2005-2006
Community-Based
Learning Student
Manual
Interdisciplinary First Year
Seminars
*
Trinity University Office of
Service-Learning and Community-Based
Learning and Research
Washington, DC
This manual and the Service-Learning and Community-Based Learning
and Research Program at Trinity University have been established through
the generous support of the CoRAL Network.
www.coralnetwork.org
Contents
Introduction
Student Engagement Survey
Community-Based Learning at Trinity University
Frequently Asked Questions by Students
Specific Guidelines for Community-Based Learning
Students
General Expectations of Community-Based Learning
Partnerships
Observations and Note Taking Guidelines
Examples of the Four Categories for Observation and
Note Taking
Reflection Guidelines
Service Learning Journals
Community-Based Learning Forms
Placement Form
Community-Based Learning Time Sheets
Community-Based Learning Contract Between Student &
Community Agency
Contacts and More Information
Introduction
This student manual was created for you to use in conjunction with the community-based learning (CBL) portion
of your INT coursework. CBL will help you connect what you read and learn in the classroom with real life
experiences. This manual will explain what CBL is, how it will be used in your INT class, and should answer many
other questions you may have about CBL. Please read it carefully. Enjoy your semester!
Washington, DC Area
Student Engagement Assessment
Questionnaire (SEA-Q)
All Trinity University students who are enrolled in INT courses with a community-based
learning (CBL) component are required to participate in the CoRAL Network’s online
assessment of student service-learning. This assessment measures the impact of the CBL
you are participating in. It is being given to students across the District of Columbia and
Maryland.
It is important to respond to the survey for several reasons. The CoRAL Network
financially sponsors the CBL portion of these courses at Trinity. Their assistance is critical to
our work, and our assistance with this survey is critical to their work. You will be
responding as part of a cohort of students from DC and Maryland.
Students from area universities who will also be taking this survey include:
Trinity Georgetown GWU
American
Catholic
UDC
UMD-College Park
Our goal is 100% participation from all Trinity CBL students. You are critical to
helping us meet our goal!
Where it asks for “Student ID,” enter the last four digits of your social security
number. This is just to ensure that each individual enrolled in these classes completed the
survey. The survey takes 8-12 minutes to complete and individual responses are
confidential.
Answer all of the questions, then submit. There are no right or wrong answers, just
your observations, reflections and opinions. At the end of the survey you will receive a
confirmation number. Please write this number down and keep it in a safe place; your
professor will tell you what to do with your confirmation number.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Trinity’s CommunityBased Learning and Research office at majorsm@trinitydc.edu, the CoRAL Network at
info@coralnetwork.org, or your professor.

Fall 2005
At the beginning of the Fall 2005 semester, go online to
http://www.coralnetwork.org/student/SEAQ/fall2005pre.html
Don’t use this link if you are enrolled in Spring 2006!
At the end of the Fall 2005 semester after you have completed your CBL hours,
go online to
http://www.coralnetwork.org/student/SEAQ/fall2005post.html
Don’t use this link if you are enrolled in Spring 2006!
Spring 2006
At the beginning of the Spring 2006 semester, go online to
http://www.coralnetwork.org/student/SEAQ/spring2006pre.html
Don’t use this link if you are enrolled in Fall 2005!
At the end of the Spring 2006 semester after you have completed your CBL hours,
go online to
http://www.coralnetwork.org/student/SEAQ/spring2006post.html
Don’t use this link if you are enrolled in Fall 2005!
Community-Based Learning at Trinity
University
Trinity University incorporates required community-based learning (CBL) into the experience of the First Year
Seminar as a means of achieving certain course goals and specific objectives. CBL invites students to learn
from their service to and their work with community organizations that meet the needs of the poor and the
disenfranchised. Our community placement sites are carefully selected as good places to think about and
gain understanding of themes that arise in course readings and class discussions.
Student service, as a fundamental part of the First Year Seminar, supports the aims of social justice as
embraced in the mission statement of Trinity. Faculty and students are able to express these values through
direct service, advocacy, community organization, and research meant to effect social change.
Students are not graded for the service, but on the reflection they engage in on that service and on
the degree to which they successfully apply lessons learned in the community to the abstract ideas addressed
in the classroom.
The First Year Seminar introduces students to community-based learning in preparation for later
courses that deepen the capacities of students, of the university, and of the community partner organizations
to exchange knowledge among themselves, and ultimately to improve the lives of those among whom we live
and work. Students are encouraged to travel and work at the sites in two or three person teams.
Trinity University added a CBL component to its INT courses in 2003. Since then, many students have
asked questions about it. We have compiled the most common of these questions into a FAQ section.
Frequently Asked Questions by Students
1.
What is “Community-Based Learning” (CBL)?
CBL combines community service with academic
instruction. Students (a) provide service (as defined
by the community) and (b) reflect on the service
activity as a means of gaining a better
understanding of course content. It is a teaching
and learning method that allows students to test
theories with real life experiences. CBL is not just
another class assignment. In this course you will be
required to build relationships and work
cooperatively with members of pre-selected
community organizations which have agreed to
collaborate with First Year (INT 115) Seminars and
to act as your community hosts this semester.
2. How many hours do I have to serve?
You have to complete a minimum of 20 hours of
service by the end of the semester. You should
schedule 6 to 8 hours per month over the course of
the semester. Your professor will be checking in
with the host organization staff to follow your
progress.
3. How will I be graded for the CBL?
You are not graded for performing community
service but instead will be assessed on your ability
to reflect on and critically analyze your service
experience as well as apply your service
experience to the course content and vice versa.
This will include relating the course lectures and
materials to your real-life experiences at your
service site. Your professor will assess this element
of the course on the basis of a portfolio consisting
of the following components:
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Forms, which your professor will distribute,
including the pre-service and postservice survey;
A guided reflection that you will write in
class;
Your journal observation entries on the
your first six hours of service;
A poster presentation or other written or
oral assignment specific to your section;
Your journal observation entries on your
remaining hours of service;
A final reflective paper in which you
integrate the service you performed with
the seminar objectives; and,
Any brochures, literature, photographs,
sketches,
interview
notes,
poems,
websites, etc., you include as related to
your service.
Your grade on the portfolio will constitute 25% of
your overall course grade.
4. What skills do I need to do CBL?
The main skills you need are the real life skills you
may already possess, such as sensitivity, good
communication, self-presentation, and time
management. For example, you might be
supervised by and work with people who are
different from you in various ways. You should
always treat them with respect. The philosophy of
CBL claims that members of these communities
have know-how and expertise that both you and
your professors respect and can learn from. In
college, if you don’t show up to class or meet your
academic obligations, you only let yourself down.
But in CBL, if you don’t uphold your obligations to
your host community organization, there are other
serious consequences: you may disrupt its work or
even create more work for the organization. If you
know in advance that you will be missing your
service hours (because of an emergency or
scheduling conflict), you should contact your site
supervisor as soon as possible to reschedule your
hours. If you miss your hours unexpectedly, it is up
to YOU (not your host organization) to reschedule
your service hours as soon as possible.
5. Whom should I contact if I have a problem at
my service site?
You should contact your site supervisor, your
professor, and Dean Michie.
6. If I can’t serve at the pre-selected site, can I
serve at another community organization?
Yes, but you must discuss this as soon as possible
with your professor.
7.
What are the benefits of CBL as experiential
learning?
CBL as one form of experiential learning differs
from much of traditional education in suggesting
that information can be better learned if it is
applied to real world situations. In other words, CBL
offers you a chance to learn more by doing good.
Research indicates that the use of this type of
learning and teaching pedagogy has a positive
effect on your personal development; personal
identity, spiritual growth, and moral development,
and it gives you a sense of personal efficacy. It
increases your interpersonal skills and your ability to
work with others. This type of teaching and
learning enhances leadership and communication
skills. It also reduces stereotypes and facilitates
cultural and racial understanding as well as having
a positive effect on your sense of social
responsibility and your citizenship skills. In an
increasingly competitive job market, developing
real world experience and skills will make you more
marketable.
Interestingly,
service-learning
improves students’ satisfaction with the college
experience and increases the probability that you
will graduate.
Specific Guidelines for
Community-Based Learning Students
Please bear in mind that as a Trinity student participating in community-based learning, you are Trinity’s
ambassador to the community. We ask that you hold yourself to high standards of ethical conduct. In
particular, you should abide by the following guidelines:
Be proactive.
Your site supervisors should assist you in situations of uncertainty or discomfort, but you are responsible
for bringing any issues of concern to their attention. This is your learning experience; be helpful, but also be
clear about what you need. Report any dangerous or threatening actions to the site supervisor and to your First
Year Seminar faculty.
Be punctual and responsible.
Your community partner relies on you and other volunteers. Keep your commitments. If you are
running late, call the site. If you can not attend at the scheduled time; you should reschedule.
Respect the confidentiality of client information.
Information about clients should be kept strictly confidential. Even when sharing stories informally,
withhold identifying information.
Be appropriate.
Your language, dress, and conduct should be professional and appropriate. Your demeanor should
be courteous and respectful.
Be flexible.
Work may not be consistent in terms of intensity or type of activity. Design your experience so that it
will be rewarding for you, but also be flexible in your efforts to be helpful to your community partner.
On the other hand:
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Never report to your site under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Never stay in a situation you feel is unsafe.
Never give or lend money or personal belongings to a client.
Never give a client your address or telephone number.
Never make promises or commitments to a client.
Never give a client or agency representative a ride in your personal vehicle.
Never accept a ride in the personal vehicle of a client or agency representative.
Never tolerate a verbal exchange of a sexual nature or any suggestive behavior. (Leave!)
Safety Tips
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For safety, Trinity policies specify that you should always travel in pairs or small groups.
Avoid going to unfamiliar neighborhoods after dark.
Carry a bit of cash, a twenty and a few ones for instance; do not carry credit cards.
Do not wear flashy clothing or jewelry.
Try not to carry a purse.
Wear comfortable shoes.
Carry your cell phone.
Let a friend know where you are going and when you will be back.
If you see a confrontation, seek help.
If you drive, do not leave articles visible in your car.
If you take the bus or metro, have the exact fare ready and know the route in advance.
If you feel threatened, do not be afraid to scream; yelling “fire” often generates help.
Get to know your supervisor and staff members at your site. Ask them questions about safety in the
area and ask them what you should do if you find yourself in trouble.
When working at a site, familiarize yourself with people, places, and things that can be of assistance in
times of emergency (e.g., location of phones, fire stations, 24-hour stores, etc.)
If an incident occurs that in any way makes you feel unsafe, Trinity University has a protocol for reporting
the incident and for following up so as to ensure your safety. Speak with you professor and Dean Michie for
more information.
Observations and Note Taking
Guidelines
1. There are four categories for observation and note taking.
You should observe the following in particular:
a) service site characteristics; b) individual characteristics of the people at the site; c) social and personal
interactions; and d) introspection. Examples of these are provided below.
2. Use your imagination to find as much information as possible about your service-learning site and people.
For example, make sure to read the site’s literature and brochures and surf its website. Interviews are good
ways to collect in-depth information but can be time consuming. A short questionnaire allows you to collect
information from a larger number of people in a shorter amount of time. If you are interested in developing
interview questions or a questionnaire, consult your professor.
3. Do not take notes while you are working. Rather find a place (a café, the metro, your bus, or your car)
immediately afterwards and write down all you can remember. Your final reflective paper will be based on
your field notes so the more details you have, the richer the information you will have available to aid your
reflection. See below for academic journaling guidelines.
4.
You should avoid making judgments during your written evaluation of your service experience. Your
observation should be descriptive rather than evaluative and judgmental. Write down how things happened
and what people said and did so later on you can reflect on the deeper meaning of this information, how it
affected you, and what you learned from it. For example, it is better to write down “She called him stupid” than
to write “She was rude to him.” “He asked ten questions” is better than “He asked too many questions.”
5. Take a notebook with you to your service site. Relax and enjoy!
!
!
These are just general suggestions
!
If your professor gives you different guidelines to follow for reflection, use those instead
!
General Expectations of
Community-Based Learning
Partnerships
Community-based learning works best when each party undertakes a responsibility for the partnership.
Students, community partners, and faculty all play a role in making community based learning work.
Student responsibilities:
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Arrange hours with community sites within the first week of class.
Arrive promptly, and do what you have agreed to do at the community site.
Show respect for those at the site and conduct yourself in a professional manner.
Speak with your professor if you are uncomfortable or dissatisfied.
Reflect on your experiences at the service site. Think about how your experience relates to the course.
Maintain the confidentiality of the people served.
Community Partner Responsibilities:
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Provide the student with information about the goals and mission of the site.
Provide work that is important for the organization and significant to the student.
Provide necessary training to and supervision of the student.
Ensure a safe work environment.
Faculty Responsibilities:
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Describe the community-based learning component of the course and its relation to the course
objectives as part of the introduction to the course.
Provide information to assist students in finding suitable community partners.
Facilitate students’ reflection through class discussions and/or course assignments relating on site
experiences to course content.
Assess the student’s portfolio.

Examples of the Categories for
Observation and Note Taking
A. Site Characteristics
1. Note the socioeconomic character of the neighborhood.
2. What are the physical conditions of the building and its facilities?
3. Note the placement of the literature and the posters and other wall hangings at your service site. What does
the literature communicate about the organization?
B. Individual Characteristics
1. Note the race, gender, socioeconomic status, and any other relevant characteristics of the clients. What
assumptions do you find yourself making about the clients, volunteers, or organization’s employees?
2. How are they dressed?
3. Can you tell anything about their education or religion?
4. What will you ask them or talk with them about?
C. Interactions
1. How do the employees and volunteers interact with the clients?
2. How do the clients interact with the employees and volunteers?
3. How do the employees and the volunteers interact with each other?
4. What might the differences among these interactions mean?
D. Introspection
1. Finally, don’t forget to write down your responses to what is going on, what you do, how you feel, and how
people respond to you.
2. What had you expected to find at the site?
3. In what ways have your expectations been met or challenged?
4. How has the experience altered you? What effect has it had? What have you contributed to the
experience?
Reflection Guidelines
Throughout the semester you will have multiple opportunities to reflect on what you are doing at your service
site and how it is relevant to what you are learning in this course. After you have started your service, at the
end of each class you should ask yourself, “How do the concepts, ideas, and information discussed in the class
today relate to my service experience?” Take a few minutes to write your reflections down. You may find that
about once a month your group will be asked to give a brief update or progress report. Your professor will
provide you with questions and concepts that will connect your course content to the community-based
learning. Generally, the student responses should be in the short-essay format.

Introduction [1-2 paragraphs]
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What exactly will you be writing about?
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Why is this interesting or important?
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On what point or insight do you want the essay to focus?
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Body [2-3 paragraphs]
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What do you understand the question to be? Say this in your own words.
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What have you found out as you have thought about the question and your service experience?
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How does your insight connect to the course content?
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Summary/Conclusion [1-2 paragraphs]
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Does the connection between your service experience and the course content make sense to you?
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Do you have questions now that you did not have before? What are they?
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Do you have any last thoughts?
Service Learning Journals:
Reflective Writing:
On
Reflective writing (or academic journal writing) is sometimes confused with personal or diary writing, but these
two forms differ in some fundamental ways. To avoid any waste of time or energy on your part, it seems useful
to draw attention to these differences.
In the first place, reflective writing is not private. Your professor will read your essay (or journal)
regularly. She will comment on what she reads. Her comments will help direct you to further thought and
writing and will thus contribute to the ongoing process of writing, rewriting, critiquing what you yourself have
written, revising, rethinking, and writing more. This is the process by which professional writers produce most of
their work, and it is the process by which you will produce the longer, more analytic or research-driven writings
you will author for this course. You will use this same process to write most of your own work in college.
Reflective writing is meant to be revised. Diary or personal writing, because it provides a personal and
informal record of your feelings or experiences, is often valued for its spontaneity; carelessness and even
idiosyncratic or poor style may be valued because of the immediacy of the events described. Reflective
writing, in contrast, is a kind of preliminary formal writing. This writing consists of observations and reflections,
thoughts and suggestions, questions and answers, all of which may develop later into longer papers and
essays. Therefore, you should frequently reread your reflective essays (or journal entries), and when you do, you
should critique some and elaborate others. In other words, you should regularly revise your reflections even
when your professor has not read them yet.
Finally, you may incorporate in your reflection entries that are non-verbal, such as sketches, photos,
musical compositions, etc. But all such entries must be accompanied by your comments, which should in turn
draw on what you have discussed and learned during your service experience, class meetings, and your own
reading.
As practice and preparation for the questions and prompts that your professors will offer and assign,
you should write reflective pieces on every reading assignment. When you read further on a particular topic or
section of the course, you should be making connections between your present reading and the previous
readings that have been discussed. Your informal reflections can form the notes you bring to class in
preparation for the discussions on each assignment, and the in-class discussion can begin the process of
revision as you take notes.
writing:
Here are some additional suggestions about how to develop the appropriate habits of reflective
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Always bring your writing to class meetings. Read your entries or essays just prior to the beginning of
class.
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Leave ample margins so that you can add and revise during class discussions.
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Feel free to include passages and other “found” materials quoted from other writers or from television,
radio, and other media along with your own thoughtful comments on them.
Although these suggested habits may seem time-consuming, they facilitate the written assignments
for any course you may be taking, especially this one, and will ultimately enhance your learning of the
coursework and likely have a positive impact on your final grade.
!
!
These are just general suggestions
!
If your professor gives you different guidelines to follow for reflection, use those instead
!
2005-2006
Community-Based
Learning Student
Manual
Student Forms
*
Trinity University Office of
Community-Based Learning and Research
Washington, DC
Instructions: Fill in each form, tear out and turn in as requested by your professor. Need extra forms?
Visit Trinity’s CBL website [www.trinitydc.edu/academics/service_learning].
Placement Form
TRINITY UNIVERSITY
INT 115: The First Year Seminar
Instructor’s name:
Section title & number:
I,
print your name
, understand that to enrich my
education and experience in the first year seminar
course, I will make excursions into the DC community to
complete service learning. I will be asked to use public
transportation (subway or bus), or arrange my own
personal transportation to go to community based
organizations. My instructor has explained to me the
risks involved and measures I should take to ensure
personal safety.
Student Signature:
Date:
Community-Based Learning Time Sheet
Trinity University
INT 115: First Year Seminar
Student:
Site:
Please list the dates and times you worked at your community-based learning site each week below. At the
end of each month, your on-site supervisor should sign off. Turn in sheets as completed to your Trinity University
instructor.
MONTH/YEAR ________________________________________________
Week One Dates: _____/_____ through _____/_____
Day
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Hours Served
Week Two Dates: _____/_____ through _____/_____
Day
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Hours Served
Week Three Dates: _____/_____ through _____/_____
Day
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Hours Served
Week Four Dates: _____/_____ through _____/_____
Day
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
On-site supervisor’s name and title
On-site supervisor’s signature and date
Hours Served
Community-Based Learning Contract Between Student & Community Agency
*Return completed form to your instructor*
?
Part I: I,
print your name
learning site:
, agree to do the following at my community-based
* Perform my assigned duties to the best of my abilities
* Follow the organization’s rules and procedures
* Maintain confidentiality of client information as directed by my on site supervisor
* Accept supervision and feedback from my on site supervisor and my instructor
* Complete 20 hours of service this semester
* Provide 24-hour notice to the community site if I am unable to attend
Part II: The community-based organization’s supervisor agrees to:
* Provide adequate information and training for the student
* Provide information about the organization’s mission, clientele, and operational
procedures
* Make clear to the student expectations about confidentiality of client information and
other sensitive data
* Provide adequate supervision to the student and give feedback on her performance
* Provide meaningful tasks related to student’s skills, interests, and available time
* Provide reasonable and customary safety precautions for the student
Student Signature:
Date:
Student’s Telephone Number:
INT Course Number and Section:
Instructor’s Name:
Community Partner Organization:
On-Site Supervisor’s Name:
Community Partner’s Telephone Number:
On-Site Supervisor’s Signature:
Date:
Service-Learning and CommunityBased Learning and Research Program
For more information about this manual, contact:
Melynda Majors
Service-Learning and Community-Based Learning and Research Coordinator
Trinity University
125 Michigan Avenue, NE
487 Main Hall
Washington, DC 20017
(202) 884-9646
(202) 531-1969 cellular
majorsm@trinitydc.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, please e-mail for an appointment.
Visit us on the world wide web!
http://www.trinitydc.edu/academics/service_learning
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2005-2006
Community-Based
Learning Student
Manual
*
Trinity University Office of
Service-Learning and Community-Based
Learning and Research
Washington, DC
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