Faculty Guide to Risk Management

What is Community-based Education?

Community-based education consists of service learning and academic internships. Service learning and academic internship programs are valuable activities that help students integrate their academic study with practical and guided experiences. Service learning and academic internships encourage the testing of theory with useful applications to cultivate students' critical thinking and professional development.

Steps to Develop Community-based Education Opportunity

If you are interested in developing an off-campus or on-campus service learning project or an internship, the Office of Service Learning can help guide you through the policies and procedures necessary to ensure that students and partnering organizations get the most out of these opportunities.

Off-Campus Partnerships for Community-base Education

Listed below are the steps needed to develop an off-campus service learning or unpaid academic internship project. Whether you have contacted the organization that you believe would have a service learning or internship opportunity available, or whether an organization has contacted you regarding internships, the steps are the same and include remote/virtual opportunities.  

     1.  Site Selection & Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Development
Determine whether the site offers appropriate learning opportunities for our students. If it does, check StanServes S4 to see if an MOU exist. If the site is not listed on StanServes S4 and is an appropriate opportunity, please complete the Faculty Request to Start Internship and Service Learning Sites with the following information:

1. The potential of the site to provide an educationally appropriate experience.
2. Any risks the students may encounter during their off-campus experience. For example, at some sites students may be working with clients that abuse drugs or alcohol, or sites may be in high crime areas, in-person during COVID-19, working with confidential information, etc. Contact the Office of Service Learning if you have questions about risk with a student experience.
3. Identify a site supervisor for the students.
4. How does this potential internship tie in with the student's academic study?
5. Include a brief position description that will detail the volunteering or work of the student.

​The following sheet can assist you in developing your Service Learning or Internship experience for your students: Faculty Checklist

     2.  Site Suitability
Have the agency complete the online 'Community Partnership Request' form. This is a safety and risk questionnaire to only be completed by an agency/organization's staff. In addition, a site visit of the agency or organization at which the student will undertake their service learning or internship experience may be needed after a review of the 'Community Partnership Request'. The purpose of the questionnaire and the site visit is to determine the following: 

• the organization can provide an academically appropriate experience
• determine the potential risks the students may encounter
• communicate with the Site Supervisor at the organization

(Please note that the site visit may be bypassed if the site is deemed low-risk by the Office of Service Learning after a review of the online questionnaire.)

     3.  Student Forms
Once the MOU is completed, the students will need to sign into StanServes S4 to complete the required student documents PRIOR to starting their hours. The required online forms are: Student Learning Plan, Student Participation Guidelines, and Liability Waiver. The Learning Plans asks for student's contact information, emergency contact information, learning objectives, and expected activities. The Participation Guidelines and Liability Wavier details the student codes of conduct for being at a service learning or internship site. If a student is under 18 years old they will need to print a copy of the Liability Wavier to obtain their guardian's signature, the wavier must be forwarded to the Office of service learning when completed. 

On-Campus Student Placement Process

     1.  On-Campus Site Selection & StanServes S4
Determine whether the site offers appropriate learning opportunities for our students. If it does, check StanServes S4 to see if it is listed. If the site is not listed on StanServes S4 and is an appropriate opportunity, please complete the Faculty Request to Start Internship and Service Learning Sites with the following information:

• The potential of the site to provide an educationally appropriate experience.
• Any risks the students may encounter during their experience. For example, at some sites students may be working/volunteering  in-person during COVID-19, working with confidential information, etc. Contact the Office of Service Learning if you have questions about risk with a student experience.
• Identify a site supervisor for the students.
• How does this potential internship tie in with the student's academic study?
• Include a brief position description that will detail the volunteering or work of the student.

     2.  Site Safety
Complete the fillable pdf Stanislaus State On-Campus Learning Site Risk Evaluation Form. This is a safety and risk questionnaire. In addition, a site visit of the department at which the student will undertake their service learning or internship experience may be needed after a review of the Stanislaus State On-Campus Learning Site Risk Evaluation Form. The purpose of the questionnaire and the site visit is to determine the following: 

• the site can provide an academically appropriate experience
• determine the potential risks the students may encounter
• communicate with the Site Supervisor

(Please note that the site visit may be bypassed if the site is deemed low-risk by the Office of Service Learning after a review of the fillable pdf.)

     3.  Student Forms
Once the risk evaluation is completed, the students will need to sign into StanServes S4 to complete the required student documents PRIOR to starting their hours. The required online forms are: Student Learning Plan, Student Participation Guidelines, and Liability Waiver. The Learning Plans asks for student's contact information, emergency contact information, learning objectives, and expected activities. The Participation Guidelines and Liability Wavier details the student codes of conduct for being at a service learning or internship site. If a student is under 18 years old they will need to print a copy of the Liability Wavier to obtain their guardian's signature, the wavier must be forwarded to the Office of Service Learning when completed.