Service-Learning and Community-Engagement Resources for Faculty

Purpose

This guide is intended to serve as a resource hub for faculty engaged in research and pedagogical activities around the topics of service-learning and community-based engagement. This guide pulls together academic literature and resources and provides links to opportunities for engagement. This resource is a living document and we encourage your feedback, recommendations, and participation to improve it. Please contact Lauren Haberstock (lauren.haberstock@pepperdine.edu) with any suggestions. 

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

What do you mean by Service-Learning?

We define Service-Learning as an educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way to gain further understanding of the course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.

Many definitions of service-learning exist but at the core of each definition is the idea that students will become involved in meeting community needs in a way that employs their academic and civic knowledge and skills as part of their educational journey. 

What do you mean by Community-Based Engagement?

This terminology describes a community orientation adopted in research, pedagogical, service, and work activities. Community-engaged activities take into consideration the context of the community and seek to engage the community in the process in order to achieve long-term and sustainable outcomes.

Community-Based Engagement is an interdisciplinary framework employed across many sectors, including the health sciences, social sciences, behavioral sciences, natural sciences in addition to the public sector. 

Community-Based Research as a facet of Community-Based Engagement is a collaboration between faculty, student and community members. The ideal project is one where all parties are engaged at every step of the research process from identifying the problem, outlining the research questions, research tool development, collecting and analyzing the data, interpreting the results and producing final outcomes and recommendations. CBR has as its goal social action for the purpose of achieving social change and social justice.