Community Service
Higher Education Council of Berks County

Service-Learning Resources

What is Service-Learning?

Service-learning means a method under which students learn and develop through thoughtfully-organized service that: is conducted in and meets the needs of a community and is coordinated with an institution of higher education, and with the community; helps foster civic responsibility; is integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum of the students enrolled; and includes structured time for students to reflect on the service experience. (From the Corporation for National Service)

Check out this web page for requests for projects from the Community or other faculty members to add service projects to your classes!

Current Community Need: 

• Appropriate for Psychology/Research & Design or Data Analysis Classes

  • Y.E.S. Mentor Program has accumulated several years worth of data on their mentees and needs help with the analysis of this data.
• Students needed to provide artistic support (visual and performing arts) to the Arts Program at the PAL.
• Tutors for PAL, Olivet's Boys & Girls Club and RACC's ESL program
• Note takers and tutors for RACC
• Reading-Berks Emergency Shelter would like caring students to visit children, ages 10-12 in an after-school setting.

Call the office, (610) 796-8389, for specific projects or:

• Service Projects for your classes or group

• Nonprofit agency projects that complement your syllabi

• Guest speakers on community issues

The Community Service Office has the following resources available for your use:

• AAHE's Series on Service Learning in the Disciplines:

  • Accounting

  • Biology

  • Communications

  • Composition

  • Engineering

  • Environmental Studies

  • History 

  • Management

  • Medical Education

  • Nursing

  • Peace Studies

  • Philosophy

  • Political Science

  • Psychology

  • Sociology

  • Spanish

  • Teacher Education

  • Women's Studies

• Books:

  • Introduction to Service Learning Toolkit: Reading and Resources for Faculty; compiled by Campus Compact. 

  • Where's the Learning in Service Learning? by Janet Eyler and Dwight E. Giles, Jr.

  • Service-Learning: A Movement's Pioneers Reflect on its Origins, Practice and Future by Timothy Staton, Dwight Giles, Jr., and Nadinne I. Cruz

  • Education for Civic Engagement in Democracy edited by Sheilah Mann and John J. Patrick

  • A Practioner's Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning by Janet Eyler, Dwight E. Giles, Jr., and Angela Schmiede

• Web Sites:

  • Pennsylvania Campus Compact: Events, resources, links, funding

  • National Campus Compact: Syllabi by discipline

  • American Association for Higher Education: publications, service-learning initiatives, Series on Service-Learning in the Disciplines

  • Communications for a Sustainable Future: "The Home of Service-Learning on the World Wide Web" Service-learning syllabi, service-learning discussions

  • Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development: syllabi, current initiatives, subgrants, training

Services for: