Service Learning

Dickinson students encounter and create meaningful connections between their studies and the community through service-learning experiences. Service learning grows out of a collaborative relationship between a Dickinson faculty member and a community organization. Faculty members align the learning objectives of their courses with the needs of the partnering organization. Courses are designed so that students may provide a service or engage in applied research. The community agency and its constituents derive some benefit from the relationship, and faculty members guide the students to integrate their hands-on experiences with course readings and other assignments.

Dickinson's commitment to educate citizen leaders by providing a useful education translates into various opportunities for students to grow into responsible citizens, informed and engaged with the issues facing our world broadly and the local communities in which we live. Useful education encourages students to explore the connections between their course work and the wider world. Service-learning is one way that students encounter and create meaningful connections between their studies and community experience.

Service-learning grows out of a collaborative relationship between a Dickinson faculty member and a community organization. Faculty members align the learning objectives of their courses with the needs of the partnering organization. The course is designed with students providing "service" or engaging in applied research. The community agency and its constituents derive some benefit from the relationship, while the faculty member guides the students to integrate their hands-on experience with the course readings and other assignments.

On this site you will find out about the range of service-learning opportunities that exist at Dickinson:

• For students, this site will help you identify information on service-learning courses, the faculty who teach these courses, the collaborating community agencies, and prior student experiences.
• For faculty, this site will guide you to resources to support the development and teaching of service-learning courses.
• For potential community partners, this site will give you examples of collaborative relationships which have developed with Dickinson faculty and community-based organizations, and how to initiate such a partnership

Courses incorporating community-based research are linked to Dickinson's Mosaics program, with its nationally recognized Mosaics model of integrated multi-disciplinary courses focusing on communities, both locally and globally.