about the tour here.

Discover Durham

The Discover Durham website is hosted by the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau, and is connected to the Visitor Info Center on Main Street.  Learn more about Durham history, culture, restaurants, businesses, outdoor spaces, and more. 

Discover Durham