Penn State Beaver
Service Learning Program
Be involved
Give to the Community
Public Scholarship
Penn State Beaver
Service Learning
Supervised Field Experience
Penn State Beaver began offering Service Learning experiences to students in Spring 1998. We have had great
success and very few problems with our service learning, now public scholarship programs. The primary goals
of the public scholarship program are to
 Give back to the community in which the students are being educated,
 Help students use their talents, skills and knowledge for the public good,
 Learn about the importance of civic engagement in a democratic society.
This handbook and set of guidelines is to introduce and reacquaint students and area agencies with our
program.
A Note to Our Participating Agencies:
Student Requirements
1. Students are required to complete 20 hours of volunteer service.
 The preferred structure for the hours is 2 hours per week for 10 weeks or 3 hours for 7 weeks.
Students may consolidate to as few as 5 weeks for 4 hours per week.
 Spreading the work over the semester gives the student more time to “process” their experience,
witness changes over time in clients or their relationship to clients, where appropriate and increase
their own knowledge.
2. Students are required to analyze the social issues with which the agency deals and the organizational
structure and group processes in the agency and reflect on their experience in a journal. Thus, they
might be “quizzing” or interviewing you on a variety of topics.
 Their journals should have three main qualities, description, analysis and reflection.
 They are expected to learn about the social problem with which your agency deals, the clientele, the
group and organizational process that impact the agencies operations, and themselves.
3. Students are expected to behave professionally.
 They should be prompt, courteous, dressed appropriately for your workplace.
 They should make all scheduled appointments, unless they have given you appropriate notice.
We ask that you:
1. Make explicit arrangements with the student with respect to expectations, schedules, and
responsibilities;
2. Orient and train the student, providing him or her with a sense of overall mission of the agency;
3. Keep a record of the student's hours;
4. Communicate periodically with the student about his or her performance;
5. Evaluate the student's contribution at the end of the quarter on the very brief form that we will provide.
If you have any concern at any time during the program, please contact me as soon as possible.
JoAnn Chirico
JoAnn Chirico, Ph.D.
Senior Instructor, Sociology
Pennsylvania State University Beaver
724-773-3846
jxc64@psu.edu
Student Guide to Service Learning
1. REVIEW THE LIST OF PARTICIPATING AGENCIES.
 You will find a list of agencies that we work with on the Reach Out website
http://www.br.psu.edu/StudentLife/ClubsAndOrganizations/32020.htm
 Notice the opportunities available.
Consider:





Do you think that you would like working with children, adults, elderly adults?
Would you like to focus on a particular problem such as addiction, hunger, poverty,
grief, AIDS, delinquency, etc.?
Would you like to use a special skill that you have, such as computer skills,
communication skills, patience, carpentry?
What are your limitations by day of week, hour of day, etc?
Would you like to work directly with clients or behind the scenes?
 Narrow your list to 2 or 3 top choices.
 We encourage you to use the agencies that participate in our program. We have had long and
successful relationships with them.
2. AT THE OPEN HOUSE (FALL SEMESTER ONLY)




Try to meet with your top two or three choices.
Discuss the specific possibilities with the representative.
Fill out as much of your contract as possible.
Arrange for a first meeting at the agency or find out whom to call to set up a first meeting.
Once you have signed a contract with an agency, do not break it. They are counting on you.
These are all good placements. Each one offers a good learning experience, for the student
who wants to learn. Stick with your agency. Your grade will be penalized if you switch
agencies once your contract is signed.
3. THE FIRST VISIT
 Be prompt. If for any reason you might be late OR if you have to reschedule, call as soon as
possible in advance of the meeting.
 Discuss in as much detail as possible what you will be doing, with whom and when.
 Fill out your contract and have it signed, if you haven’t already done so.
 If your work at the agency is to be flexible, that is fine. Indicate this on the contract.
4. WEEKLY SITE WORK
Be prompt, courteous and professional. This service learning project should be treated at least as
importantly as a paying job. Remember that in addition to yourself you are representing your
instructor and PENN STATE.
 Fill out your timesheet and have it signed before you leave.
 Be sure that you have confirmed the next time that you will report to the agency.
 Complete your journal as soon as possible after your visit.
FIELD NOTES: The Journal
Your journal contains your field notes: the record of your research as a “participant observer” at the agency.
After every visit to the agency or research session, answer this question, “What is the most important
thing that I learned today? This could be about your agency, the issue with which it deals, yourself or the
wider society.
Then ask: How did I learn that--- what did I observe, hear about, or read, etc.?
Description:
Your journal will probably start as being very descriptive. You can obtain this information through interview,
agency documents and observation.
1. Mission: What is the mission of the agency?
 Is this a governmental or non governmental agency?
 Is it religiously affiliated?
 What is the mix of paid workers and volunteers?
2. Environment: Describe the physical environment.
 What did you see, hear, smell, touch, taste? (Use your senses.)
 In what ways does the environment enhance or detract from the agency achieving its goals?
 Describe the physical environment that the agency exists within.
 Is this environment relevant to the agency’s work? In what ways?
3. People:
 Describe the action of the people who work with the agency.
 How did the people interact with one another, with you?
 Describe the roles of the people? What do they do to do their jobs and how do they do it?
Analysis:
As you work at the agency more often, the analytical dimension of your journal will grow—
1. Mission:
 How well does the agency accomplish its mission? What are some of the factors that help it achieve
its goals, what are some that hinder it?
 What is the scope of the mission in relation to the larger issues that are involved in the problems
with which the agency deals?
 Are there long and short term goals that help you understand the scope of the agency and its place
with respect its mission and larger issues?
2. Environment:
 In what ways could the physical environment of the agency be improved to help it better achieve its
mission?
 In what ways do environmental factors-- neighborhood, city, social class, political sentiment, other
problems, etc—help or hinder your agency and its clients in achieving their goals.
3. Organization
 Status and Role:
 What are the “official” statuses (positions) of the people who work/ volunteer at the agency?
 What are the roles (expectations) associated with each status?
 How do the people play out their roles?
 What values are evident in how they fulfill their roles? Are the expectations of some of the sub
groups different—managers and workers for instance?



How are the roles they play different or in keeping with the official expectations?
How does the social structure of the agency help or inhibit it in reaching its goals?
Culture
 How would you describe the organizational culture? (goals, values beliefs ideologies, etc.)
 Does the “real” culture—the values, beliefs, etc underlying how people actually act-- differ
from the ideal or official culture?
 How is the agency a reflection of the larger American culture—in the need for the agency, in
what it tries to accomplish?
 What are the values of the agency—how is this reflected in the “material” and non material
culture?
4. Personality
 How do the personalities of the people influence what happens at the agency?
 Are there processes of socialization or resocialization involved in the agencies work with the
clients?
 How would you describe the relationships between the workers and the clients?
5. Group Characteristics
 Analyze the organization as a secondary group:
 To what extent does it have characteristics of a bureaucracy?
 Is it part of a larger bureaucracy or does it have to answer to a larger bureaucratic organization?
6. Social Processes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What social processes do you witness; cooperation, competition, exchange, conflict?
Do you think that your presence in the agency changes any of the usual patterns of interaction? How?
What does the agency accomplish? How does it accomplish this?
How is this agency or its clients perceived by the rest of the society?
How is the problem that the agency addresses being addressed by and caused by the larger society and
social issues?
Particularly for “Sociology of Family” students: but not exclusively
 What is the relationship between the agency and the institution of family
 Is the agency a “functional” alternative to family; if so how successful is it? How successful can it
be?
 Does the agency help “solve” problems that have their root in family life
 Does the agency help relieve or respond to stress on the family?
 How does it interact with families?
Particularly for Criminology students:
 What is the relationship between the particular problem and crime or “crime fighting”
 Can you do a neighborhood “analysis” and compare it to the crime rate
 Is the population served by the agency in any way a vulnerable population—more likely to be
victimized—why or why not
 What forces of order and disorder are at work that contribute to a lower or higher crime rate in this
population, neighborhood etc
 How does the agency help create order—
Particularly for Criminal Justice Students:
 Compare what you see and learn in the field with the models discussed in class or in the text>



o What models of policing are practiced? What are the different styles of police officers? You can
do this with each work group: Judges, magistrates, defense and prosecuting attorneys, probation
officers, etc.
What aspects of the system do you think facilitate justice and what aspects hamper justice?
What processes of the criminal justice did you observe? In what ways were they similar to or different
from class and textbook discussions?
How do crime rates in the area in which you are working compare to national rates or other local areas?
What factors might explain these differences?
Particularly for Civic Engagement Students
 What community needs does the agency address?
 To what extent does the agency rely on volunteers to accomplish its goals?
 Do the volunteers and others in the agency have a sense of a shared mission?
 How much do you think the community at large understands the problems with which the agency
deals? (Consider problems of the clients, the community, funding, public relations and other kinds
of problems.)
Particularly for Race and Ethnicity Students
 How diverse is the community that the agency services?
 Are the workers or clients at the agency representative of the population of the community or are
they skewed to one or another race or ethnicity?
 Do race or ethnicity impact the nature of the issue with which the agency deals?
Your journals will start out very descriptively—keep your eyes, ears and mind open. Write each time you go to
the agency and reflect on it in between visits as well. Your journal should become more and more analytical--observing social forces and their impact and how they may be “manipulated” by agencies to achieve the desired
results.
Reflection:




How do you feel about working in this agency?
How are you being changed by your work in the agency?
Is working with the agency rewarding?
What are you accomplishing, for the agency, the clients, yourself?
IMPORTANT: Make use of the resources about service learning and public scholarship found in the
library. Using and citing these sources will improve your journal.
The journal may be handwritten. As a “rule of thumb,” write at least two full pages in your journal each week.
You can include your research in your journal as well as agency experience.
Overview:
At the end of the term, a three page typed overview of your agency work and analysis is to be turned in with
your journal for part of your grade. The overview should not repeat your journal but should summarize the
main lessons you learned. It should be a succinct statement of the highlights of your “participant observation”
research.
Field Experience Contract
Penn State Beaver
This form should be completed at the open house or during your first visit to your agency.
RETURN ASAP to the Student Development Office, room 101 Student Union Building.
Name________________________________ Course_____________________________ Term______________
Phone _______________________________ E mail______________________________
Name of Service Learning Agency _________________________________________
Agency Supervisor
Address
Phone
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
E mail _________________________________________
Your Primary Responsibilities and Duties *
Your Primary Learning Objectives **
* Revisable according to agreement between student and agency.
** Revisable as student gains in knowledge and understanding of agency.
READ CAREFULLY
As a service learning student, you are given a unique and valuable experience. To undertake in this adventure as a
representative of Penn State, your instructor and your self, you must agree to
•
•
•
•
Fulfill your agreement as to your duties, hours and responsibilities to the best of your ability.
Be professional-- punctual, polite, and respectful of agencies’ policies, rules and regulations.
Respect the confidentiality of clients of the agency.
Give notification in advance if you must miss or be late for an agency appointment. If advance notification is
impossible, call as soon as possible thereafter.
I have read and agree to the contract and the guidelines as outlined above.
________________________________________
Student Signature
___________________
Date
I have read the contract and agree to supervise or provide supervision for the student above.
________________________________________
Agency Supervisor
___________________
Date
Log of Service Learning Hours
Date
Hours
TOTAL
HOURS
Activities/Duties
Supervisor Signature
ENTER # HRS HERE
Supervisor Signature
& Date
*Don’t forget to complete your Service Learning Evaluation
When you have completed your service learning hours, have the evaluation on the following page completed by
the person with whom you worked most closely. Return it with your field notes (journal) and typed overview.
Dear Supervisor,
We appreciate your participation in and cooperation with our service learning program. Service learning
provides students with opportunities to expand and enhance knowledge they gain in the classroom. It also
provides them with a unique opportunity to contribute to building strong communities and appreciate the
importance of social service. We hope that our students make important contributions to the agencies with
which they work and the clients whom they serve.
Please use this opportunity to provide us with feedback on the student who worked with you this term and the
service learning program generally. Again, thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to seeing you
at our next open house.
Sincerely,
JoAnn Chirico
FEEDBACK ON STUDENT
How would you rate this student on:
Excellent
Average
Poor
Helpfulness?
5
4
3
2
1
Understanding of Agency?
5
4
3
2
1
Courtesy, promptness, reliability?
5
4
3
2
1
Total Number of Hours Completed: ______
Comments:
FEEDBACK ON SERVICE LEARNING PROGRAM
Number of Hours Required
Too low
Just right
Too many
Communication with PSU Beaver
Too many
Just right
Too few
Knowledge of Service Learning Program provided by Penn State
Good
Fair
Inadequate
Would you like us to contact you for future Reach Out Service Learning events and Open Houses? (check for yes)
Student Name
__________________________________
Supervisor Signature
Date
___________________________________________________________
SUPERVISOR CONTACT INFORMATION
Name of Agency: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________
Email: ______________________________
Fax: ______________________
NOTES:
For an electronic versions of the Service Learning Handbook, including contracts, and evaluation forms:
http://www.br.psu.edu/StudentLife/ClubsAndOrganizations/32020.htm
JoAnn Chirico
Irene Wolf
JoAnn Chirico, Ph.D.
Senior Instructor, Sociology
Penn State University Beaver
724-773-3846
jxc64@psu.edu
Irene Wolf, Ph.D.
Senior Instructor, Philosophy
Penn State University Beaver
724-773-3865
iaw1@psu.edu
Larissa B. Ciuca
Stephanie DeMaro
Larissa B. Ciuca, M.S.Ed.
Student Personal & Career Counselor
Career Services
Pennsylvania State University Beaver
724-773-3961
lbm12@psu.edu
Stephanie DeMaro
Regional Job & Internship Developer
Career Services
Pennsylvania State University
724-773-3953
saw163@psu.edu
For future Job, Volunteer, and Internship Events, see the Career Services Events page:
http://www.br.psu.edu/StudentServices/32729.htm