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Running head: CASE STUDY #3

Case Study #3
Andrea De Leon
Loyola University Chicago

CASE STUDY #3

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Introduction

Service-Learning programs have become more popular on college campuses in recent


years. Many programs focus on providing opportunities for students to engage in communityspecific service work, while others pay more attention to internship and co-op experiences.
While all programs are different, many share similar missions and goals. Colleges and
universities have created these programs in an effort to facilitate meaningful learning for both
students and community members. A comparative analysis of five such programs provides more
insight.
Five Programs at a Glance
Stanford University
Stanford University is home to the Haas Center for Public Service. The center inspires
and prepares students to create a more just and sustainable world through service, scholarship,
and community partnerships (Haas Center, 2015). Some opportunities that the center provides
include programs like Impact Abroad, JusticeCorps, and Service-Learning Courses, among
others (Haas Center, 2015). The center also provides programs that are organized outside of the
center, but associated with the center. For example, the Compass Fellowship is a program that,
while not housed in the Haas Center, works collaboratively with Haas Center resources to
provide a dynamic one-year experiential learning opportunity for first year students interested in
entrepreneurship (Haas Center, 2015). Another opportunity that the center offers are specific
courses, such as Community-based Research As Tool for Social Change: Discourses of Equity in
Communities & Classrooms, that focus on engaging students in learning both inside and outside
of the classroom (Haas Center, 2015). Overall, the Haas Center at Stanford University is focused

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on providing a unique blend of opportunities, both curricular and co-curricular, that engage
students in the process of learning while serving.
DePaul University
The Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning & Community
Service Studies at DePaul University seeks to engage students in action-based learning. The
Center provides an academic bridge between the University and community that supports student
learning, community development and faculty teaching and scholarship (The Irwin, 2015). The
Steans Center seeks to specifically develop mutually beneficial relationships with various
community organizations so that both students and community members can learn (The Irwin,
2015). Some of the initiatives and programs supported by the center include the McCormick
Internship, Jumpstart, and DePaul ENGAGE (The Irwin, 2015). The Steans Center specifically
distinguishes between academic service-learning (ASL) and volunteerism or community service.
What makes ASL different is that it is fully integrated with course content (theories, methods,
concepts, assignments) as a source of knowledge drawn from experiences developed through
partnership between the community and the university (The Irwin, 2015). In summary, the
Irwin W. Steans Center at DePaul University aims to provide intentional academic-service
learning opportunities for students that are just as beneficial for the community partners
involved.
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is known for implementing a unique, student-driven
approach to teaching and learning. The Center for Community-Based Learning and Action
follows suite, as it allows students to take initiative and action in the campuss surrounding
community. In fact, the center was created in 2004 after students, faculty, and staff identified a

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need for such a center (Center for, 2015). The centers mission states, We believe in learning
collaboratively within the community, supporting civic engagement, and promoting a better
understanding of social justice issues for all involved. We seek student learning environments
that respectfully incorporate the community's unique needs, goals and aspirations (Center for,
2015). An example of a program that the center offers is the Community Service Work Study
program, which places undergraduate students in grassroots, non-profit organizations that need
support (Center for, 2015). This program seeks to create mutually beneficial relationships
between students and non-profits, and engages students in mission-driven social justice work.
The Center for Community-Based Learning and Action also coordinates a Campus Food Bank,
and a Tutor Program in an effort to engage students in service-learning. Finally, while the center
does not explicitly list service-learning courses, it does state that service-learning is a goal that is
incorporated into the overall undergraduate curriculum at Evergreen State College.
Boston College
The Volunteer and Service Learning Center at Boston College encourages students to
become engaged in service-learning through a variety of programs. The center fulfills several
functions including communicating volunteer needs, offering advisement and resources for
service initiatives, providing educational opportunities, and collaborating with other university
departments in engaging students in service (Volunteer and, 2015). Specifically, the center
provides students opportunities to engage in programs like the First Year Service Program, Eagle
Volunteers, and Fair Trade Programming, among others (Volunteer and, 2015). Some programs
are one-time volunteer experiences, while others are more intensive and on-going experiential
learning opportunities. The center also manages a volunteer database that allows students to find
opportunities that simultaneously fit their personal interests and the communitys needs. The

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center also partners with some academic programs, such as the Connell School of Nursing, to
provide students with opportunities that specifically connect to content being learned in the
classroom (Volunteer and, 2015).
University of California Los Angeles
The Center for Community Learning at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
has specific goals that include a focus on connecting students with diverse communities and
assisting faculty in designing innovative service-learning experiences (Center for, 2015). The
mission of the UCLA Center for Community Learning is to promote civic engagement for
undergraduates and faculty through the integration of teaching, research and service (Center for,
2015). Like many other service-learning centers, the center at UCLA provides a series of
programs that provide students with opportunities to learn both inside and outside of the
classroom. Some of these programs include JusticeCorps, Service-Learning Courses, and the
Astin Scholars Program (Center for, 2015). An initiative that makes this center unique among
others is the Civic Engagement Minor. The Civic Engagement minor is designed to provide
students with a core analytical and theoretical framework for community building, governance,
and the use of civic resources (Center for, 2015). Students in any academic program are eligible
for participation in the minor, and it is designed for those who are highly motivated and excited
about public engagement. In summary, The Center for Community Learning at UCLA provides
meaningful opportunities for students to incorporate service into their learning.
Emerging Themes
A Focus on Volunteerism
A few of the programs and centers reviewed emphasized opportunities for volunteerism
and community service. For example, Boston College offers students opportunities to participate

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in one-time volunteer experiences, as well as long-term volunteer experiences, such as Eagle


Volunteers program. The Volunteer and Service Learning Center at Boston College also
manages an online database of current volunteer opportunities that students can pursue. The
Evergreen State College coordinates a tutoring program in which undergraduate students can
volunteer to serve high school students in the surrounding community. Stanford Universitys
Haas Center for Public Service hosts a volunteer program called Ravenswood Reads that pairs
undergraduate students with elementary school students (Haas Center, 2015). Other programs
reviewed focus less on volunteer opportunities, and more on service-learning experiences.
A Focus on Service-Learning
DePaul Universitys Stean Center emphasizes an explicit focus on creating experiences
for students and community members that are mutually beneficial. DePaul seeks to provide
students with not only ways to volunteer, but ways to volunteer that turn the service into a
learning opportunity for all. DePaul focuses on providing academic service-learning experiences
that fuse together theories and concepts learned in the classroom with lived experiences had
while providing service to communities. Similarly, UCLAs Center for Community Learning
coordinates a Civic Engagement minor in an effort to engage students in meaningful servicelearning experiences. The minor program hopes to provide highly motivated students with
opportunities to become actively engaged in their service-learning experiences.
Integrative Analysis
No Set Definition
Something that became clear while reviewing the various service-learning programs is
that there is no set definition of service-learning and what it entails. Furco (1996) said, the term
service-learning has been used to characterize a wide array of experiential education endeavors,

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from volunteer and community service projects to field studies and internship programs (p. 1).
This was evident in the programs reviewed as some, like The Evergreen State College, focused
on volunteer opportunities, while others, like DePaul University focused on providing specific
service internship opportunities. While each program provided opportunities for students to
engage in community, the specific service-learning experiences came in all different shapes and
sizes.
Academic Learning
Despite differing understandings and definitions of service-learning, many programs
included a very close tie to academic programs and initiatives. Howard (1993) said, Servicelearning students must not only master academic material as in traditional course, but also learn
how to learn from unstructured and ill-structured community experiences and merge that
learning with the learning from other course resources (p. 1). Some programs certainly make an
effort to challenge students to engage in this dual learning. For example, the Civic Engagement
minor at UCLA seeks to involve students in a rigorous academic and service experience. Other
programs, such as those at Stanford University and DePaul University offer specific servicelearning courses and academic internships. Overall, many programs aim to connect both the
service and academic components.
Collaboration with Faculty
Given that these programs are committed to making direct connections to academic
experiences, it is important to develop collaborative relationships with faculty and those working
in academic affairs. Honnet & Poulsen (1998) said, the most effective service and learning
programs are linked to the curriculum and require that the faculty become committed to
combining service and learning as a valid part of teaching (p. 9). One very positive example of

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such collaboration is found at The Evergreen State College. Here, the program aims to make
connections between community-based learning models and academic programs (Center for,
2015). Faculty members are told that the Center for Community-Based Learning is a resource to
them as they construct ways to incorporate service-learning into their students academic
experiences. UCLA also practices such collaboration through its offering of several servicelearning internships housed in academic fields such as education, disability studies, history, and
political science. All programs reviewed have some connection to faculty and academic goals.
Mutually Beneficial Experiences
Jacoby (1996) said that an essential concept of service-learning is reciprocity between
the server and the person or group being served (p. 7). This details the focus on servicelearning programs being mutually beneficial for all those who are involved. All of the programs
reviewed communicate an importance of reciprocity. These programs websites are littered with
words like partnership, relationship, collaboration, and others. Each program clearly
seeks to create learning for not only students, but for community members who are on the
receiving end of the service work.
Concluding Thoughts
Service-learning has yet to reach a universally accepted definition. While most
understandings are similar, those who develop service-learning programs and centers can have
different goals and objectives. Service-learning experiences can range from long-term cocurricular volunteer efforts to academic internships and even academic minors. Based on an
analysis of five current programs, it is clear that the focus is on helping both students and
community members learn through experiential programs and initiatives.

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References

Center for Community-Based Learning (2015) Retrieved from:


http://evergreen.edu/communitybasedlearning/
Center for Community Leaning (2015) Retrieved from:
http://www.uei.ucla.edu/communitylearningabout.htm
Furco, Andrew. "Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education."
Expanding Boundaries: Service and Learning. Washington DC: Corporation for National
Service, 1996. 2-6.
Haas Center for Public Service (2015) Retrieved from:
https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/about/ataglance
Honnet, E.P. & Poulsen, S.J. (1998) Principles of Good Practice for Combining Service and
Learning, The Johnson Foundation
Howard, J. (1993). Community service learning in the curriculum. In J. Howard (Ed.), Praxis I:
A faculty casebook on community service learning. (pp. 3-12). Ann Arbor: OCSL Press.
Jacoby, B. & Associates. (1996). Service-learning in higher education: Concepts and Practices.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
The Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning & Community Service
Studies (2015) Retrieved from: http://steans.depaul.edu
Volunteer and Service Learning Center (2015) Retrieved from:
http://www.bc.edu/offices/service/

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