Service-Learning
JOSHUA DUPLANTIS, M.ED.
DIRECTOR OF SERVICE-LEARNING
THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
USM Office of Community Service-Learning
 One FTE and 3 Graduate Assistants
 Faculty Training - annual seminar
 Student development – 11 service oriented student
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groups
2400 individuals engage in service annually
44,434 hours service in 2009, representing an
economic impact of $899,788.50
66 Community Partners
Teach IDS/Service-Learning courses
How we fit into the University Mission
 One of USM’s Core Focus Areas “Connection to
Community”
 Housed in the Student Union
 A student affairs department (operating budget)
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Day to day stuff
Report to the VP for Student Affairs and the Provost
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Faculty Fellows Program equally funded
Faculty Fellows Program
 Led by OCSL and Faculty Liaison
 6 Faculty chosen every fall to participate in a Service
Learning Seminar during the Spring Semester
 Chosen by the Service-Learning Advisory Council
 Department gets course release for faculty participation
 Faculty agree to all seminar requirements and to
incorporate service-learning into a course in the
following academic year.
Faculty Seminar
 Eyler, Giles (1999) Where’s the Learning in Service
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Learning
Campus Compact SL Toolkit
Article Reviews
Faculty volunteer with potential partners and journal
their experience.
Continuously revise a syllabus.
Rural Studio Trip – Newbern, AL
Presidential Cabinet Presentation
Faculty Fellow Continuing Education
 Ropes Course =Team Building for alumni
 Service-Learning Brown Bag Series
 Grant partnerships –community garden
 Resource for collaborative work
 Host for conference calls and webinars
 Community connection
 Data Collection
Program Cost
 Specific budget for the Faculty Fellows
 Course Releases
 Course Materials
 Travel
 Continuing Education
 Stipend for Faculty liaison – course release each semester
 General Operating Budget
 Overhead
 Volunteer recognition
 Large volunteer days
Topics For Discussion
Service-Learning in the Syllabus
 No need to change
academic objectives
(same location;
different vehicle)
 Incorporate reflection
and service into
assignments
E.D.I.T
 Experience – This is the experience you
participated in or behavior performed
 Describe – Report in detail events you observed
or participated in; feeling s you experienced;
 Interpret- What do the phenomena you reported
mean to you personally and in terms of the
course concepts?
 Transfer – How can you apply those insights
reported in then previous step ; How can you
apply them to the service site; or apply them in
your intellectual, social , or spiritual life; or apply
them to your personal conduct.
To Mandate Service or Not ???
Community Partnerships
 Who Identifies Need?
 Reciprocal Relationship
 Community Partners are Co-Educators
 Getting from Transactional to Transformational
 How do we know when we've done that
Community Partnerships
 Non-profits
 Community Groups
 Faith Based Groups
 Public School System
 Campus Volunteerism
Opportunities for publication
 Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning
 Journal of Higher Education Outreach and
Engagement
 Journal of Community Engagement and
Scholarship
 Respected journals in most academic areas
Questions?
“Consciously or unconsciously, everyone of
us does render some service or another. If
we cultivate the habit of doing this service
deliberately, our desire for service will
steadily grow stronger, and it will make not
only for our own happiness, but that of the
world at large.”
- Ghandi
Josh’s Definition of
Service-Learning (140+ in the Lit)
 Service-learning is a credit-bearing educational
experience in which students participate in an
organized service activity that meets identified
community needs and reflect on the service activity
in such a way as to gain further understanding of
course content, a broader appreciation of the
discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic
responsibility (Bringle and Hatcher,1996).
Reflection
 The hyphen in
“service-learning”
 The process of thinking
about one’s service
activities and their
relationship to course
content (Werner &
McVaugh, 2000)
 Promotes broader and
deeper learning
Reflection Activities
 Writing Exercises
 Group Discussion
 Journaling
 Reflection Papers
Reflection
 What? So What? Now What?
What? Describe what you saw and felt; how the site
looked; what did you do?
 So what? Interpret what you saw, etc. What does it mean
to you personally and what does in mean in terms of
concepts from this course.
 Now what? Action Step. It involves a critique of what you
saw and felt and recommendations for what to do in light
of your interpretations and critiques.
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