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GETTING STARTED WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE-LEARNING
What is Community Service-Learning?
Community Service-Learning (CSL) integrates meaningful community service with classroom instruction and critical
reflection to enrich the learning experience and strengthen communities for the common good. Gemmel & Clayton
(2010, pp. 9-10) identify three critical sets of elements in this pedagogy as Design, Partnership and Learning:
Design
 CSL can be used in any discipline, department, program, course; appropriateness is a matter of fit between
identified goals and the design of the CSL process.
 CSL requires intentional, customized design driven by goals, informed by the nature of the participants, and
shaped by constraints, adhering to principles of good practice for the pedagogy.
 CSL is marked by integration of learning with service, not simply the addition of service to learning.
 Strong critical reflection element is required to achieve integration and to maximize the quality of learning and
service.
 Duration and intensity of the service-learning process impact quality of the outcomes achieved.
Partnership
 CSL involves collaboration between faculty/staff, students, and community organizations/community members.
 Collaboration is reciprocal in nature and includes drawing on the experience and expertise of all partners.
 Reciprocal process is achieved by explicitly positioning all partners in the process as co-learners, co-educators,
co-servers, and co-generators of knowledge.
 Effective partnerships and co-roles improve outcomes and require assessment of outcomes and process from all
partner perspectives.
 Reciprocity can result in mutually-transformative partnerships among students, faculty/staff, and community
members that both fulfill shared objectives and build capacity among all partners.
Learning process
 CSL (whether curricular or extra-curricular) is an academic activity driven
by academic learning goals and a community engagement activity that
pursues learning goals related to societal issues.
 Academic and civic learning goals are often supplemented with goals
such as personal growth, professional development, intercultural
learning, ethical inquiry, team work, or research skills.
 Learning involves critical reflection on experience to generate, deepen,
and document learning.
 CSL involves self-regulated learning approaches and builds capacity for
lifelong, self-directed learning.
 Learning through CSL can be held to the same level of rigour in
assessment as can that achieved through any other pedagogy. In grading
associated with service learning in courses, credit is assessed and
awarded for learning, not for service.
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 47 unique CSL courses have been
designed and offered since 2007
for a combined total of 164 times.
 23 academic departments have
been involved in CSL, including
Psychology, Sociology, Global
Studies, Geography, Cultural
Studies, History, English, Religion
and Culture, Criminology,
Business, Computer Science,
Kinesiology and Music.
 Nearly 2000 students are enrolled
in CSL courses through LCCSL in
the 2012/13 academic year.
Office of Teaching Support Services | www.wlu.ca/tss | Wilfrid Laurier University
Laurier Centre for Community Service-Learning | www.wlu.ca/csl
Service vs. Learning
The term “service-learning” has been applied
to a broad range of experiential education
approaches, such as volunteer and community
service projects, field studies and internship
programs (Furco, 1996). In response, Furco
distinguishes five experiential learning models
along the dimensions of Beneficiary (recipient
or provider of service) and Focus (service or
learning), and suggests the following
definitions:
Recipient
(Community)
BENEFICIARY
Provider
(Student)
FOCUS
Learning
Service
Community Service-Learning
Community Service
Field Education
Volunteerism
Internship
Source: Furco (1996)
 Volunteerism is the engagement of students in activities where the primary emphasis is on the service being
provided, and the primary intended beneficiary is clearly the service recipient.
 Community Service is the engagement of students in activities that primarily focus on the service being
provided, as well as the benefits the service activities have on the recipients. The students receive some benefits
by learning more about how their service makes a difference in the lives of the service recipients.
 Internship programs engage students in service activities primarily for the purpose of providing students with
hands-on experiences that enhance their learning or understanding of issues relevant to a particular field of
study.
 Field Education programs provide students with co-curricular service opportunities that are related, but not
fully integrated, with their academic studies. Students perform the service as a part of a program that is
designed primarily to enhance students’ understanding of a field of study while also providing substantial
emphasis on the service being provided.
 Service-Learning programs are distinguished from other approaches to experiential education by their intention
to equally benefit the provider and the recipient of the service, as well as to ensure equal focus on both the
service being provided and the learning that is occurring (Furco, 1990, p. 5).
Options for CSL
Service-learning courses can be placement-based or project-based, depending on suitability for the course objectives
and needs of community partners. In partnership with the Office of Teaching Support Services (TSS), LCCSL assists
faculty with exploring the options of community engaged pedagogy that best meet the learning objectives of the
course and program.
Placement-based CSL
Students complete their placement with a
community organization for approximately
two hours per week for the duration of the
term for a total of 20-30 hours.
Project-based CSL
Students (usually in groups) work with a
community organization to conduct a
project and deliver a specific outcome
over the course of a semester.
Assessment in CSL
CSL activities are closely aligned with the Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (Network of CSL Centres in
Ontario, 2012). To ensure academic rigour and to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes, assessment
strategies have been developed and adapted for CSL (Gelmon et al., 2001; Howard, 2001). Techniques for assessing
student learning in CSL include:
 Reflective essays
 Reflective learning
journals
 In-class discussion
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 Individual or group
presentations
 Posters
 ePortfolio presentations




Quizzes
Online discussion
Response papers
Learning proposal
 Final synthesis of
learning
 Project notebooks
Office of Teaching Support Services | www.wlu.ca/tss | Wilfrid Laurier University
Laurier Centre for Community Service-Learning | www.wlu.ca/csl
Syllabus-description for Community Service-Learning
Including clear parameters in the course syllabus will guide students in integrating service-learning with the course
content. The example can be adapted to the specific requirements of the course.
Community Service-Learning (CSL)
How does CSL add value to the course?
Community Service-Learning (CSL) integrates meaningful community service with classroom instruction and critical
reflection to enrich the learning experience and strengthen communities for the common good.
As part of this CSL experience, you will complete a placement with a local community organization for approximately
20 hours over the term. You will be expected to have an engaged presence in the community throughout the
semester and to reflect on your experiences on regularly using course content as a basis for your understanding and
analysis. The integration of placement experience with classroom-based learning will allow you to critically examine,
contextualize and apply course content. In addition, service-learning provides a structured opportunity to clarify your
career and academic goals.
What are typical placements?
Service-learning placements cover a broad spectrum of community organizations and roles. Suitable placements
depend on course-level and individual learning objectives and may include assisting children and youth in tutoring or
mentoring programs, working in organizations that serve immigrants and refugees, supporting individuals with
disability, health and mental health issues, and contributing to environmental organizations.
In order to achieve the desired outcomes and to minimize the potential for harm, CSL must be thoughtfully planned
and closely integrated into the course. Students should get a clear sense of how the service component will be
structured (e.g. project-based, placement-based, research-focused) and why it is a critical component of the course.
Creating CSL placement experiences should be guided by engagement (meeting a public good), reflection (linking
service to course content), reciprocity (mutual benefit and co-learning) and dialogue (giving voice to community
partner).
How does CSL work?
Staff from the Laurier Centre for Service Learning (LCCSL) will coordinate placements and will provide an introduction
to CSL during the first week of class. A majority of CSL placements require that you obtain a police records check and
some request a Tuberculosis test. LCCSL staff will provide more details during the introduction and prior to your
placement. Please direct questions related to your placement to the staff at the Laurier Centre for Community
Service-Learning. For more information or to contact the Centre, visit the LCCSL website on http://www.wlu.ca/csl
and consult the CSL Student Handbook. Your placement hours must be documented on the CSL hours sheet and be
signed by your placement supervisor at your organization. This sheet must be handed in by the final exam date to
pass.
Assignments
25% of your final grade will be based on assignments and participation in reflection sessions that relate to your
community placement. The 25% will be broken down as follows:
 Reflective essay pre-service (5%, due date prior to starting placement)
 Two reflective journal entries (10% each, due dates mid and late placement)
 Participation in reflection session (5%)
 Other options for assignments include learning proposals, poster presentations, oral presentations,
ePortfolio, project notebook, group project report
Please note that failure to complete your CSL placement may result in a fail grade of this course.
Please note, as well, that you cannot undertake any formal research with human participants in your CSL placement
(e.g. formal interviews, surveys, etc.). You can participate in informal information gathering, report and reflect on
informal conversations with individuals, and analyze your own participant observations. In these activities, make sure
follow ethical guidelines (to be discussed further in class).
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Office of Teaching Support Services | www.wlu.ca/tss | Wilfrid Laurier University
Laurier Centre for Community Service-Learning | www.wlu.ca/csl
Further Support and Resources
The Laurier Centre for Community Service-Learning (LCCSL) and the Office of
Teaching Support Services (TSS) provide support and resources for
Community-Engaged Scholarship and Community Service-Learning. LCCSL
can connect you with a broad network of community partners for
presentations, field study, or service-learning projects. TSS offers support in
(re)designing courses and program curriculum to integrate communityengaged teaching and learning strategies. Jointly, LCCSL and TSS are
committed to supporting Community-Engaged Scholarship activities that
promote excellence in teaching and learning. Contact us at [email protected] to
find a time to discuss how we can be of assistance.
The resources below may be of value as you explore Community-engaged
Teaching & Learning in general and Community Service-Learning in
particular:
“Community Service-Learning
effectively mobilizes the
intellectual and human resources
of post-secondary educational
institutions to address significant
social, economic, environmental
and health challenges at the
community level. It does this in
ways which are connected to and
consistent with the core academic
mission of universities and
colleges.”
Gemmel & Clayton (2010, p. 1)
Fitzgerald, H.E., Burack, C., & Seifer, S. (eds.) (2011). Handbook of Engaged Scholarship: Contemporary Landscapes,
Future Directions. Vol. 1. Institutional Change. East Lansing: Michigan University Press.
*Gelmon, S.B., Holland, A.H., Driscoll, A., Spring A. & Kerrigan, S. (2009). Assessing service-learning and civic
engagement: Principles and Techniques. Boston: Campus Compact.
*Gemmel, L. J., & Clayton, P. H. (2010). A Comprehensive Framework for Community Service-Learning in Canada.
Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning. Retrieved from
http://www.communityservicelearning.ca/en/documents/AComprehensiveFrameworkforCSL.pdf
Heffernan, K. (2001). Fundamentals of service-learning course construction. Providence, RI: Campus Compact
Howard, J. (2001). Service-learning course design workbook. Ann Arbor, MI: Edward Ginsberg Center for Community
Service, University of Michigan.
http://www.wlu.ca/documents/52991/Service_Learning_Course_Design_Workbook_-_MJCSL.pdf.
Laurier Centre for Community Service-Learning (2012). Faculty Handbook.
http://www.wlu.ca/documents/42212/Faculty_Handbook_%5C_12.doc.
Laurier Office of Teaching Support Services / Centre for Community Service-Learning (2012). Ped&Tech Notes:
- Community Engaged Scholarship. http://www.wlu.ca/documents/52992/PedTech__Community_Engaged_Scholarship.pdf
- Reflection. http://www.wlu.ca/documents/53279/PedTech_-_Reflection.pdf
- Self-regulated Learning and Community Engagement
References
Furco, A. (1996). Service-learning: A balanced approach to experiential education. Expanding boundaries: Serving and
learning, 1, 1-6.
Network of CSL Centres in Ontario (2012). Linking Service-Learning to the Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations.
Retrieved from http://www.wlu.ca/documents/52997/UDLE_CSL.doc
* Resources above that have an asterisk are also references.
This document was produced by the Office of Teaching Support Services and the Laurier Centre for Community
Service-Learning at Wilfrid Laurier University. Permission to copy and distribute this document in hardcopy and/or
electronic form for personal and educational use is permitted provided acknowledgement is noted.
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Office of Teaching Support Services | www.wlu.ca/tss | Wilfrid Laurier University
Laurier Centre for Community Service-Learning | www.wlu.ca/csl
January, 2013
Michael Bernhard