Center for Community Engagement
About USM Service-Learning
Page Content
- Register: Mini Service-Learning Seminar (Dec. 15-16, 2026)
- Apply: Service-Learning Faculty Fellows (Spring 2027)
Academic service-learning (ASL) is a pedagogy that faculty can incorporate into academic classes to engage students on projects with community organizations that address critical community needs, reinforce course content and increase student engagement.
Service-learning classes at USM should meet the following criteria:
- service-learning activities supports the attainment of one or more academic course objectives
- service-learning activity addresses a community-identified (local, regional, global) need
- learning involves structured student reflection on the service-learning experience and its relation to course goals and/or the academic discipline
- learning involves reciprocity between course and community that has the potential to result in students' enhanced sense of personal values and civic responsibility
- service-learning activities are a minimum of 15 hours, which may consist of planning a project, producing a product, or serving at a site
Service-learning partners usually include nonprofit organizations or governmental agencies, PK- 12 schools, or the philanthropic arm of a for-profit organization. The experiences should be designed to meet both student and community partner needs.
- The ASL designation is instructor-specific, so it will not affect other instructors/sections who choose to not teach with service-learning. Only classes that are taught by approved instructors will be marked on SOAR.
- Instructors may choose each semester whether a course will be service-learning or not -- we just ask that they communicate with us so that we can advertise accordingly.
- CCE reaches out in advance of student registration to determine if the “Academic Service-Learning” class attribute should be added to your section(s) in SOAR's class schedule in SOAR. We can remove/add the attribute if plans change.
- Faculty teaching designated ASL classes are indicated as using High-Impact Practices in Watermark Faculty Success.
- Students in designated ASL classes receive an end-of-semester certificate and letter from CCE outlining contributions and skills gained.
- Students who take 2 designated ASL courses at USM partially meet the requirements to graduate as a Citizen Scholar. Because of this, students are consistently looking for ASL classes they can take (but only designated classes count).
- Students in designated ASL classes receive end-of-semester course evaluations measuring service-learning outcomes.
Student benefits:
- Deeper understanding of the complexity of social issues
- Encounters with real problems and solutions
- Practical experience while still in college
- Enhanced resume for jobs or graduate school
- Connections with local contacts and interesting people
- Communication with diverse populations
It’s a high-impact educational practice that positively impacts student learning, retention, and progression. [1]
Service-learning positively impacts students’ understanding of social issues, cognitive development, and personal insight[2] plus civic-mindedness and civic action. [3]
Students who participate in service-learning classes are more likely to complete degrees and achieve higher GPAs. [4]
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at USM
- Provides online resources to help you design your class
- Offers the Service-Learning Faculty Fellows program every spring – participants learn best practices of service-learning, teach ASL class, receive $2400 compensation.
- Leads a two-day service-learning training every December.
- Can work one-on-one with faculty on service-learning course design and partner ideas
