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Service-learning in the Disciplines, as defined by the US National
and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, is:
“A method under which students learn and develop through
thoughtfully organized service that: is conducted in and meets the
needs of a community and is coordinated with an institution of
higher education, and with the community; helps foster civic
responsibility; is integrated into and enhances the academic
curriculum of the students enrolled; and includes structured time
for students to reflect on the service experience."
The term service-learning was coined in 1967 to describe the
educational practices and theory of integrating classroom
concepts with a related community service experience. Honnet
and Poulsen summarize the benefits of service-learning by
“Service, combined with learning, adds value to each and
transforms both”.
Many faculty members across disciplines in various countries
apply service-learning to connect the academic learning in the
classroom to projects in the community.
In service-learning, experiential learning in the form of fieldwork
combined with academic study takes place under the supervision
of an appropriate faculty member. In a typical service-learning
formal setup, a student must contract with a client, a faculty
member, and a service-learning program coordinator, if available,
to arrange for how the service-learning will take place. Although
in most cases service-learning implies learning through providing
a traditional service to the community, according to the National
Service Learning Clearinghouse, the definition of service-learning
is still evolving.
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