Service Learning Faculty Resources

Service-Learning (verb): Serving the needs of a Non-Profit or Government Agency while enhancing classroom learning, gaining career readiness skills, exploring passions, and engaging in community.

• About Service-Learning at FGCU
  • FGCU is one of the only public institutions nationwide to make Service-Learning a graduation requirement for all undergraduate students.
  • Service-Learning has always been an integral part of FGCU’s DNA since its founding in 1991 thanks to our Founding President, Dr. Roy McTarnaghan.
  • FGCU has contributed more than 5 million service-learning hours to our community since 1991.
  • 80 Service-Learning Hours Required (unless otherwise specififed on students' Degree Works)
• Experiential Learning & Career Readiness
  • Service-learning can connect to student passions, majors or minors, and areas of interest.
  • Employers recognize our student’s involvement, experiences, and transferable skills.
  • Students have real-life experiences to draw from for digital badging artifacts and job interviews.
• University Requirements
  • Students must comply with course requirements for the degree that they are seeking. If courses integrate service in their coursework, students can meet their course and service-learning requirements to graduate.

Overview

• SRVC (Service) Courses serve the needs of a Non-Profit or Government Agency while completing assignments and/or projects.
• Courses that integrate Service-Learning using the SRVC (Service) attribute will be identified each semester in Schedule Search and Schedule Planner.
• This attribute is beneficial to faculty members promoting their courses, students who are looking for course-based Service-Learning options, advisors who are assisting students with their schedules, and our office for record keeping!

Training

We strongly encourage all faculty to complete the Service-Learning Canvas Training Module before integrating Service-Learning into your class(es).

• This training module provides Service-Learning instructors (new and returning) with the latest best practices, effective strategies, new resources, frameworks, and shared terminology within the field of Service-Learning.
• It also provides an opportunity to bring all instructors to a consistent level of knowledge while serving as a resource point to return to as needed throughout each semester.
• When you complete the training module and final survey, you will receive a certificate of completion signed by the Provost for your professional development files!

To gain access and complete the Canvas training module, please reach out to Jamie Wilson, Coordinator of Faculty Development and Partnerships.

Service-Learning Embedded Course (SRVC) Requirements

• Identify a non-profit or government agency as a partner. (Search the Community Partner Database for partners.)
• Identify a specific need of that partner and align that need to one or more of the four types of service.
• Determine scope and timeline of the Service-Learning experience.
• Document the time invested on filling the identified need in Eagle Service Network. (Video guide on how to track hours)
• Reflect and make meaning of the Service-Learning experiences through course requirements.

(Service-Learning in the course can be required OR optional, but must be clearly communicated in Gulfline comments and in the course.)

Best Practices

• Request a presentation from the Office of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement to educate students on all resources available (i.e. community partner database, four types of service, how to document hours in Eagle Service Network, etc.)
• Review the expectations with the community partner.
• Regular communication and check-ins with the community partner.
• Conclude the project by communicating to the community partner all of the project outcomes by providing files, artifacts, products created, and the service hour log prior to students tracking Service-Learning hours.
• Help students understand connections between Service-Learning experiences and career readiness. 
• Encourage students to use their Service-Learning experiences as artifacts for FGCU's Digital Badging.
• Encourage students to present at Community Engagement Day at Eagle X, the annual campus-wide showcase each spring. 
• Align assignments to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Active Citizen Continuum.

The best way to ensure students submit their Service-Learning hours is to hold them accountable by asking them to submit screenshots from Eagle Service Network as assignments on Canvas.

Two screenshots should be submitted: 

1. Of their "Approved" form.

2. After their total Service-Learning hours for the semester are verified by their community partner in Eagle Service Network - "Community Partner Final Evaluation."

Guide for students to track their hours:

Video Guide

Their Eagle Service Network form should be submitted  for approval as soon as the community partner has been decided.

Students should track their total number of Service-Learning hours in Eagle Service Network no later than two weeks prior to the last class meeting. This gives the community partner time to receive, review, and electronically verify if a student’s hours are correct.

How to decide on a community partner?

• Community Partner Database

Students can use the online Community Partner Database and browse community partners by location, category, or Sustainable Development Goal under “advanced search.” 

• Service-Learning Fairs

Adding the Service-Learning Fair to your syllabus at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester is a good start to acquaint students with a large number of potential community partners in a short amount of time.

• Service-Learning Opportunities on Eagle Link

Our Eagle Link page is FULL of opportunities posted by nonprofits and government agencies looking for assistance.  You can use the search box on the left-hand side to narrow the topic. Even if a partner hasn’t posted the exact opportunity your students may be interested in, these partners can be great leads and tend to be the most involved and may entertain other ideas your students have.

• Reach Out to Us!

If you’ve tried the above options and you still haven’t found a nonprofit or government agency partner with your students, please reach out to Jamie Wilson. 

Generally speaking, the more you integrate Service-Learning into your courses, the more you will build relationships in the community and the easier it will be to help students locate appropriate partners according to the needs of the community partner and the goals of the project. 

How can I ensure students track their Service-Learning hours?

• Benchmark Assignments
  • Adding specific benchmarks into your course syllabus to help ensure students accurately track and upload their hours into the Eagle Service Network (ESN).

EXAMPLE: An assignment at the beginning of the semester that requires the student to create a form in the Eagle Service Network. Set aside time in class to walk students through this process is helpful for students new to Service-Learning, a video guide can be found here. You can also request a presentation from the Office for Service-Learning & Civic Engagement HERE, to walk your students through the process. 

Students can submit a screenshot of their hour log to an assignment at the conclusion of the semester which can also be sent to the community partner as proof of the hours served.

Will my entire course have to be adjusted should I choose to integrate Service-Learning?

This is a common misconception but the answer is simply, no. Chances are, you have an existing assignment that, with a few minor tweaks, will allow for easy Service-Learning integration.

EXAMPLE: You teach Introduction to Teaching and have a lesson/module on “How to Write Lesson Plans.” Instead of telling them to pick any topic to practice writing a lesson plan, we have many community partners that need lesson plans written for them (i.e. “why recycling is important”; “what purpose do protected wetlands serve”; etc.).  Instead of having your students do hypothetical work; give them the opportunity to do exactly the same assignment using real information – plus they get to count those hours toward their Service-Learning requirement.

Allowing students to gain real-world experience and career-readiness skills by applying what they are learning in class to benefit a community partner is the beauty of this type of course. Whether it is direct or indirect service, advocacy, or research, your course work could easily fit inside one or more of these Service-Learning frameworks. 

What should I do if my students experience an issue with a community partner?

There could be a variety of reasons why students may encounter an issue with a community partner and it is usually a simple fix.  

• If an agency representative isn’t returning a student’s email (call them)
• If the volunteer coordinator has left the position, students may need your assistance in figuring out the next, responsible step.

In these situations, it is also helpful to understand when to move on to the second or third choice of community partner for logistical and timing purposes. 

There are cases where the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement is unaware of the issue and if there are communication issues, we are happy to help resolve the matter.  If students experience larger, more complex issues, these are handled on a case-by-case basis and the Office of Service Learning and Civic Engagement should be alerted.

Is there a way for students to showcase the Service-Learning work they complete?

Yes!

• Community Engagement Day at Eagle X is an end-of-year celebration showcasing the Service-Learning work students are completing at Florida Gulf Coast University. Students and faculty submit projects under a variety of award categories for a chance to win prizes and recognition. It is recommended that faculty build this important event into your syllabus. Updated information can always be found HERE.
• Seniors can also to apply for the Civic Engagement Award.

Where do I go for support in creating Service-Learning projects and objectives in my course?

Jamie Wilson from the Office of Service-Learning & Civic Engagement is always happy to help.

APPLY TODAY: Fall 2024 Service-Learning Faculty Academy

CALLING ALL FACULTY! The Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement is looking for TEN full-time and adjunct faculty members to join the FGCU Spring 2025 Cohort for the Service-Learning Faculty Academy.

Participants will receive monetary compensation of $1000 for attending all in-person sessions along with integrating an approved Service-Learning assignment within their course.

Mandatory Meeting Dates:

May 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2025

What can Cohort members expect?

· Explicit instruction on Service-Learning best practices and terminology

· Exploration of Service-Learning methods and applications

· Panel discussion from past cohort members and community partners

· Assignment, project, and syllabus development

Application package includes:

· Current CV

· Description of course in which you propose integrating-service learning for Fall 2025

· Letter of support from department chair along with confirmation of course for Fall 2025

Questions and application materials can be sent to Jamie Wilson, Coordinator of Faculty and Community Partnerships at jawilson@fgcu.edu to be considered for the Spring 2025 Service-Learning Academy.

Cohort Criteria & Compensation

Faculty currently teaching course(s) with a Service-Learning attribute or those who are interested in integrating Service-Learning for the first time are encouraged to apply.

$1,000 to be awarded after the completion of the Cohort Workshops and Fall 2025 syllabus assignment has been reviewed and approved by the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement.

Spring 2024 Cohort Testimonials:

“The Service-Learning Academy was a valuable experience that deepened my knowledge of the ways service can be utilized to achieve learning objectives for a course. I appreciated hearing from

both community partners and other faculty members, with discussions grounded in practical ways to develop meaningful student learning experiences.” Dr. Dan Bacalzo, Associate Professor of Theatre and Theatre Program Coordinator, Bower School of Music & the Arts

“I found the experience deeply rewarding and extremely practical as we worked through two classes and much more fully integrated into the entire class. Much more than an add on, service- learning is now a vital part of the learning experience.” John Roth, Certified Adjunct Faculty, Communication & Philosophy

“Having taught in higher education for many years, I found this workshop invaluable for applying community engagement, integrating Service-Learning, and incorporating transferable skills into my courses.” Lonnie Howington, Certified Adjunct Faculty, Integrated Studie