Thank you for considering formalized service-learning course designation for your class. This designation has several benefits, including:
• Students can better register for classes knowing which courses will include a service-learning component
• Service-learning courses and students can be better identified for the purposes of institutional research, assessment and improvement
The following definition of Academic Service-Learning at Warner Pacific might be helpful as you design your service-learning courses.
Service-learning is fundamentally an academic endeavor in which service is an integrated component of a course. It is a credit-bearing, experiential education approach that involves an established community partnership guided by the expertise of professors and community-based practitioners, working together with students to address community needs. The partnerships between Warner Pacific College and the community engage students in service primarily with nonprofit organizations, local public schools, and under-resourced agencies. Community partnerships are strategically developed so as to live out the urban mission of Warner Pacific. Academic service-learning is a unique form of engaged learning that includes:
• Direct contact between students and the community, exposing students to real-world environments and challenges
• Engagement in projects and activities that are devoted to the public good and positive community development
• Service projects that are mutually beneficial for both WP students and the community
• Service activities that directly connect to learning outcomes of the course, thereby enriching course content
• Structured reflection that enhances student understanding of connections between course content and service
As part of our urban mission, Warner Pacific affirms the importance of engaged learning and supports pedagogies that work towards our goal of preparing civic leaders who will transform society through acts of faith, scholarship and service. Towards this end, academic service-learning seeks to enrich course content and learning objectives while promoting increased self-awareness, greater personal efficacy, informed critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of societal responsibility, diversity, and the urban environment.
For questions about the course designation process, please contact a member of the Service-Learning Staff.