Service learning programs integrate class and volunteerism

"When will I use this in real life?" is a common question asked in many high school classrooms, a problem that stems from not knowing how to apply classroom material in a significant way.

 

To combat this, teachers and administrators at universities across the nation have instituted service learning programs aimed at teaching students to apply their lessons to the real world and increase student engagement in the community. At University of Nebraska-Lincoln, service learning began in the mid-'90s. 

 

Since that time, service learning has greatly increased at UNL, with approximately 200 classes including some kind of service learning component in their curriculum. According to Linda Moody, director of the Service Learning Center at UNL, these classes span all colleges and fields.

 

"Most students will take a course with some kind of service learning component," she said.

 

Erica Rogers, a graduate teaching assistant in the English department, said service learning projects are beneficial because they help students gain a localized and global perspective on issues. 

 

"Service learning provides us the opportunity to engage in the public," she said. "That's the remarkable potential."

When service learning began at UNL, students mainly participated in what was called the Community Challenge, a one-time service learning event. Moody said this provided students with an easy way of getting involved because it meant they would only have to make a one-time commitment.

 

Over the years, the time students commit to service projects has lengthened, Moody said, because students want to stay involved in causes they care about. The Service Learning Center still assists with The Big Event, a day organized by ASUN where groups and individuals band together and volunteer in the community. Still, many students come to the center to find a cause to help with on a more frequent basis.

 

"Students learn best when they learn in context," Moody said. "If we can find a cause that students are passionate about and then get out of their way … it's amazing the positive impacts they're making in communities."

 

One way UNL students and staff at the Service Learning Center are helping the community this year is through volunteer tax returns. Throughout tax season, student volunteers will be assisting with the free preparation of taxes for low-income individuals, working families and students. 

 

According to the Center for Civic Engagement website, in 2011 more than 800 tax returns were processed. This year they have approximately 600 returns already. With students continuing to volunteer through April 11, this year may be much busier for the center than past years have been.

 

Through all of this, the Center's goal is to increase connectivity among students and the community, Moody said. Rogers agreed that students have the potential to make a big difference in both the Lincoln and UNL communities.

 

"I do believe students have a lot to offer the community around the institution," Rogers said. "I wanted them to see themselves as capable of changing the world, or at least part of it."

 

Research shows one of the most difficult obstacles for teachers to overcome is deciding how to teach a class in which all students have their own learning style. Whether they are tactile, visual or auditory learners, each student has a unique style that works best for them.

 

Rogers said she believes service learning is the key to helping students learn in the way that works best for them. Service learning in the classroom can be hours-based, research-based or project-based. Generally speaking, hours-based classes require 20 hours of volunteering in a semester, similar to volunteer requirements of many high schools.

 

"Research says that the learning outcomes are met right around the 20 hour mark," Linda Moody said. "After that, the benefits start to decline."

 

In Rogers' classes, students are expected to find a cause they believe in and create their own service project.

 

"Service learning projects really need to be student-designed and student-driven," she said.

 

If this is not the case, she said it is easy for instructors to push their own views on students instead of allowing them to decide what is important and what they care about for themselves. She said once students start their volunteer moment they begin to learn a lot about themselves.

 

"I think the majority of students find something valuable in that moment," Rogers said. "Through the process we all walk away with something."

 

She stressed that the entire process was labor intensive for both students and teachers, and that it is essential for teachers to care about the projects their students are doing. But Rogers added that once teachers see the positive impact it has on their students they will want to continue.

 

"When you get to see that kind of beauty reflected back to you, it's worth doing again," she said.

 

rachelstaats@dailynebraskan.com