A Project SHINE volunteer tutors two seniors.

Orientation for Organizations

Community organizations in metropolitan San Jose may become community partners of departments, faculty and student "community learners.” The Center for Community Learning & Leadership and its programs facilitates and supports these partnerships.

What is Community Learning?

Community learning is a teaching method that promotes student learning through active participation in meaningful and planned service experiences in the community that are directly related to course content.

Students in many disciplines explore community issues that relate to their courses, find relevance in their academic learning, gain valuable skills, and experience a deepened sense of civic responsibility, social justice, and commitment to the community.

Community learning differs from volunteering and community service. Community learners focus not only on the service they provide, but also on the academic and personal learning they gain as a result of that service experience. Community partners work closely with SJSU staff, professors and students to design the service and learning experience.

Examples of Community Learning

College of Business

Management information Systems:
Student design software training programs for nonprofit staff and for teenagers in schools and community centers

College of Education

Special Education:
Students studying special education are paired with special needs children to provide tutoring, assessment and language intervention

College of Engineering

Civil Engineering:
Students learning about wood structures design footbridges for the Los Gatos Creek Trail

College of Social Science

Communication Studies:
Students learning about organizational and small group communication conduct analyses of nonprofit organizations’ communication strengths/challenges and propose strategies for improving communication patterns; students in another class conduct workshops on communication related topics for teenage and adult clients in various agencies

College of Social Studies

Environmental Studies:
Students learning about environmental impact assessments provide community education on planned local energy projects

College of Applied Science and Arts

Gerontology:
Students provide ESL tutoring and coach elders in preparing citizenship exams

Who are Community Partners and what do they do?

Community partners are nonprofit organizations, public agencies, government offices, schools, and certain private business where students provide community service as an integral part of their academic courses. Service may include direct service with clients, special projects, research, or other activities that are identified by the community partner to meet a real community need.

Partners serve as co-educators, engaging students in meaningful service activities that support students’ personal, academic and civic growth. Effective community learning partnerships involve joint planning and ongoing communication among SJSU professors, students and community partners.

Successful community learning demands a commitment of energy, planning and communication from faculty, students and the community partners.
Community learning community partners:

Help to design meaningful, appropriate service opportunities for students
Orient students to the community site and provide essential training
Designate a qualified person to supervise students and evaluate their performance
Help the student gain experience and knowledge related to their learning objectives (outlined by the course syllabus and Student Community Learning Plan)
Contact the professor or Center for Community Learning & Leadership if challenges arise
Work with the faculty to mange risk, and to evaluate and improve future projects

How can community learning benefit community partners?

Students are a source of enthusiasm, skills and knowledge and can be a great resource for community partners. Whether the students provide direct service to clients or work on specific, short-term projects for the agency, community learning students get things done! Unlike unaffiliated student volunteers, community learning students are working toward specific goals under the guidance of professors.

Faculty and community partners work together to identify meaningful service activities that are appropriate for the skill level and learning objectives of the students involved. The project may engage individual students, small groups or an entire class, depending upon the needs and capacity of the community partners.

Becoming a community partner for community learning

New community based agencies, schools, and institutions interested in developing community learning partnerships are encouraged to:

Contact the Center for Community Learning & Leadership’s Partnerships Coordinator
Participate in a community learning orientation tailored for community partners
Determine your organization’s capacity for partnership with faculty and students
Define your service needs/opportunities to communicate to CCLL and faculty
Host a site visit from the Center for Community Learning & Leadership
Complete necessary risk management paperwork for the Center
Update the Center on accomplishments and new community learning ideas and needs

Resources for community partners

Regular access phone and in-person consultation by Center staff
Gatherings to share best practices or problem-solve with fellow community partners
Invitation to SJSU agency fairs and student recruitment events
Participation, representation in partner meetings and strategic planning
Opportunity to attend local, regional and national community learning conferences
Recognition (community learning awards, events, publications) by SJSU
Listing on the Center for Community Learning & Leadership’s website as a community learning site. Additional ways of recruiting San Jose students to work or volunteer
Post jobs and internships through SJSU’s Career Center, www.careercenter.sjsu.edu
List volunteer opportunities with the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, 408-247-1126, www.vcsv.us
Contact SJSU Student Life & Leadership to connect with Student Organizations including Greek Fraternities & Sororities, 408-924-5950, sll@sjsu.edu
Attend SJSU annual nonprofit and government agency resource fair

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Did you know

Center for Community
Learning & Leadership
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0246
408.924.3540
fax: 408.924.6962

Located in Clark Hall 203 and 126C