What is Service Learning?

"Service learning is an innovative pedagogy (educational approach) that empowers students to learn through active participation in meaningful and planned community service experiences that are directly related to course content. Through reflective activities, students enhance their understanding of course content, sense of social responsibility, general knowledge, self-awareness, and commitment to the community.

[Service learning as pedagogy] decenters the authority of knowledge in the classroom and intentionally places the community in the center of the learning process."

John Saltmarsh and Kerri Heffernan, Integrating Service with Academic Study, Campus Compact

Quick Links:

The quick links below are to help with starting service learning project or request a new service learning site.

Student Learning Objectives for Service Learning

The Service Learning program goals are framed through the lens of student learning, and the faculty has developed specific student learning objectives to accompany these important service learning program goals. Students participating in service learning are expected to achieve the following student learning outcomes:  

  • Apply discipline‐specific and/or interdisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills to community issues. (Program Goals 1,2)
  • Demonstrate critical self‐reflection of oneʹs own assumptions and values as applied to community issues.  (Program Goals 2,3,4)
  • Demonstrate knowledge and sensitivity to issues of culture, diversity, and social justice as applied to community engagement. (Program Goals 2,3,4)

For Service Learning Faculty

Academic research and practice relating to Community-based Education provide many opportunities to publish academic articles or books.

Click on the following links to connect with colleagues engaged in service learning practice and research and to learn what other service learning organizations are doing on the state, regional, and national levels:

Some links may require membership subscriptions for accessibility. These links may be accessible if connected to the university server.

CSU's Essential Community Engagement Fall 2020 Webinar: Critical Reflection (Oct 30, 2020) 


Chancellor's Office Common Attributes Initiative for Service Learning Courses (June 23, 2020)

Recently, the Chancellor's Office implemented a system-wide common set of attributes used in CMS to tag courses that offer either "Service Learning (SL)" or "Curricular Community Engaged Learning (CCEL)". These tags are used to load courses into the StanServes S4 site with the intention to effectively identify and track SL or CCEL courses uniformly across the CSU. The following links below provide detailed information about the new attributes, as well as the form that faculty complete to assign the appropriate attribute to their course. 


Creating Virtual and Remote Service-Learning Experiences: A 3-Part Series

View the Resource Overview about putting Service Learning Online

Community Connections Listserv
To subscribe to listserv, send message to: majordomo@lists.servenet.org containing in the body of message: Subscribe Community Connections and Your Email Address (remove any appended signatures and leave subject line blank)

 Points of Light Foundation Community-Based Organization Service-Learning Listserv
To subscribe to listserv, send message to: listserv@listserv.pointsoflight.org containing in the body of message: Subscribe CBOSL, City, State, and First Name Last Name

 U.S. Department of Education's EDInfo Listserv
To subscribe to listserv, send message to: listproc@inet.ed.gov containing in the body of message: Subscribe EDInfo and First Name Last Name (remove any appended signatures and leave subject line blank)

Confronting Anti-Black Racism on College Campus: 2-day Professional Development Training for Educators – August 12 & 13.
Learn more at Anti-black-racism-training

Facebook Group for Community Service & Service Learning Professionals in Higher Education
Great for Networking with Service Learning faculty, staff, and others across the USA. View The Facebook Group

Turlock Community Collaborative Directory - A Non-Profit Service Agency Resource Guide

While we may be teaching and studying from home, many of our local community service non-profits, public service agencies, and businesses continue to provide needed services in our communities. There are opportunities for you to help members of the Collaborative virtually/remotely! We are making available this valuable local resource guide so that you can still make a difference throughout Stanislaus County.

Please visit the Turlock Community Collaborative Directory to open a pdf copy of the directory.  Also, note that agency personnel may change at any time; however, you can always utilize the general contact information.

Updated: April 15, 2025