Running head: CASE STUDY #2

Case Study #2
Angeline Jones
ELPS 430: Green
February 22, 2016

Service-learning was a concept that I truly felt that I was well-versed in until I entered
this course. I had service-learning requirements in high school in order to graduate, as well as

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certain requirements at my undergraduate institution. It was not until this course, that I was truly
able to differentiate between service-learning and every day, community-service. The actual
difference between the two is not something to be taken lightly. Christine Cress writes on
service-learning with a definition of: Students engage in community service activities with
intentional academic and learning goals and opportunities for reflection that connect to their
academic principles, (p.7). The difference between the community-service and service-learning
is a concept that I have learned should not be taken lightly. Through a process of analysis and
reflection, I hope to be able to show this by comparing five service-learning programs, from five
different higher education institutions.
For this case study, I examined service-learning programs from: Kalamazoo College
(KC- http://www.kzoo.edu/servicelearning/), Indiana University (IUhttp://citl.indiana.edu/programs/serviceLearning/index.php), Duke University (DUhttp://servicelearning.duke.edu/about), Vanderbilt University (VUhttps://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-through-community-engagement/#what),
and Eckerd College (EC- http://www.eckerd.edu/service-learning/mission/). By examining these
five different programs, I was able to both compare and contrast the way in which they approach
this concept of service-learning. First, however, I think that it is important to examine the way
that each is constructed individually. Beginning with Kalamazoo College, their service-learning
program was paired with their information on civic engagement, under the umbrella of
experiential education. Kalamazoo specifically, had its information separated into Academic
Service-Learning and Co-Curricular Service-Learning, which I found interesting. This
Kalamazoo program specifically lists the different academic courses which will have a servicelearning component, with a range of different subject areas offered. With its co-curricular

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service-learning opportunities, a variety of different programs are listed as well. This same
general set-up and explanation of information can be seen within the sites for Indiana University
and Duke as well. For the other two institutions, their approach was somewhat different.
With the remaining institutions, Vanderbilt and Eckerd, it appears that the servicelearning components of their educational systems are more of an addition, as opposed to a coreconcept within the curriculum. I say this because from what I am able to gather from their sites,
it appears that their service-learning (or community engagement-VU) are more for the benefit of
the student outside of the classroom. While the programs retain that reflection component, that
sets service-learning apart from community-service, there does not appear to be a specific tie
back to an academic course with learning outcomes or goals. If there is, it has not been made
clear on their websites. To examine this further, I looked into Eckerd College a bit more. This
institution boasts spring break programs which allow students to participate in service-learning if
they wish, but does not appear to be a required part of the core curriculum.
From what I was able to gather, these service-learning programs all have the same basic
concepts and underlying goals. The place where I saw many of the differences was in how they
presented these differences and how the service-learning component worked within the scope of
the rest of the students overall curriculum. Each program offered a mission statement, a
definition of service-learning, or a combination of both on its site. For those that it was
applicable to, their sites also offered a list of courses that would have a service-learning
component. I find that it is important to note that through my examination of its program, I
learned that Kalamazoo College has either not updated its site with current course offerings with
service-learning aspects, or is no longer offering these types of courses at all. Regardless of

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whether or not this is the case, I also found that KC and IU mention some of the organizations
that they have partnerships with, including information about the organization sites as well.
I was somewhat surprised that I felt that more differences existed, as well as more areas
through which I could easily contrast the programs, than there were areas of comparison. I
believe that this stemmed from my belief that service-learning was a universally understood
concept. After analyzing these institutions programs however, I now know that this is not the
case, and that institutions can adapt service-learning to fit their students needs and experiences.
One of the largest differences that I previously touched upon was that not all of the servicelearning programs were directly related to a course. For example, Vanderbilt Universitys
program gives information on the definition of service-learning, the benefits of it, as well as
different models of service-learning, however does not have information on specific courses.
Instead, it gives information, which appears to be geared toward instructors, on how to
incorporate service-learning into their already existing classes. The other difference that I
observed was the categorization of the service-learning programs. At some institutions, it
appeared to be a stand-alone area, whereas at others it was classified under the umbrella of
Experiential Education (KU) or Center for Teaching (IU and VU).
When examining how these different institutional programs are related to our course
readings, I initially found myself returning to Christine Cress writing. In her piece she
differentiates between service-learning, community-service, and community-based learning. This
stood out to me when examining these programs because all of them are listed as servicelearning programs, yet not all of them fit the definition of service-learning according to Cress.
Andrew Furco also offers us a substantial breakdown of the differences between service-learning
and other types of learning as well by using a great visual aid.

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(p.3)
Citing the National Society for Experiential Education (1994), Furco offers the following
definition: any carefully monitored service experience in which a student has intentional
learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience, (p.
1). From these two working definitions, I would have to disagree with some of the institutions
mentioned above, for the simple fact that they do involve service, but are not in fact servicelearning courses. For example, looking specifically at Eckerd College, I would categorize their
program as Field Education.
Field Education programs provide students with co-curricular service opportunities that
are related, but not fully integrated, with their formal academic studies. Students perform
the service as part of a program that is designed primarily to enhance students'
understanding of a field of study, while also providing substantial emphasis on the service
being provided, (Furco, p. 5).
Their program allows students to go and service others and enhance personal growth however, it
does not directly relate back to an academic course. While there may be reflection involved,
without that academic component, it is simply just service to another group or organization.
This differentiation is something that I am still working to fully grasp due to the fact that
so many areas of service can occur on a continuum. What the service entails, how it relates to the
students course work- if at all, the presence or lack of reflection, and the actual work being
performed are all facets that can qualify or disqualify a students work as service-learning.
Understanding these distinctions however is how we, as educators, are able to be better

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advocates for our students and their service-learning prospects as well as for the organizations,
individuals, and communities that our students may be working with/for.

References
Cress, Christine (n.d.) What is Service-Learning?

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Duke University: http://servicelearning.duke.edu/about
Eckerd College: http://www.eckerd.edu/service-learning/mission/
Furco, Andrew (n.d.) Service-Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education
Indiana University: http://citl.indiana.edu/programs/serviceLearning/index.php
Kalamazoo College: http://www.kzoo.edu/servicelearning/
Vanderbilt University: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-through-communityengagement/#what