For Faculty

The Community Engagement Office is available to help any faculty member set up a Service Learning element in their courses.

With assistance from the Community Engagement Office, the course instructor determines objectives and goals for what he/she hopes the students will learn

In order for students to gain credit for their service learning experience, meaningful educational, academic, and work learning is required. Filing, phones, and general office duties alone do not constitute a quality service learning experience. We would like for it to be the mutual goal of Mount St. Mary’s College and the employer to have our service learning students exposed to and participate in “hands on” operations in order to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding of the field.

Components of Service Learning Course:

 Provides an opportunity for academic skills and knowledge to be applied in a community service setting.

1. Time is allotted in the context of the classroom (and outside it, such as by written reflections) to explore the connection between "theory and practice."
2. An actual identified need in the community is being met.
3. Coordination and collaboration occurs between school and community.

Each of these components are necessary in order to create a valuable, reciprocal service and learning relationship between the students, community entity, teacher, and college.

The Community Engagement Office provides the following services to faculty:

• Help design a form of Service Learning that complements your course subject
• Suggest sites locations
• Put faculty in touch with the appropriate person at the proposed site
• Visit sites before the start of the semester, to determine suitability of the site for our students and the course subject matter
• Act as a resource if students or faculty are having problems with the site.
• Provide samples of available paperwork
  • Service Learning Toolkit
  • Code of Conduct
  • Service Learning Checklist
  • Liability form
  • Sample of a Service Learning Contract

Here are some Service Learning examples

For more extensive information on service learning or on planning a service learning course, please contact Paul Green, Service Learning Faculty Coordinator or click here.