Service-Learning

    Service-learning is an engaged pedagogy, premised on experiential education as the      foundation for intellectual, moral, and civic growth. Like other forms of experiential      education, service-learning allows students to test skills and facts learned in the
     classroom, sharpen problem-solving abilities, and work collaboratively with diverse      groups of people for collective action.

     At the same time, service-learning differs from other forms of experiential education.
     Rather than focusing on preparing students for a particular job, service prepares
     students for practical community-based problem solving. It offers students an
     opportunity to explore the connections between the theoretical realm of the
     classroom and the practical needs of the community. Service-learning is inherently
     linked to civic purposes: it reinforces the skills of critical thinking, public discourse,
     collective activity, and community building. Moreover, because the service activity is
     occurring in the context of an educational setting, faculty ask students to reflect
     upon their service experiences in relation to particular community principles,
     civic ideals, universal virtues, and course content. Perhaps the most important
     long-term benefit of service-learning is the opportunity it can provide for students
     to connect to a community and identify their civic roles in that community.

     The Center provides training and stipends to faculty members who wish to
     incorporate service-learning into their courses for the first time. Service-learning
     offers our students valuable hands-on learning experiences as they participate
     in the local community in cooperative service efforts.

     If you are interested in Service-learning, please contact
     Dr. Dorothea Hast, CEE Director, at hastd@easternct.edu.