Faculty Guide

What does Service-Learning at BCC involve?

Generally, a service-learner at BCC completes a minimum of ten hours over the semester with a non-profit agency or organization doing unpaid service work that is related to the specific course material for which the student is doing the service-learning project. The agency or organization that the student serves and from which he or she learns will be determined by community need and, when options exist, the student's preference.

What Is the Timetable for Service-Learning Placements?

Service-Learning placements must be for a minimum of 10 hours within the Spring (January to May), Summer (May to September), or Fall (September to December) semesters.

How Are Service-Learning Placements Arranged and Supervised?

Service-Learning can be offered as an option that an individual student can select or an assignment for all students in a course, if the instructor feels that this is appropriate. For example, students in English classes might act as tutors for middle school students or help them conduct library research using a computer. Students in reading classes might act as reading tutors for middle school students or for adults learning to read English. Students in a baking class might demonstrate their skill and teach children how to follow a recipe using basic math at a career day program.

For individual student placements, the student or professor selects a non-profit agency or organization that would be appropriate for the course. The individual student makes arrangements with the agency or organization for an interview at which the supervisor explains any prerequisite background checks or training as well as the work the student will be asked to perform. If the student and agency agree to make a commitment, they complete a BCC Individual Student Placement Contract form.

Group activities are arranged by the community partner, faculty member, or service-learning coordinator. The faculty member or service-learning coordinator selects the agency for student group placements, makes the necessary arrangements, and has the students complete a BCC Student Group Placement Contract form. The onsite supervisor, the student, the BCC faculty member teaching the course in which Service-Learning is offered, and the Coordinator of Service-Learning sign the completed form. The onsite supervisor monitors the student’s progress in this work activity and, before the end of the semester, signs a BCC Service-Learning Student Evaluation form that confirms that the student has satisfactorily completed the required ten hours of unpaid service.

How Can Students or Faculty Find an Appropriate Service-Learning Placement?

Many BCC students are already doing volunteer work at agencies or organizations that qualify as service-learning placements for specific courses, such as a Sociology student who is working at a homeless shelter for women and children. Some faculty members have already been offering service-learning options to their students and have their own community contacts. A list of BCC Community Partner Placements and links to other non-profit agencies or organizations that may give students placements are available from links on this website.

For example, several school systems are interested in partnering with the Service-Learning program. Middle schools in Fall River, New Bedford, and Somerset have expressed interest. The Kuss Middle School, for example, would like students to serve as tutors, mentors, library assistants, clerical workers, chefs, and more. Several schools are interested in having BCC students help their students learn about careers and higher education. The Service-Learning office can help you plan an appropriate course module and easily refer you/your students for placements.

How Does the Student Relate the “Real World” Experience With Course Work?

To develop the student’s academic understanding and personal growth that result from this service-learning experience, he or she must also complete a reflection activity (or activities), as determined by the instructor of the course, relating the service-learning experience to the course material. The purposes of the reflection activity are to encourage the student to document his or her service work experiences and lessons learned as well as to serve as a guide for helping the student to intellectually connect his or her “hands on” experiences to some aspect of the conceptual course material. For example, a student in a Child Development Psychology course who is serving as a tutor for an elementary school child could write a research report and give a class presentation showing how his or her work experiences are related to a psychological theory and scholarly literature about how children process and learn new information. The instructor of the course designs and supervises the student’s progress in this reflection activity and, before the end of the semester, signs a BCC Credit Verification form that confirms that the student has satisfactorily completed the required reflection activity.

Service-Learning enables a student to bring his or her classroom knowledge and skills to a non-profit community agency or organization. In turn, he or she takes back to the classroom the knowledge and skills he or she learns from this “real world” experience.

Can Service-Learning Staff give an Orientation or Pre-Service-Learning Training in Your Courses?

Yes. Please contact Dr. Mary Zahm, Service-Learning Coordinator at mzahm@bristol.mass.edu if you would you like her to arrange for the Community Service-Learning Coordinator to attend one of your courses and give students either a 10-minute Service-Learning Orientation or a 40-minute Pre-Service-Learning Training for which students will receive a Certificate of Participation in Pre-Service-Learning Training from the Center for Service-Learning & Community Service. We have instituted the Pre-Service-Learning Training in order to prepare our students to find a suitable course-related placement as well as to succeed at the interview for a placement and while performing the service.

How Does Service-Learning Augment The Credentials Of The Student?

BCC is the first community college in Massachusetts to provide the notation “Service-Learning Component” on the student’s transcript beneath each course for which he or she successfully completes a service-learning project, and for which the student and faculty sponsor have submitted the required paperwork. This service work experience and notation enhance the student’s credibility as an actively engaged learner and marketability both to transfer institutions and employers. Service-Learning also encourages dedication and commitment of the student to his or her community. At present, BCC recognizes the contributions of students who successfully complete service-learning projects with the award of a Service-Learning Certificate of Accomplishment and give the course instructor a Certificate of Appreciation. A capstone Community Leadership course (HONORS 95) and a path for students to become “Students as Colleagues” Community Service Leaders and be recognized at Commencement have also been implemented. Beginning with the Spring 2008 Commencement ceremony, graduating Community Service Leaders will wear a red cord and be publicly recognized for their achievement.

What Professional Development Options Or Incentives For Service-Learning Activities Are Available For Faculty?

There are several professional development opportunities available from the Lash Center for Teaching and Learning. These options include the new Course Design Seminar and the Classroom Action Research (CAR) Seminar. For example, you could apply for a course release or stipend for redesigning your course to incorporate service-learning and identifying the community agencies and organizations that would be suitable placements for students in that course. On the other hand, you could apply to do a CAR project for which you conduct classroom action research to assess the differences in learning outcomes in courses for which you already offer the service-learning option and those in which you do not yet do so. For information about the Course Design Seminar and the Classroom Action Research (CAR) Seminar, please contact the Lash Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at ext. 2511.

There is a small amount of funding available for stipends for service-learning course design or evaluation projects. For information about a stipend, please contact Karen Dixon, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, at ext. 2185 or kdixon@bristol.mass.edu.

Thank you for considering offering your students an opportunity to do a service-learning project in your courses. If you have any questions about how you can get involved in service-learning, please contact Dr. Mary Zahm, Director of Civic Engagement, by e-mail at mary.zahm@bristolcc.edu or at BCC by phone at ext. 2579.