Service Learning (SL) is an innovation in education. SL is designed as a pedagogy to enhance student learning through active engagement and participation in authentic and meaningful contexts during planned service experiences in students' community. The authentic activities and contexts for an SL project must directly relate to course objectives and contents. When engaging in planned and service-oriented activities, students connect course assignments with real life applications by recording a series of personal journals, quickwrites, and/or written reports.

Service Learning projects conducted by Teaching Credential Candidates at San Jose State University revealed how such experiences contributed to their personal and professional growth when they were able to link the course contents and instructional objectives with their civic engagement as a member of the community.

Selected Community Agencies

1. Bill Wilson Center
2. Camp Costanoan
3. Child Advocates
4. Children's Defense Fund
5. Eastfield Ming Quong (EMQ)
Children & Family Services
6. Friends of Children with Special Needs
7. Parents Helping Parents
8. Special Olympics
9. TransAccess
10. Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley
11. Strong Neighborhood Initiative
12. Sunday Friends