This document discusses the history and evolution of service-learning in higher education in the United States. It traces the origins of service-learning back to the 1830s with student anti-slavery activities. It then outlines key developments in the 20th century that led to the growth of service-learning programs on college campuses. These included the civil rights movement and establishment of national service organizations. The document also describes the pedagogical elements of modern service-learning, including Kolb's experiential learning cycle and principles of good practice. Finally, it discusses benefits of service-learning for students, faculty, and communities served.

1. The History and
Evolution of
Service-Learning
By Charlson Joseph
Jeffrey Scharoun
Chelsea Montrois

2. Learning Objectives
Recognize the
framework of urgent
social necessity within
which service-learning
in higher education was
developed in the United
States.
Understand the general
pedagogical/theoretical
elements of modern
service-learning.
Identify the impact of
service-learning
programs in the college
& university setting on
students, faculty, and
served communities.
1 2 3

3. ““It is not learning, but the
spirit of service that will
give a college a place in the
annals of the nation.”
-Woodrow Wilson, 1902
President of Princeton

4. The Lane Debates- February, 1834
18 nights of debates over slavery
Over several months, almost all students
adopted abolitionist views
Anti-slavery Society
Students organized activities and
educational outreach work among Blacks
in Cincinnati
Worked to achieve emancipation by
“approaching the minds of slaveholders
with the truth, in the spirit of the Gospel.”
(Fletcher, p. 154)
Deemed “non-educational” by trustees, so
students and faculty fled for Oberlin
Lane Theological Seminary’s
Anti-Slavery Society

5. Extension program
Students built school houses in
the community and promoted
prolonged school year
Taught agricultural methods
“The evils of the mortgage
system”
Buying on credit, saving, the
importance of owning a home
How to build a one-room cabin
How to improve moral and
religious conditions
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute
Booker T. Washington

6. Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute’s
Traveling School

7. Service-Learning in the 20th Century
Early 1900s
Progressive education and
settlement house
activities.
1960s
Civil Rights Movement
causes surge in
popularity of service-
learning
1969
Southern Regional Education
Board defines service-learning
in publication.
“The accomplishment of tasks
that meet genuine human
needs in combination with
conscious educational growth”
1970s
Many colleges
establish campus
based service
programs.
1961
JFK launches
Peace Corps
1965
VISTA (Volunteers
in Service to
America) founded
1985
Campus Compact: The
Project for Public and
Community Service by The
Education Commission of
the United States.
1994
President Clinton asks
college and university
presidents for their help in
“inspiring an ethic of
service across our nation”

8. Pedagogical
Elements of Modern
Service-Learning

9. What are we trying to accomplish?
“As a pedagogy, service-learning is education
that is grounded in experience as a basis for
learning and on the centrality and
intentionality of reflection designed to enable
learning to occur.”
(Jacoby, 1996, p. 9)

10. Kolb’s Concept
The Experiential Learning Cycle

11. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle
Reflection on
the
Experience
Concrete
Experience
Synthesis and
Abstract
Conceptuali-
zation
Active
Experimen-
tation

12. “Although one may enter the cycle at any point, a
person engaged in service learning often begins with
concrete service experience and then embarks on a
period of reflection on that experience.”
(Jacoby, 1996, p. 9)
Concrete Experience

13. “Reflection stimulates the learner to integrate
observations and implications with existing knowledge
and to formulate concepts and questions to deepen the
learner’s understanding of the world and the root causes
of the need for service.”
(Jacoby, 1996, p. 10)
Reflection on the Experience
& Conceptualization

14. “The learner tests concepts in different situations. This
experimentation leads the learner to begin the cycle
again and again”
(Jacoby, 1996, p. 10)
Active Experimentation

16. Principles of Good Practice
1. Academic credit is for learning, not service
2. Do not compromise academic rigor
3. Set learning goals for students
4. Establish criteria for the selection of community service placements
5. Provide educationally-sound mechanisms to harvest the community learning
6. Provide support for students to learn how to harvest the community learning
7. Minimize the distinction between the student’s community learning role and the
classroom learning role
8. Rethink the faculty instruction role
9. Be prepared for uncertainty and variation in student learning outcomes
10. Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the course
Jeffrey Howard in Paxis I (1993)

17. Ways to Integrate Service Learning into Curricula
One-time group service projects:
○ Entire class is involved in a one-time service project
○ Arrangements for service projects can be made prior to the semester
○ This model affords the opportunity for faculty and peer interaction
because a common service experience is shared
Option within a course:
○ Students have the option to become involved in the community-based
project
○ A portion of the normal coursework is substituted by the community-
based component (For example, a traditional research paper or group
project can be replaced with an experiential research paper or
personal journal that documents learning from the service experience)

18. Ways to Integrate Service Learning into Curricula
Action research projects:
○ Involves students in research within the community
○ The results of the research are communicated to the agency so that it
can be used to address community needs
○ Action research and participatory action research take a significant
amount of time
○ Can support the ongoing research of faculty
Disciplinary capstone projects:
○ Builds upon students’ cumulative knowledge in a specific discipline and
demonstrates the integration of that knowledge with real life issues
○ Students can explore ways their disciplinary expertise and
competencies translate into addressing community needs

19. SUNY Buffalo State’s
First Service-Learning Trip to Haiti

20. The Purpose of Service-Learning Trip to Haiti
While in Haiti (experiential learning) students will engage in
volunteer projects and experiences based on community
needs
Utilizing a social justice lens, prepare Buffalo State students
for participation in an increasingly global society by learning
the cultural norms, needs and values of Borgne
Students will learn historical cultural, economic, political, and
spiritual aspects of Haiti. In partnership with the nonprofit
organization Haitian Outreach Pwoje Espwa (www.hopehaiti.
org)

21. Intended Outcomes of the
Service-Learning Trip to Haiti
Demonstrate enhanced civic responsibility through relationship
created in the community of Borgne
Have a daily log/blog/journal of reflections regarding traveling,
meeting and working with a culture and population that is different
from their own
Have acquired practical experience in international travel and cross
cultural communication that can be applied on a local and global
level
Student will acquire readiness skills, such as teamwork, leadership,
and critical thinking
Present a Powerpoint sharing specific learning experiences

22. Which Departments at Buffalo State Offer
Service-Learning Courses?
Visit the Volunteer Service Learning Department located in Cleveland Hall
306...
CEL 301 Community engaged learning (newest course)
EDU 211 Introduction to Literacy. Instructor: Dr. Kim Truesdale
SWK 319: Dynamics of Poverty. Instructor: Dr. Christopher Aviles
COM 308: Public Relations Writing. Instructor: Dr. Deborah Silverman
...and more!

23. How Does Service-Learning Correlate to
Student Retention ?
According to the journal article titled “ The Role of Service-Learning on
the Retention of First-Year Students to Second Year”...
The findings of this study confirmed the
expectation that first-year students
completing a service-learning course had
higher intention to re-enroll at their campus

24. Benefits to the Student
It broadens perspectives and enhances critical
thinking skills
It provides guidance and experience for future career
choice
It enhances students’ self-esteem by allowing them to
make a difference through their active and
meaningful contributions to their communities

25. Benefits to the Faculty Member
Service -learning enriches and enlivens teaching
Faculty can enjoy a new relationship with their
students and a new understanding of how learning
occurs
Applied learning enables their students to learn the
course material more effectively because it shows the
relevance of what their teaching in society

26. Learning Objectives
Recognize the
framework of urgent
social necessity within
which service-learning
in higher education was
developed in the United
States.
Understand the general
pedagogical elements
of modern service-
learning.
Identify the impact of
service-learning
programs in the college
& university setting on
both students and
served communities.
1 2 3

27. References
Bandy, J.. What is Service Learning or Community Engagement? https://cft.vanderbilt.
edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-through-community-engagement/#models
Bringle, R. G., Hatcher, J. A., & Muthiah, R. N. (2010). The role of service-learning on the retention
of first-year students to second year. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 16(2),
38.
Jacoby, B. (1996). Service-Learning in Higher Education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Stanton, T., Giles, D., & Cruz, N. (1999). Service-Learning: A Movement’s Pioneers Reflect on Its
Origins, Practice, and Future. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Thelin, J.R. (2011), A History of American Higher Education (2nd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press.