- A. Purpose and Methodology
- B. Institutional Information
- C. Institutional Culture
- D. Curriculum and Pedagogy
- E. Faculty Roles and Rewards
- F. Mechanisms and Resources
- G. Community-Campus Exchange
D. Curriculum and Pedagogy
Characteristics of Service-Learning Courses
98% of respondents reported that their campus offered courses that incorporated a service component on their campuses (see Figure 10). This rate is higher than previous years. In 03-4, 98% reported offering service-learning courses, as compared to 88% in 02-03 and 91% in 01-02.
Figure 10. Institutions offering courses incorporating service component
Across all member institutions, a total of 12,480 service-learning courses were offered during the 2004-05 academic year with an average of 35 courses per campus, an increase from 2003-04, where a total of 9,897 courses were offered, with an average of 31 courses per campus.
As shown in Figure 11, the majority of service-learning courses offered on campus were described as being both a combination of optional and required service components. However, current results suggest that more institutions are requiring service components be incorporated into the curriculum with 29% required in 2003-04 and 37% reported in 2004-05.
Figure 11. Characteristics of service component in courses offered
Faculty and Student Involvement in Service-Learning Courses
In the 2004-05 academic year, a total of 10,008 faculty members offered a course that incorporated a service component, compared to 8,056 reported in 2003-04. Respondents reported a range of 1 to 350 faculty members offering courses with a service component across institutions with an overall average of 27 faculty members per campus. This is slightly higher than past years, with an average of 25 in 2003-04, 24 in 2002-03, and 22 in 2001-02. Respondents were asked about the ways in which students actively assist in service-learning courses. As shown in Figure 12, the majority of respondents indicated that students were more likely to assist with reflection activities (84%) and by acting as course assistants at the site (59%). Students were less likely to help design the course syllabi (21%) and assist with the instruction with the course (25%).
Comparisons with the 2003-04 survey results indicate some evidence that while students are less likely to receive funding for service-learning activities (39% in 2003-04 versus 37% in 2004-05), they are increasingly likely to be involved when participating in them. Students are more likely to assist with reflection activities (80% in 2003-04 versus 84% in 2004-05), act as course assistants in the community (56% in 2003-04 versus 59% in 2004-05) and in the classroom (46% in 2003-04 versus 50% in 2004-05) and with instruction of the course (20% in 2003-04 versus 25% in 2004-05).
Figure 12. Student assistance in service-learning courses
Student Reflection in Service-Learning Courses
Respondents indicated that 98% of students who participated in service-learning activities participate in a formal process of reflection on their service/civic engagement experiences. As shown in Figure 13, these reflections most likely included providing a formal evaluation of the experience (91%), conducting classroom presentations (87%), and participating in regular class discussions (87%). Students were less likely to discuss their service-related activities online with each other (43%) or participate in organized co-curricular reflection opportunities (45%).
Comparisons with 2003-04 results indicate that students are more likely to have campus dialogues on public and community issues (49% in 2003-04 versus 55% in 2004-05) and interact online with each other (38% in 2003-04 versus 43% in 2004-05).
Figure 13. Student engagement in reflection activities
