Community service learning guidelines

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Community Service Learning - an academic study linked to community service through structured reflection so that each reinforces the other. The community service may address a variety of community needs, community outreach and education, research or policy analysis. --DeAnza Community Engagement]


Overview

These general guidelines for all community service learning projects outline the project learning outcomes, requirements and deliverables.

  • community service learning is OPTIONAL


Community Partner Organizations - Each semester different organizations are selected for student projects -- see list and descriptions below


In addition to working with the community partner organization, complete and submit the following

  • plan - prior to beginning your Community Service Learning project work
  • status reporting - during the project work, comment about your project status
  • summary - at the end of the project, complete and submit your Project summary and service learning analysis.

First steps

  • Review the list of partner projects. Which one do you want to work on?
  • Read the instructions for the Community Service Learning project for the Community Partner you select.


Project planning

  • Learn about the community partners and the service learning work. Pick one. Using the outline provided, make a plan for your work. Post your Community Service Learning plan to the Community Service Learning discussion.
  • Keep a Time Log - track your hours worked with dates and times, functions performed, results, achievements. Keep a detail record of your work to include in the final project summary submission.
  • Think about what you are going to contribute and how this is relevant to the course. What you are going to be doing? And why this is important?

Brief outline describing your service to the organization and how it relates to the course topics

  • Organization - name, web site link
  • Volunteer information, help contact - email or phone number to contact the community partner organization if you need help
  • Brief outline of the organization, its mission
  • How did you select this project?
  • Who benefits from the work of this organization?
  • What service will you be providing?
  • Is training or preparation necessary / available?
  • How does the organization and the community service learning experience address your interests or concerns for society?
  • How does this community service learning work relate to the course?


Student's responsibilities

  • Select community organization, complete and submit a proposal
  • Maintain a timesheet - hours with dates and times, work done, achievements, results
  • Take notes
  • Complete and submit the Summary and Analysis quiz


Status reports

For the status post, include total hours, a brief summary of how the project is going and any questions or suggestions to share with others working with the same community partner.


Project summary

Submit to Community Service Learning - Summary - From your experiences, we want to gather suggestions for volunteers, and suggestions for organizations and communities served. When you have performed your community service learning project work, summarize the project and community needs and service learning connections with the course.


Here are some questions to guide your community service learning summary

  • Provide a brief description of the community service learning and how it related to CIS 2 topics. What specific work did you do? Were there deliverables?
    • service learning activities - your responsibilities, dates, number of hours including time for training and preparation
    • service learning connection to course topics - how does this apply to the course
  • Describe training, supervision and/or feedback your received while working on the community service learning project. Include your time log - hours worked with dates and times, functions performed, results, achievements.
  • Did your community service learning work contribute to the community? Was it worth the effort?
  • What suggestions do you have for the community organization that you were working with? How can they improve? What would help them help their community? What should an other volunteer know that would help them? How can the community / organization use students working on community service learning projects more effectively?
    • benefit of service learning to organization
    • if applicable, organization feedback - Has the volunteer supervisor reviewed this overview? Did she/he have suggestions for you or other students participating in community service learning projects?
  • Community Service Learning - an academic study linked to community service through structured reflection so that each reinforces the other. The community service may address a variety of community needs, community outreach and education, research or policy analysis.
    Did your community service learning experience fulfill these requirements?
  • What suggestions do you have for improving the Community service learning?
  • What did you learn from the Community service learning project? Will you do this kind of community service work again? What could YOU have done differently to improve this learning experience?


Community Partners

These are the suggested community partners for this course. They offer online volunteering opportunities related to course subjects.

There are many other organizations that offer online volunteer. Please check with your instructor first, if you want to work with a community partner other than those listed here.

  • Scratch - review sample programs, write an intro
  • Engineering 4 Kids - review, write stories about people, places and things related to engineering for kids in K-8


Background information

Community Service Learning is also considered a form of experiential education in which students apply knowledge, skills, critical thinking and good judgment to address genuine community needs. This is the applied theory / lab experience. Keep notes of your experience. The summary and analysis at the end of the project requires critical thinking about your experience working in a community organization and how organizations such as the one you work with support the community.

There are many ways to fulfill the community service learning requirement by providing a value to society through the internet.

We are always looking for suggestions to streamline the process to accommodate many more students participating in Community Service Learning Projects.


Students said...

These are the comments of students from previous semesters who completed their Community Service Learning. I couldn't make up stuff like this. It is an honor to have made it possible for students to have these important learning experiences and make these remarkable contributions.


What did you learn from the Community service learning project? Will you do this kind of community service work again? What could YOU have done differently to improve this learning experience?


  • I learned so much from the project. When I first started the project I had no idea that people could do community service online. I really liked that project and I feel that it is a great idea. I know that a little goes a long way so helping out even a little will make me feel good. Something that I could have done differently to improve this learning experience would have been to start the project sooner. I wish I understood what to do earlier so that I would have seen how much fun this project was so that I could have started doing more community service.


  • I would definitely do this type of community service work again. The nice thing about it is that it can be performed on your schedule and the comfort of your home. I guess if I could have done anything differently it would have been to start earlier. I think I could have added more value to the organization to have started earlier, gotten feedback from the mentors, and used their comments to do a better job.


  • Well, I learned that I need to spend more of my free time contributing to community services. There's many times when I find myself surfing through channels saying "there's nothing on". Instead of wasting my time I should be helping others. I know that I will be conducting this community service again because I'm going to keep this up. After contributing some time I realized that this shouldn't just stop because my midterm is turned in. I should keep this continuing and I am going to! The only thing I could have done is given more time. I'm kicking myself in the butt now. With more time I would have been able to help out in other areas of the site, not just translating.


  • I learned that you do not actually have to go out in the community and lift things or build things to help out. You can also do online work that is just as effective. You can do little things that have a big effect on someone else and help others a lot. I think that I will definitely do this kind of community service work sometime again in the future.


Community Mobilization

Anytime you are working in the community, you have an opportunity to be a mobilizer. You can help your community partner identify and achieve their goals, if you have learned the Community Empowerment methodology. Complete training is available online. Here is an overview of the training.


Notes

Comments are welcome.

Other projects - past and future...

2015.6.23 - 18750.

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