Community Partner 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) 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 at a career day program. Group activities are arranged by the community partner, the faculty member, and the service-learning coordinator.
The agency or organization that an individual student serves and from which he or she learns will be determined by community need and, when options exist, the student's preference. The student make 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; the onsite supervisor, the student, the BCC faculty member teaching the course in which service-learning is offered, and the coordinator of service-learning at BCC 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 Does the Student Relate the "Hands-On" 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 volunteer 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 might be required to write a research report and give a class presentation showing how his or her volunteer 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.
What Are the Benefits to Students?
BCC is the first community college in Massachusetts to provide the notation "Service-Learning Component Course" 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 volunteer 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 is planning to recognize the contributions of students who successfully complete three service-learning projects with a Service-Learning Award. Plans to develop in the near future a capstone Community Leadership course leading to a Community Service Leadership Award at Commencement are also being discussed.
What Are the Benefits to Community Partners?
The opportunity to select a service-learning option is only offered to individual students who are in good academic standing. Because Service-Learning is optional, it attracts motivated, high achieving students who take their education, career goals, and commitment to community service seriously. It draws students who want to gain "hands-on" experience that will enable them to better understand and learn how to intellectually connect and apply their abstract theoretical course material to address "real world" problems.
- Choose from a pool of pre-screened high achieving college students who bring their classroom knowledge and skills to your agency or organization
- Gain a flexible source of motivated and competent entry-level workers who meet your qualifications and have volunteered to perform the needed services at no cost to your non-profit agency or organization
- Play an active role in educating future citizens who take back to the classroom the knowledge and skills they learn from the "real world" experience
- Help foster a sense of commitment to community service in future citizens
- Post available service-learning volunteer placement positions on a list available for use by faculty and students
Thank you for considering offering BCC students an opportunity to have a service-learning placement in your non-profit agency or organization.
How Can Your Agency Or Organization Become A Service-Learning Community Partner?
Fill out the appropriate Community Partner Information form for a school or a non-profit agency or organization, available on the forms page, and submit it online to mzahm@bristol.mass.edu, by FAX at 508.730.3283, or mail to the Center for Service-Learning, Bristol Community College, 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River, MA 02720. For more information, contact, Dr. Mary Zahm, Service-Learning Coordinator, at ext. 2579.