Integrated Service Learning Strategies for Student Engagement

This chapter explores the synergies experienced when a required upper level course at a public research university (titled “Family in Community”) is converted to a service learning model and connected to an outreach program for youth at the same institution. The university has three strategic priorities, one of which explicitly states a commitment to “transform lives and communities” through outreach and engaged scholarship. This chapter details the experience of faculty and staff seeking to contribute to this and the university’s other goals for teaching and research by developing innovative service learning and service opportunities for students while also meeting community needs. Service learning as pedagogy is reviewed and discussed before moving on to describe how the course structure and content was adapted to foster a close collaboration with the outreach program. The experiences of the instructor, program directors and staff are described and discussed, including the logistics