Center for Community Engagement
Faculty Fellows Service-Learning Seminar
Note:
For those ineligible or unable to apply for the full Service-Learning Fellowship,
a condensed version is offered the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday immediately after
each semester from 8:30-11:30 a.m on those three days.
Service-Learning Faculty Fellows Program
The Center for Community Engagement accepts 5-6 faculty each year to participate in
the Service-Learning Faculty Fellows program, in which faculty meet weekly during
the spring semester to learn about service-learning pedagogy and redesign an academic
course to include a service-learning component.
The seminar lasts the full spring term and meets 1.5 hours/week. Faculty Fellows receive $2400 to teach the initial service-learning course, which can either be paid as direct compensation to the faculty member (minus fringe benefits and taxes) or paid to the faculty member’s school (full amount). If opting for the school payment, faculty should work with their academic unit to determine if funding can be used for a course release or, alternatively, used for project supplies and travel. Service-Learning Fellowships are open to full-time USM faculty members at the rank of instructor and above.
Benefits of Faculty Fellows Program
Gain pedagogical training on a high-impact educational practice, access to community connections, and spend dedicated time on developing your curriculum. Most participants' favorite part is the interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration.
Timeline of Faculty Fellows Program
Seminar meeting time is chosen based on participants' schedules.
- October: Applications Available
- late November: Selection Notification
- January: Seminar Begins
- Relevant & Meaningful Service
- Enhanced Academic Learning
- Purposeful Civic Learning
- Balances the needs of students, academic content, and community-identified needs
By design, the criteria for USM service-learning classes align closely with the definition
of service-learning proposed by Robert Bringle & Julie Hatcher, who define it is a
“course-based, 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 personal values
and civic responsibility” (Bringle and Hatcher, 1995, p. 112).
Why Service-Learning?
- It’s a high-impact educational practice (Kuh, 2008)
- Students who participate in service-learning classes are more likely to complete degrees (Lockeman & Pelco, 2013)
- It positively affects students’
- Understanding of social issues
- Personal insight
- Cognitive development (Yorio & Ye, 2011)
