The Course Label

Apply for the SLCE Label   

Duke Service-Learning works with the Registrar's Office to label service-learning and community-engaged courses in DukeHub.  Courses are searchable in Duke Hub as "Service-learning/Community-Engaged (SLCE)."  

Service-Learning Courses

Service-learning courses require a sustained service component, as well as connections to academic content, and critical reflection. For an undergraduate or graduate course to be considered a service-learning course, the course must meet the following criteria:

Time Commitment

  • The students engage in planned service activities for a minimum of 20 hours.

Academic Requirements

  • The service experience is integrally related to the academic subject matter of the course.
  • The coursework involves critical reflection on the relationship between academic course content and the service experience.
  • The coursework involves critical reflection on the ethical and civic dimensions of the service experience.

Community-Engaged Courses

Community-engaged courses include a variety of interactions with the community, and although they do not offer the sustained service component that service-learning courses do, they offer enriching aspects of being with community and opportunity for critical reflection on ethical practices.  Examples of community-engaged course activities include guest speakers from the community making presentations in classrooms, visits to local schools for language exchange, and local field trips to cultural sites.

For an undergraduate or graduate course to be considered a community-engaged course, it must meet the following criteria:

Time Commitment

  • There is no minimum number of hours for students to engage with the community.

Academic Requirements

  • The faculty member is encouraged to integrally relate the community experience to the academic subject matter of the course.
  • The faculty member is encouraged to involve critical reflection on the relationship between academic course content and the community experience.
  • The faculty member is encouraged to involve critical reflection on the ethical and civic dimensions of the community experience.

Applying for the Label

All those who teach academic undergraduate and graduate courses at Duke are eligible to apply.  A meeting isn’t mandatory, but we would welcome the opportunity to hear about your ideas in depth, and would be glad to discuss your questions and concerns.  If you would like to schedule a meeting, contact us at servicelearning@duke.edu.

You may request the SLCE label as early as you like, but to ensure that your request is processed before shopping carts open, please submit requests for fall courses by early January of each year, and requests for spring courses by early August of each year.  Once we have approved your request, we will work with your department to ensure that the SLCE label appears in the registration system and if appropriate, the course catalog.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall courses - mid February
  • Spring courses - mid September
Download SLCE Label Request (docx - 32.36 KB)