Service Learning aligns with the Wake Forest spirit of Pro Humanitate and the goals of Institute for Public Engagement (IPE) to further engaged teaching and scholarship, build community, and support service. 
Service-Learning is a “credit-bearing, 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 as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” Robert Bringle and Julie Hatcher, A Service Learning Curriculum for Faculty. The Michigan Journal of Community Service –Learning, Fall 1995, pp.112-122
Essential components are:
- Enhanced academic learning (relating specific service activities to student academic learning)
- Purposeful civic learning (helping students understand community needs, the context of their service, and how they can impact their community)
- Relevant and meaningful service with the community (well organized service that responds to a community need as identified by the community)
- Integration strategies (structured activities that support learning from service and promote critical reflection and analysis, e.g. classroom discussions, individual structured reflections (journals), class presentations, written assignments)
- Credit is awarded to students based on demonstration of their learning
INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT (IPE) SUPPORT FOR SERVICE LEARNING
IPE coordinates efforts to enhance engaged teaching and scholarship by providing support for the key stakeholders, namely faculty, students and community partners.
With regard to support for Wake Forest Faculty, the IPE:
- Conducts outreach to faculty across campus to raise awareness of and increase capacity for service learning pedagogy
- Provides support for Director of ACE Fellows Faculty Development Program for selected faculty interested in incorporating service learning into their courses and linking it to their scholarship
- Creates service learning web resources and library resources for faculty, including an Engaged Teaching Faculty Handbook, access to sample syllabi in different disciplines on the Campus Compact website and some examples of service-learning syllabi taught at Wake Forest , structured reflection samples, and suggested useful forms.
- Assists faculty in defining and connecting with appropriate service opportunities to meet course objectives
- Acts as a liaison between faculty, students and community partners and manage and structure community engagement to ensure quality service learning experiences
- Supports assessment activities by faculty
- Administers funding resources for faculty to promote service learning, including ACE Fellows and Mini-grants
The following links contain more information about service learning at Wake Forest:
Service Learning Resources for Community Partners
Service Learning Resources for Students
List of Service Learning Courses offered at Wake Forest
Another resource is North Carolina Campus Compact, which builds the capacity of colleges and universities to produce civically-engaged graduates.
For more information, please contact:
Norma-May Isakow
Associate Director
Institute for Public Engagement
Reynolda Hall Room 305c
PO Box 7213 | Winston-Salem, NC 27109
p 336.758.4021 | f 336.758.3305
