Service Learning Institute

The programs of the Service Learning Institute engage the content, practice, and pedagogy of service learning to promote social transformation and create a more just world.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Service Learning Institute is to foster and promote social justice by cultivating reciprocal service and learning partnerships among CSUMB students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding tri-county community.

Philosophy Statement
Social justice is the guiding principle for our practice in service learning.

We believe that:

• Service Learning must promote social justice.
• CSU Monterey Bay students, as future leaders of our community, deserve a real-world education that inspires social responsibility and encourages compassion for all.
• CSUMB should be a responsible, engaged member of the local community.
• Academic learning is strengthened by engaging in meaningful service and reflection.
• Education at CSUMB should be transformative, creating ethical and responsible community participants.
• All partners in the Service Learning process should be engaged in teaching and learning, serving and being served.

We have adopted the following core values to guide our work:

• Building authentic partnerships that demonstrate shared leadership, collaboration, and reciprocity
• Acting with compassion, demonstrating honesty and authenticity
• Working towards social justice: continual movement toward an equitable society
• Developing multicultural understanding and respect for differences
• Cultivating awareness of self in relation to social inequities through reflection and active service with the community

Student Learning Goal
We aim for CSUMB students to become multicultural community builders with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to work effectively in a diverse society to create more just and equitable workplaces, communities, and social institutions.

What is Service Learning?

Service learning is an instructional strategy that combines community service with academic coursework in a way that responds to community needs and helps students meet academic, social, civic, and moral learning goals.

Service learning enables students to grow and learn through active participation in community service activities clearly connected to their academic program. Through service learning, students learn about themselves and their relationship to the world and community around them. Service learning allows students to engage with real-world issues and social problems and helps them to work with community organizations to become "part of the solution."

Through their community involvement, students gain an understanding of community issues, community assets, and community processes for making change happen. Service learning helps students learn and care about others and develop the skills and attitudes to become community builders in our rapidly changing, diverse world.

Service Learning is Different From Experiential Learning
Service Learning...

• Insists that students reflect on their community service experience in a formal manner.
• Attempts to balance the benefits to the student and to the community organization.
• Emphasizes the social, civic, and moral learning that results from reflective community service involvement.

Service Learning enables the student to...

• Learn from individuals who are different from and similar in age, class, gender, race, education level, physical ability, sexual orientation, and life experiences.
• Examine their own values, attitudes, and beliefs about the world.
• Experience the surrounding communities as part of the classroom for learning.
• Develop leadership skills.
• Understand the economic, political, and cultural structures of our society and the impact these structures have on people.
• Gain experience in academic and/or future career fields.
• Develop and experience community with other service learners as well as with the people served.
• Increase understanding of the four facets of service: justice, compassion, diversity, and social responsibility.

What A Service Learner Is And Is Not...

A service learner:

• Enrolls in courses identified with an "S" suffix in the CSUMB course catalog (i.e., HCOM 307S: Social Impact of the Mass Media).
• Attends classes and provides service to a community organization for a specified amount of time during the semester (25-30 hours).
• Addresses community-identified needs in their service placements.
• Is involved in activities at the community site that provide meaningful experience related to their course content.
• Reads articles and books to become more informed about the issues they are addressing at their community service site.
• Engages in critical reflection on their community service experiences as part of their classroom activities.
• A service learner is NOT:
  • A volunteer –available to respond to any need for support that the organization may have (clerical, administrative, etc.).
  • An intern –where the primary purpose is to develop the students' specific skills related to a specific technical field or profession.

Key Elements of a Service Learning Experience:
Reciprocity
The service and learning must be worthwhile and valuable for the student and the community. There must be reciprocity between the server and those served.

Reflection
Intentional, systematic reflection about the experience must take place to maximize the benefit of service learning experiences. Reflection within the context of the service experience encourages introspection of other aspects of the student's life. Reflection is the critical process of linking service and academic learning objectives.

Integration
Service activities must be directly related to the student's academic learning objectives to strengthen the student's critical thinking.

Diversity
A priority is placed on involving a broad cross-section of students working in diverse settings and with diverse populations within the community. Service helps students overcome stereotypes and fears and develop skills as multicultural community participants.

University-Agency-Agreement for Placement of Students

All community-based organizations seeking to become CSUMB "Community Partners" must complete a University-Agency Agreement for the Placement of Students (UAAPS) and submit a Request to Initiate Partnership form before receiving any service learners at their organization's worksite.

To find out if your organization already has a University-Agency Agreement with CSUMB, contact our Coordinator of Community Partnerships at (831) 582-3644 or servicelearning@csumb.edu.

To learn more about becoming a partner with CSUMB Service Learning Institute, refer to our Become a Partner page.

All field-based experiences are not necessarily appropriate for a service learning placement; however, other opportunities through the campus might be useful to your organization:

All CSUMB students must complete a Capstone Project upon graduation.  The capstone is a significant project related to the student’s individual and career goals that all students complete during their final semester at CSUMB.  The projects vary widely among students and institutes at CSUMB, though many degree programs stress community involvement as a component of the Capstone Project.  Please contact Department Chairs for further information--the CSUMB General information number is 831-582-3000.

Several departments at CSUMB have developed Internship Programs.  Although there is not a university-wide program as of yet, you can contact Career Development at CSUMB at (831) 582-3845 or by email to learn more about the kinds of internship programs that exist.

The CSUMB Teacher Education Program is committed to providing opportunities for credential candidates to work in school settings.  Collaboration with outstanding educators provides learning opportunities for candidates that can only be experienced through direct interaction with teachers and students in classrooms.  If you would like more information about this program, check out many of the College of Education web pages that provide information about the opportunities available to the students and partners in their department.

If your organization is looking specifically for tutors, CSUMB’s Pre-College Programs provide tutoring opportunities.  Call the main office at (831) 582-3960.

For paid positions, the Cooperative Learning Center may be able to connect you with tutors from campus.  Call the main office at (831) 582-4104.

If you are looking to hire a student employee, contact Career Development at CSUMB (831) 582-3845 with further questions.

1. Provide a Job Description. A clear service learning job description outlining tasks, responsibilities, and required skills must be prepared and given to the student. Positions that carry some degree of responsibility and involve client contact are ideal.
2. Be selective. Be aware that some students may not match your needs. If a student's qualifications and/or motivations are not in harmony with your needs, it is your right and obligation to request a different student.
3. Orient, train, and supervise! Students require a carefully structured orientation to your agency, staff, and clients. Introduce them to staff, provide a tour of the facility, discuss emergency policies, accident procedures, and the rules and regulations of the site. Explain your mission and familiarize students with key community and societal issues facing your organization (i.e., "the bigger picture"--why you do what you do and how the student can contribute to this end). Use the "Orientation Checklist for Partners" provided along with information in the next section to help plan the orientation.
4. Be realistic with your time commitment and expectations of students. Think in terms of semesters and the academic calendar. Remember that you will have to be aware of the semester schedule and adapt accordingly (offer training sessions during the early part of the semester and expect students for an average of 3-5 hours for a 10-week period).
5. Be an involved mentor and teacher for students. The supervisor is truly a partner in the student's education and should view themselves as an educator. Throughout the assignment, help the student interpret the experience and the relationship between what they are doing and the work of the agency and others. At the beginning of the semester, the student will ask you to review and sign their Learning Agreement. This plan will clarify the student's learning objectives and job responsibilities. Your relationship with the student is one of the most significant elements of the service learning experience and often determines the success of the placement.
6. Say "Thank you" to students. Like everyone, students want to be welcomed and appreciated. This may take many forms, from letters of recognition to a thank you note or a verbal acknowledgment of a job well done. They also need to see how their work is important to your agency's mission. Ask students how they're doing and what could be improved.
7. Talk to us. Complete and Return Two Evaluations. Keep the Service Learning Institute staff informed of any concerns, suggestions, or other pertinent issues related to the placement and/or the student. We are here to facilitate the process and assist you in any way possible. 

At the end of each semester, please complete and return an Evaluation of Student Performance by Agency to the faculty. Please also complete the Evaluation of the Service Learning Process by Community Partner from the Service Learning Institute staff.

The Orientation Checklists below are tools to help properly prepare service learners for their community experiences. The orientation should provide students with a clear understanding of the work they will be doing, any risks associated with that work, and how they should conduct themselves when they are working in the community.

The first orientation, provided by the service learning course professor, gives students information about how to enter a community, how to build relationships with partners, and, in general, the nature of their service placements.  This typically takes place during one or more class meetings.

Orientation Checklist for Faculty

The second orientation, presented by the community-based organization, should take place at the site where students will be working. This is the simplest, most effective way for students to become aware of emergency policies, accident procedures, and the rules and regulations of the site.

The following guiding principles are considered best practices throughout the field and apply to all the parties involved in service learning experiences. Since each service learning course is different, these guidelines are not intended to be all-encompassing.

However, student rights and responsibilities apply to most situations. If you feel something included here is prohibitive to the service learning experience you hope to offer to students, please have a discussion with the Service Learning Institute staff.

The intent of these guidelines is not to prohibit service learning experiences but rather to provide best practices that allow for safe and positive service environments where the risk and liability have been minimized.

Please see the following links:

• Students’ Rights and Responsibilities During Service
• Service Learning Participation Guidelines for Students

Student Leadership in Service Learning (SL2) are CSUMB student leaders who provide support for the service learning process. SL2's are an integral part of the Service Learning Institute's staff. SL2's strengthen service learning by assisting faculty, community partners, and the Service Learning Institute in designing curriculum and building strong campus-community partnerships.

Before becoming a SL2, students go through intensive leadership development training over the summer. There are usually 15-22 SL2's per semester.

The placements of the SL2's are determined by their interests and the needs of the CSUMB service learning program. Although SL2 positions have shared responsibilities, the following are distinctions between the three positions:

1. Course-based SL2's support a specific service learning faculty and course each semester. They assist faculty with course design and implementation, including developing and facilitating reflection activities. They also assist with community partnership development and provide peer support to service learners.
2. Community-based SL2's work on-site with a sponsoring service learning community partner. They assist in the coordination of service learners and provide direct service at the site. They also serve as a liaison with the site, the Service Learning Institute, and service learning faculty and students. While these students are leaders at the site, they cannot be the official site supervisor of record for other CSUMB students.
3. SLI-based SL2's provide a variety of support to the Service Learning Institute. They assist with special projects, coordinate special events, and provide support to faculty not assigned a SL2.

For more information about the SL2 program, please visit: Student Leadership Programs

servicelearning@csumb.edu

831-582-3644

For individual contact information, please see our Faculty and Staff page.