Service-Learning Opportunities
EAGLE SERVICE
NETWORKCommunity Partner DatabaseService-Learning Opportunities
There are three primary methods of finding great service-learning opportunities.
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Classes
Toggle More InfoDid you know over 150 classes each semester integrate service-learning into the class content?
By registering for classes in the list below, you can complete the courses you need and gain hours toward your service-learning graduation requirement.
You can also find service-learning classes by searching the Course Schedule and selecting the SRVC course attribute from the dropdown menu.
As of the Fall 2024 term, ALL sections of the following courses have integrated service-learning components:
- ENT 3114 – New Venture Laboratory
- ENT 3414 – Innovative Decision Making
- ENT 3503 – Social Entrepreneurship
- EVR 4043C – Environmental GIS
- FSS 3338C – Introduction to F&B Management
- HFT 3802 – Catering & Special Events
- HSC 3201 – Healthy Communities
- HUM 1931 – Humanities & Social Issues
- HUM 2395 – Environmental Humanities
- HUM 3303 - The Compassionate Life
- IDS 3300 – Foundations of Civic Engagement
- IDS 3920 – University Colloquium
- MAN 3623 – Global Org Behavior & Ethics
- PUR 4420 – Nonprofit Public Relations
- TSL 4520 – Sec Lang Acquis Comm & Culture
As of the Fall 2024 term, only the specified section(s) (CRN) of the following courses have integrated service-learning components:
- ART 3710 (CRN 86153) - Sculpture Techniques
- ANT 4940 (CRN 86092) - Anthropology Internship
- APK 3125 (CRN83594) - Fitness Asses/Ex Prescription
- CEN 3031 (CRN 83935) - Software Engng Fundamentals
- COP 1500 (CRN 80597) - Intro to Computer Science
- COP 1500 (CRN 85684) - Intro to Computer Science
- EDF 4424 (CRN 82804) Youth Focused Evaluation
- ENC 1101 (CRN 80172) - Composition I
- ENC 1101 (CRN 85120) - Composition I
- EVR 1001C (CRN 86123) - Introduction to Environmental Science
- EVR 4326 (CRN 81257) - Environ Studies Capstone
- HFT 1000 (CRN 11632) – Introduction to Hospitality/Tourism
- HFT 1382 (CRN 81711) - Introduction to Golf Management
- HFT 3221 (CRN 81839) - Mgt Resort Hosp Human Resources
- HFT 4894C (CRN 84523) - Culture, Food, and Spirits
- HUM 1020 (CRN 85647) – Introduction to Humanities
- HUM 1020 (CRN 84872) – Introduction to Humanities
- HUM 1020 (CRN 83446) – Introduction to Humanities - Yes I Can.
- HUM 1020 (CRN 12739) - Introduction to Humanities
- HUM 1020 (CRN 15269) - Introduction to Humanities - Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness
- HUM 1020 (CRN 14068) - Introduction to Humanities - Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness
- HSC 3661C (CRN 81186) - Dynamics of (Health) Communication
- IDH 2931 (CRN 86435) - Honors Humanities Seminar on Active Citizenship
- IDH 2931 (CRN 86432) - Honors Humanities Seminar on Leadership
- IDH 4638C (CRN 82797) – Honors Service "Trails for Tails"
- IDH 4638C (CRN 85733) – Honors Service
- IDS 3622 (CRN 86637) - Issues in Humanities
- PEL 3125 (CRN 81713) - PGA Prep
- RED 4310 (CRN 81924) – Early Literacy Learning
- REL 3930 (CRN 85859) - Religion & Politics in America
- SLS 1101 (CRN 86584) - The University Transition
- SLS 1101 (CRN 86583) - The University Transition
- SLS 1410 (CRN 86585) - First Year Seminar
- SLS 1410 (CRN 86586) - First Year Seminar
- SYD 4513 (CRN 84712) - Environment, Health, & Justice
- THE 3540 (CRN 86148) - Applied Theatre
- TSL 4340 (CRN 81939) - Methods, Cur, and Instr Effect
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Registered Student Organizations
Toggle More InfoWhether or not it is designated in Eagle Link as a "service" organization, a majority of student organizations at FGCU engage in service-learning opportunities together.
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Individual Outreach
Toggle More InfoEagle Link
Students often find great opportunities on our Service-Learning Opportunities page in Eagle Link.
Community Partner Database
Other students prefer to search our database of nonprofit/governmental community partners in our database and reach out to create their own service-learning opportunities.
Tips and Tricks
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Finding a Great Community Partner Match
Toggle More InfoServe with organizations that match your passions!
Try to find opportunities that connect to your major or the work you hope to do in the future. This will help enhance your class experience and build your resume for the future.
Get to know the agencies. Check out their social media accounts and website.
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Reaching Out to Community Partners
Toggle More InfoWhen you reach out to a community partner by email or phone make sure to include the following information:- Who you are and what you're passionate about
- Why you're reaching out (is it for a class or for your graduation requirement?)
- Your contact information and when you have availability
Reach out to three or more community partners. Remember that every student on-campus is working to complete their hours, so some community partners might already have students working with them.
Copy your professor on all emails. The more they are kept in the loop, the better they can assist you.
If you are in a group project, make sure only one student is the primary contact but copy all group members on the email.
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Best Practices for Class-Based Group Projects
Toggle More InfoIf you are engaging in service-learning through a class-based group project, don’t miss this video reviewing best practices straight from the experts.
We've also created a template to help you track hours for a class-based group project, available here.
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Service with Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL)
Toggle More InfoAs a member of the FSL community, you are most likely participating in service-learning with your organizations on a regular basis!
Reference this guide to determine what experiences qualify as service-learning.
We also have a service-learning hours tracking log specifically designed for FSL members, available here.
Documenting Service-Learning Opportunities
EAGLE SERVICE
NETWORKHOW TO TRACK YOUR HOURS (VIDEO GUIDE)
Community engagement is so deeply valued at FGCU that every undergraduate student has service-learning as part of their degree requirements. Each student is encouraged to complete this requirement within their first two years of enrolling at FGCU and to do so in a way that connects their passions with their career goals. Learn more about the FGCU service-learning graduation requirement
It is vital that each student records their service-learning hours in Eagle Service Network at the end of each experience. Service-learning hours must be tracked and verified with a nonprofit or government agency in Eagle Service Network to count toward the graduation requirement. Below are a number of resources to assist with the process of tracking and verifying service-learning hours. Please reach out to servicelearning@fgcu.edu with any questions or concerns.
Note about Community Partner Pre-Approval: Service-learning experiences can be completed with nearly any nonprofit or government agency. However, to be certain, the best practice is to get each community partner pre-approved in Eagle Service Network prior to engaging in service. See the Service-Learning Guide for guidance through the process.
Click here to visit Eagle Service Network
Click here to view service-learning guidelines
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Documenting Service-Learning Guides
Toggle More InfoOur office has created useful guides explaining the process of finding and documenting your service-learning experiences with FGCU:
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Service-Learning Tips and Tricks
Toggle More InfoFor Classes
Make sure to submit your form and get your community partner approved as soon as you have confirmed who you will work with. You should have your community partner approved in Eagle Service Network no later than mid-semester. To make sure your hours are approved in time to get credit for class, make sure to track your hours in Eagle Service Network at least two weeks before the last day of class.
For Registered Student Organizations (Clubs)
As a club, you can serve with any community partner that aligns with your mission. Most clubs create a long-term relationship with one or two community partners. To create and maintain these relationships, it is important to discuss expectations, always put the community partner’s needs first, and send updates to keep them involved.
When submitting your hours, make sure you always put the non-profit or government agency you are working with and not your club. Activities that only benefit the club, regular club meetings, fundraising for the club treasury (equipment, tools) and recruitment for the club do not count as service.
For Fraternity & Sorority Life
As a chapter, you can serve with any community partner that aligns with your mission. Most chapters create a long-term relationship with one or two community partners. To create and maintain these relationships, it is important to discuss expectations, always put the community partner’s needs first, and send updates to keep them involved.
When submitting your hours, make sure you always put the non-profit or government agency you are working with and not your chapter. Activities that only benefit the chapter, regular chapter meetings, fundraising for the chapter treasury (equipment, tools) and recruitment for the chapter do not count as service.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Toggle More InfoWhere do I find the total number of service-learning hours I need to meet my graduation requirement?
This can be found in Degree Works. Look for “Service Learning Hours Progress” in the first box at the top of the page. You can see how many supervisor-verified hours you have already completed as well as how many total hours you need to meet the graduation requirement.
How do I find service-learning opportunities?
- Eagle Link Service-Learning Opportunities page
- These are upcoming opportunities that have been submitted by both campus and community partners. You can use the “Search Events” box to find service that matches your goals and interests. Contact information for the person who is coordinating the opportunity is provided on each page.
- The Office of Service-Learning’s Community Partner Database
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- To narrow down the list and find organizations that align with your interests, click on Advanced Search and select your preferred counties, categories, and Sustainable Development Goals.
- Contact information is provided on each organization’s page so you can reach out and see what opportunities are currently available.
- Even if an organization isn’t in our database or Eagle Link, you may still be able to serve with them as long as they are a registered nonprofit organization or government agency and the experience meets all other service-learning criteria. See below for how to get service-learning experiences approved.
How do I know if an experience meets service-learning criteria?
Service-learning must be completed in partnership with a registered nonprofit organization or government agency, unpaid, and not part of a current credit-based internship. To ensure that all criteria is met, please submit a form in Eagle Service Network BEFORE you begin volunteering so our office can review it and make sure criteria is met (use your regular FGCU credentials to log in).
How do I document my service-learning?
Eagle Service Network is the platform used to document all service-learning. Please note that you will need the name, email address, and phone number of the person who will be verifying the accuracy of your hours (you will need to enter those details in the Supervisor Contact Information section of the form). The supervisor must be either an employee from the nonprofit organization/government agency where you complete the service or an FGCU faculty/staff member who can confirm your hours; students cannot verify hours for other students.
- Fill out a form in Eagle Service Network
- Click the Service-Learning Form box on your homepage
- Click the green Add New button
- Provide all of the required information and click Submit
- The Service-Learning office will review your form to confirm that the organization
is a nonprofit or government agency and the experience meets all service-learning
criteria. This usually takes between 2-3 business days.
- Once your form is approved by our office, you will see a green box that says “Approved” next to that experience in the “Service-Learning Form” section of your account. If your experience doesn’t meet criteria for service-learning, you will see a box that says “Rejected” next to the experience in Eagle Service Network and receive an email explaining the reason for the rejection.
- Go out and complete your hours with the organization!
- Track (enter) your hours once you complete your experience:
- Click Service-Learning Forms
- Find the experience and click the Track Hours link underneath it (the link will appear once your form has been approved by our office)
- Scroll down and click the green Add Hours button
- Enter and submit your information
I have a recurring service-learning experience with the same organization – should I track my hours each time I serve or enter the total all at once?
For ongoing service experiences with the same organization, we recommend entering the total number of hours you served on the form in Eagle Service Network at the end of each semester so you’ll only have to submit one form per term.
The Add Hours button isn’t showing up anymore – how can I add more hours to my form?
Once your supervisor verifies hours for an experience, the system won’t allow additional hours to be added to that same form. You can add more hours by creating a new form (click Edit underneath the original form then click Copy to New Work Term, make sure all the information is still correct and adjust dates as needed, then submit). Once we approve the new form, you’ll be able to add those additional hours to it. If this is an ongoing service experience with the same organization, we recommend entering your hours at the end of each semester so you’ll only have to submit one form per term.
How do I receive credit for my service-learning hours?
It is very important that you provide an accurate email address for your service-learning site supervisor when you submit your initial form in Eagle Service Network; this is how we confirm that hours are accurate. Emails with a link to verify hours are sent to supervisors from eagleservicenetwork@fgcu.edu (Subject: “Service-Learning Supervisor Verification for FGCU Student”) after hours are tracked by the student every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon.
It says “Approved” next to my service-learning experience in Eagle Service Network but my hours aren’t showing in Degree Works.
When you see the green box that says “Approved” next to an entry in Eagle Service Network, that just means that the FGCU Office of Service-Learning confirmed that your experience meets service-learning criteria. In order for your hours to be counted toward your graduation requirement, you need to manually track (enter) them in Eagle Service Network so the supervisor from the organization you served with will receive the emailed hour verification link to verify that they are accurate.
I tracked my service-learning hours but they aren’t showing up in Degree Works. Why?
The first step is to check your form and make sure your site supervisor’s email address is correct so they can receive the hour verification link from our office. If the email isn’t correct, you can click Edit and submit the updated address; the hour verification link will be emailed to the correct address the next time a batch is sent out. As long as your supervisor approves your hours, they will be added to your total hour count in Degree Works the following day.
How can I tell if my site supervisor has approved my hours?
Once your hours are verified by your site supervisor, a link titled “Community Partner Final Evaluation” will appear underneath the entry in the “Service-Learning Forms” section of Eagle Service Network. When you open the link, look for “Are hours input by student accurate?” It will say “Yes” if your hours were approved. If it says “No,” that means the hours were denied by your site supervisor and there will be a comment explaining the reason; you will also receive an email notification that the hours were rejected. If the hours are approved, you will not receive an email notification. Approved hours are also added to your total hour count in Degree Works.
- Eagle Link Service-Learning Opportunities page