Rationale – Criteria – Logistics
Reasons to Integrate Community Learning in Your Course
- Make a difference in the surrounding community by helping to address pressing community problems
- Provide students with real world context for theory and discipline-specific knowledge
- Raise students' awareness of current and community issues as they relate to academic area of interest
- Develop students' critical thinking, writing, interpersonal communication and citizenship skills
- Advance your research and scholarship efforts
Criteria for a Designated Community Learning Course
- All SJSU designated Service-Learning (SL) courses must incorporate a minimum of ten hours of community-based service and/or research over an extended period of time throughout the term.
- Service-learning must be integrated with course learning; therefore, students must produce one or more structured reflections (e.g., in discussion, journals, papers, public presentations) that demonstrate integration of the service experience with course learning outcomes.
- Students must complete a CSU Participation Guide, serve only with an SJSU approved community partner organization; and enter all required SL information in SJS4 “Spartans for Service” database.