Service-Learning High-Impact Practice Mini-Grant Program
Service-Learning High-Impact Practice Mini-Grants are designed to provide funding for courses
incorporating service-learning. Service-learning is defined as a method of teaching that includes
experiential learning, classroom instruction, and reflection. Typically service-learning courses
work in cooperation with a community partner and students engage in at least 15 hours of
service during the semester.
Service-learning is considered a “high-impact practice” (HIP), or “an investment of time and
energy over an extended period that has unusually positive effects on student engagement in
educationally purposeful behavior” (Kuh 2010: vi). A HIP is effective with students because it
allows them to interact with faculty and peers about substantive matters; increases the
likelihood that students will experience diversity; provides frequent feedback about their
performance; offers opportunities for students to see how what they are learning works in
different settings, on and off campus; and brings students’ values and beliefs into awareness,
helping them to better understand themselves in relation to others and the larger world (Kuh
2008: 14-17).
Some common outcomes of service-learning are higher grades, persistence rates, and levels of
academic engagement; academic gains (including application of course learning); increases in
critical thinking and writing skills; greater interaction with faculty; greater levels of civic
behavior, social responsibility, understanding of social justice, and sense of self-efficacy; gains
in moral reasoning; greater tolerance and reduced stereotyping; and greater commitment to a
service-oriented career (Brownell and Swaner 2010: 48).
Best practices for implementing service-learning as a high-impact practice include:
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Create opportunities for structured reflection.
Ensure that faculty connect classroom material with the service experience.
Require enough service hours (i.e., 15-20 hours) to make the experience significant.
Focus on the quality of the service, ensuring that students have direct contact with
clients.
Oversee activities at the service site. (Brownell and Swaner 2010: 3)
Purpose
Service-learning HIP mini-grants are to be used for actual expenses associated with servicelearning incurred by faculty, community partner, students, and/or a department. Servicelearning HIP grant funds may not be used to purchase food or to fund travel for presenting
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
research. The maximum amount allowed for expenses will generally be capped at $500.
(Additional funds may be available in some circumstances.)
Service-learning HIP mini-grant recipients may also be awarded a $250.00 stipend. Awardees
are eligible for the stipend if students enrolled in their courses complete a pre survey at the
beginning of the course and a post survey at the completion of the service project, and the
faculty member completes a short course report as well. The stipend will be disbursed after
the course ends and the course report along with pre/post student surveys have been
submitted to the OCEP.
Criteria
Service-learning HIP mini-grant recipients must be USF faculty or doctoral students teaching a
service-learning course. In making awards, preference will be given to applicants who have not
already received a service-learning HIP mini-grant during the previous two semesters. Servicelearning projects must have an identified community partner whose support is indicated in a
letter submitted with the application. The following criteria must be present for a course to be
designated as service-learning and funded through this program:
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Syllabus must have clearly stated course learning objectives that connect with the
service-learning project.
Service performed by students must meet direct community need and result in a
reciprocal learning relationship with community partner.
Faculty must provide structured opportunities for students to reflect on their service
experiences in order to help them connect service with the learning objectives of the
course.
Require enough direct contact service hours (i.e., 15-20 hours) to make the experience
significant.
Faculty or graduate assistant must provide adequate oversight or supervision of
activities at the service site.
Applicant must show why grant funds are crucial to the successful implementation of
the course’s service-learning component.
Deadlines
For Fall 2015 semester: Monday, August 10, 2015 by 5:00pm.
For Spring 2016 semester: Monday, November 30, 2015 by 5:00pm.
For Summer 2016 semester: Monday, April 18, 2016 by 5:00pm.
A maximum of 15 mini-grants will be awarded during the 2015-16 academic year.
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Service-Learning High-Impact Practice Mini-Grant Application
Faculty/Instructor Name:
College & Department:
Email:
Phone Number:
Course Name, Prefix, & Number:
Semester & Year of Course:
Amount Requested: $
Community Partner Name and Contact Information:
You may answer the following questions on this sheet, or attach a sheet with your answers:
1. What are the learning outcomes for your course and how will the service-learning
component help you achieve these outcomes?
2. Explain how the requested funds will be used, and why these expenses are crucial to
the delivery of your course.
3. Please indicate with a “yes” or “no” your willingness to do the following:
a. Administer a brief survey to students so we can document the impact of servicelearning: yes / no
b. Ensure that your department’s scheduler has identified your course as “servicelearning” when scheduling information is given to the Registrar: yes / no
c. Provide material (such as quotations from students and/or community partners;
digital photos; video recordings; news stories; press releases) from your class so
we can feature it on our website/in our newsletter: yes / no
d. Include the following acknowledgement in scholarly works resulting from this
grant: “This work was supported, in part, by funds provided by the University of
South Florida Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships”: yes / no
e. Make a best effort in seeking other support to sustain the service-learning course
in future semesters (e.g., consider adding a course fee to cover expenses
associated with service-learning): yes / no
□ Please include with your application a copy of your syllabus and the letter of support from
your community partner.
All applications, with course syllabus and community partner support letter, must be
submitted electronically to CommunityEngagement@usf.edu by 5:00 pm on the deadline date.
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Service-Learning High-Impact Practice Mini-Grant Budget
Item
Category
Item
Quantity
Description
Total
Funding Requested
from OCEP:
Total funding
requested from
OCEP (not to
exceed $500*):
0
Cost
Supplies
Equipment
Travel
Other
Total
project
budget:
References
Kuh, George D.
2008 High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why
They Matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
2010 “High-Impact Practices: Retrospective and Prospective.” In Jayne E. Brownell and Lynn E.
Swaner, Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and
Quality. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Brownell, Jayne E., and Lynn E. Swaner
2010 Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality.
Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
*
Requests for additional funds may be considered under some circumstances. Please discuss any requests for
funding above $500 with OCEP staff before submitting your application.
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Service-Learning Attribute in OASIS/BANNER
What is service-learning? According to the Florida Campus Compact’s Faculty Guide to Service-Learning, servicelearning (also called “community-based” or “community-engaged” learning) is the process of integrating volunteer
community service combined with guided reflection into the curriculum to enhance and enrich student learning of
course material. Here at USF, we have adopted a working definition of service-learning: it is a method of teaching that
includes experiential learning, classroom instruction, and reflection. Typically, service-learning courses work in
collaboration with a community partner, and students engage in at least 15 hours of service during the semester.
Service-learning builds on a tradition of activism and volunteerism, which was popular in the sixties and saw a
rebirth in the late eighties as cultural, educational, and civic leaders challenged higher education to fulfill its historic
mission to promote civic responsibility. Many colleges have accepted this challenge and created a support network,
the Campus Compact, to develop and promote service-learning as a pedagogical strategy. Service-learning is now a
national movement and is utilized in the majority of colleges and universities in the United States.
Service-learning provides multiple benefits. Community stakeholders benefit from student service projects;
students benefit from hands-on learning experiences. Case study and large-scale research show that students who
participate in service-learning courses often have more successful college careers and become more engaged citizens
after graduation. Here at USF, faculty and students are encouraged to participate in service-learning courses. The
Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships (OCEP) offers workshops and mini-grants to faculty, and has
many service-learning resources available on its website.
To help identify and track such courses, the OCEP has partnered with the Registrar to create a service-learning
attribute. Courses designated as service-learning courses will be noted with this attribute, allowing students to search
for service-learning courses through OASIS. With this attribute, students can find and get credit for enrolling in such
courses. Moreover, the identification of service-learning courses allows Engagement staff to document and monitor
the progress of engaged learning opportunities on campus, which is helpful when we seek recognition or accreditation
through such institutions as the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
At present, the service-learning attribute is added to a course when departmental schedulers
notify the Registrar’s Office by emailing the CRNs of service-learning courses to Louis Gray
(louis12@usf.edu), Academic Services Administrator.
Unfortunately, not all faculty and not all departmental schedulers are familiar with this new attribute, and many
service-learning courses continue to go unreported. We therefore continue to reach out to faculty and academic
departments to ensure that they help us properly identify service-learning courses as they are scheduled.
Below are the criteria that we use for identifying service-learning courses in the strictest sense of the term. However,
we are a bit flexible, and we rely on departments to self-report.
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addresses an identified community need (campus, local, regional, global)
service has a public purpose or results in a benefit to the community
service activity meets one or more course objectives
demonstrates a clear connection between the service activity and the course content
involves reciprocity between course and community that results in students’ increased civic engagement
involves structured student reflection
involves collaboration with an appropriate agency or community representative
involves at least 15 hours of student service to the community
all students in the course are required to engage in S-L experiences, or a suitable alternative
grade will be given for achievement of course objectives through the S-L activity, not just for completing a
set number of hours work with the community partner
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Service-Learning Course Development and
Partnership Building Action Plan Checklist
Planning (two months before semester)
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Consult the OCEP’s Service Learning Resources webpage and FAQ
Review the service-learning course criteria
Schedule a service-learning course consultation with the OCEP
Meet with OCEP and community partner(s)
Determine plan for ongoing communication
Visit community partner project site, if possible
Determine course goals and objectives
Develop partnership agreements
Determine appropriate service-learning course structure
Plan reflection activities
Plan evaluation/assessment strategies
Determine course/project timeline
Determine grading strategy
Create syllabus
Consider liability issues
Prepare course materials (reflection activities, partnership agreements, liability waivers)
Implementation (beginning and during semester)
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Introduce service-learning project on first day of class
Introduce community partner
Conduct exposure and capacity building activities (if needed)
Assign service-learning project
Conduct student orientation and training with community partner
Engage in ongoing evaluation and student accountability measures
Engage in ongoing reflection activities
Maintain ongoing communication with community partners
Invite community partner to student presentations
Final presentation/project
Conduct student and community partner service-learning evaluations
Wrap Up (end of semester)
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Collect time logs/final products from students
Meet with community partner and the OCEP for debriefing
Complete faculty evaluations
Discuss future partnerships opportunities with community partner, if appropriate
Send community partner thank you letter/e-mail
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Questions for COMMUNITY PARTNERS to consider while developing a service-learning course:
Begin by thinking about the work of your organization and breaking it down into concrete tasks.
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How much time does each task take? What are the required skills to do the work? What
additional assistance, skills, and knowledge does your organization currently need? How
could service-learning students help to fill this gap?
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How many students can the organization adequately manage, and in what roles?
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What will the students do, specifically, for the organization (e.g., type of direct service,
desired deliverable, etc.)?
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What kind of pre-service training or orientation will be provided for the students? Who
will provide it? What special skills are required of the students, if any? What information
about the organization and/or project needs to be included in that training?
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How much on-site training and supervision are the students likely to require? How many
hours per week will the staff have to mentor service-learning students?
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What other kinds of assistance could the organization use to more effectively manage
service-learning students?
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What will students learn from their service experiences at the organization?
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What are the intended short- and long-term goals of the service-learning project for the
organization?
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How can the service-learning project further the organization’s mission?
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How will the organization implement the recommendations, use the research findings,
or sustain the service after the service-learning project ends?
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How can the organization build on the service-learning project with another servicelearning course in the future?
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How else could the organization contribute to the class (e.g., guest lecture, attend or
host student class presentations, assist with student/project evaluations), and vice
versa?
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Questions for UNIVERSITY FACULTY to consider while developing a service-learning course:
Begin by thinking about the goals for your course.
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What do you want your students to learn? What might students learn in a community
context that they are unlikely to learn in a classroom? What kind(s) of service-learning
assignments are most likely to accomplish these learning outcomes? Do these projects
lend themselves to individual or group work?
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What type(s) of service-learning assignments would best serve the learning objectives of
the course?
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How will the students’ service at the site benefit the organization?
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What is the anticipated course enrollment?
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What kind of pre-service training or orientation will be provided for the students—and
who will provide it? What information about the course and/or project needs to be
included in that training?
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What special parameters are required of the service-learning assignment (e.g., direct
contact with a specific demographic, ability to practice certain skills, etc.)?
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Are there any prerequisites for the course?
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How will the instructor incorporate the students’ community experiences into classroom
activities (e.g., reflection, course assignments, class discussion)?
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What are the intended short- and long-term goals of the service-learning project for the
students?
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How will the instructor facilitate the delivery of final reports or research findings to the
community partner after the service-learning project ends?
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What mechanisms are needed for keeping track of student work (e.g., time sheets,
attendance slips, sign-in logs, etc.)?
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
Service-Learning High-Impact Practice Course Report
Faculty/Instructor Name:
College & Department:
Email:
Phone Number:
Course Name, Prefix, & Number:
Semester & Year of Course:
Amount Requested: $
Enrollment (indicate graduate and/or undergraduate):
After your course has ended, please complete this form by answering the following questions.
When you are finished, save a copy for your own records and email the completed form to
CommunityEngagement@usf.edu.
Briefly explain the course (i.e., course topics, level, enrollment size, and major service
activities).
Who was (were) the community partner(s) of this service-learning course? Include contact
information.
How did you become acquainted with your community partner(s)?
What community need was addressed through this service-learning course? How was this
need identified?
How did service activities meet your overall course learning objectives?
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities
What steps did you take to ensure that the benefits of the course were reciprocal between
your students and your community partner(s)?
Did you provide instructions or guidance about responsible and respectful behavior towards
community members and partners? If yes, briefly explain.
How do you think the course increased your students’ civic awareness? Please provide one or
more examples.
What do you think were the most significant results of the course for the community
partner(s)?
How, if at all, were these results communicated to the local community?
Were there any challenges or difficulties at any stage of the service-learning course? If so,
what did you do to address them?
Please add anything below that we should have asked about, or that you believe we should
consider.
If possible, please include copies of any digital photographs, video recordings, news stories,
press releases, or other information that in some way is representative of student servicelearning and community engagement made possible through this course.
Save a copy for your own records and email the completed form to
CommunityEngagement@usf.edu.
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
University of South Florida • 4202 East Fowler Avenue, ALN 185 • Tampa, FL 33620
(813) 974-4829 • www.usf.edu/engagement • CommunityEngagement@usf.edu
Building Partnerships to Improve Our Communities