Good Practice

Community Service Learning

What is Community Service Learning?

Community Service Learning (CSL) is first and foremost a form of pedagogy; a series of techniques, philosophies and actions that combine to create an especially effective learning environment.

There are as many different definitions of CSL as there are varieties of CSL projects and courses. Here are just a few:

• Community Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

• Community Service Learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity change both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to self-reflection, self-discovery and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content.

• Community Service Learning is a pedagogy characterized by student participation in an organized service activity that is connected to specific learning outcomes, meets identified community needs and provides structured time for student reflection.

Another important component of CSL is that all parties involved have a say in the project from start to finish, including design, implementation, reflection and follow-up. Many CSL projects have a strong emphasis on issues of social justice, as well as critical thinking and awareness about the role of these sorts of projects in an increasingly-complex world.