Academic Service-Learning at St. John’s University is generally
defined as an academic program that involves students in some form
of required community service and uses that activity as a means of
understanding course concepts.
In this conceptualization, community is interpreted to include
not just neighborhoods but any group or institution with an
organized project goal where profit is not the over-all mission but
rather, where social justice and working towards the common good
are the major goals or purpose of the venture. That is, any
student community service placement and/or project can be
considered Academic Service-Learning provided that the student is
not directly involved in a profit making activity. In
addition, Academic Service-Learning requires five validating
factors.
These are:
- The community service must be included as part of an academic
course offering.
- The community service must meet a real and existing need.
- The student does not receive any financial reward for
performing the service.
- There must be reciprocity between the service site and the
student where it is clearly understood that the student
becomes one of the beneficiaries of the actions
performed. Thus, students must be afforded the experiential
learning opportunity to practice, perform and/or observe
theories and practical applications of the course content and/or of
their discipline.
- Some form of organized academic service-learning reflection
must be included in the course. Reflection is the
mechanism that encourages students to link their service experience
with course content, as well as the importance of service to others
and the importance of individual participation in the
democratic process.
This definition can be further understood through the
examination of the standard for Pure Service-Learning, one of the
six models for Academic Service-Learning described by Heffernan and
Cone (2001).
The fundamentals of the Pure Academic
Service-Learning model are:
- Students are sent into the community to serve;
- Students are prepared for active, responsible service;
- This type of service is not lodged in any one discipline.
Thus, it can be observed that Academic Service-Learning is not a
“program but rather an instructional strategy, a philosophy, and a
process” (Bhaerman, Cordell and Gomez, 1998, p. 1).