Service Learning Course Submission
KU faculty have the opportunity to register their course for the official service learning designation via an online form. Courses that receive the official designation will help students complete the components for the Certificate in Service Learning.
To learn more about adding a service learning component to your course, contact us!
Why submit your course for the official service learning designation?
Identifying courses as service learning:
- provides students additional opportunities for local and national awards, leadership roles, and possible funding for conference presentations.
- helps students earn the Certificate in Service Learning, which is notated on their transcripts.
- provides faculty additional opportunities for local and national awards, committee roles, mini-grant funding, professional development funding, and possible funding for conference presentations.
- gives our center a more streamlined process to track courses, faculty, and students who engage in this meaningful practice for reporting purposes.
For an undergraduate course to be officially eligible for the Certificate in Service Learning, the course must meet the following criteria:
- Service is integrated into your course and will help meet learning outcomes.
- Service addresses a community-identified need.
- Community benefits from the service, project or research.
- Critical reflection assignments to enhance and assess the learning gained from the service aspect of the course, including the understanding of the community-identified need. These assignments should be ongoing throughout the service experience, not just at the end of the experience. Please let us know if you would like assistance developing these assignments.
- If direct service, students complete 20 hours of service hours. If project-based service, 20 hours is assumed.
- Students must have the option to take the course for a minimum of 3 credit hours if it is a variable credit course. If your course is 1-2 credit hours, exceptions can be made if it is part of a series of courses that requires co-enrollment to equal 3 credit hours or more. Contact our center to discuss this option.
- Service learning should be an integral part of syllabus and include a definition of service learning.
If you would like to consult with our staff about how to get started, find resources, or make connections with community partners, please contact us at csl@ku.edu.