Experiential learning is the hallmark of the Service Learning Initiative, as it brings together faculty, students and community partners. On March 29, SLI hosted a brand new workshop titled Designation at the Door, which was designed to take the guesswork out of the application process.

In this workshop, several SLI committee members — Raquel Castro Salas, Megan Hull and Sean Connors — joined Service Learning Director Lisa Bowers in helping U of A faculty members progress from the idea of service learning designation to the final click of the "submit" button. From navigating the InfoReady platform to community partner involvement and student engagement, all questions were welcomed. 

During the casual workshop, attendees enjoyed lunch and discussed what their courses contain and why they want to pursue service learning designation. Bowers provided a brief introduction delineating service learning criteria and explaining the differences between service learning and other community-based learning.

"Service learning goes beyond traditional internship and volunteer experiences, as community partners are central to the students' enhanced knowledge of learning outcomes," Bowers said. "SL courses are designed around the principle of reciprocity, where the learning experience is mutually beneficial for the students and the community partners."  

Designation at the Door may become a repeated workshop at the U of A to assist faculty with their questions and concerns as they navigate designation. SLI regularly brings in several new courses to its catalog each year but is always optimistic about adding more.  

To be designated as a service-learning course, a course must meet the following criteria: 

1. Administratively approved through a committee evaluation process. 

2. Addresses a community (which includes schools, organizations, agencies and companies that comply with the rules of U of A) need through formal collaborations with program-identified appropriate partners. 

3. Supports attainment of one or more course learning objectives. 

4. Involves structured reflection. 

5. Demonstrates clear and articulated connection between service activity and course content. 

6. Requires five hours of service for every credit hour of course work. 

7. Involves training for students before working with partners. 

Additional criteria may be program-specific, including, but not limited to: 

8. Involves formalized partner training. 

9. Involves a signed agreement with a partner. 

10. Requires student liability insurance. 

11. Requires background checks and/or drug and alcohol screenings (varies by agency and academic program). 

Courses that were submitted for designation approval included CNED 3053: The Helping Relationship (Nicolas Bellegarde), OCTH 5723: Transitions & Life Design (Shaina Meyer) and OCTH 5793: Community-Based Practice (Kandy Salter). To view courses by semester that have already passed the committee approval process, visit the Service Learning course listing page. If you are interested in having your course designated as service learning and were not able to attend Designation at the Door, please contact Noelle Kingsbauer, service learning coordinator, at svclrn01@uark.edu to discuss your course further. You will also find steps for submitting your course for designation on the Service Learning website.