Faculty Responsibilities

1. Choose Your Agencies

From our approved list, choose the agencies you wish to offer to your students for each of your courses. Once you have emailed us a list of your chosen agencies, a faculty page will be made for you on our Service-Learning website. You may direct your students to your Service-Learning page so that they may find the appropriate contact information and volunteer requirements for each agency on your list.

2. Incorporate Service-Learning into Your Syllabus

Your syllabus should include the following information: how many hours the students are required to complete, how Service-Learning will "count" towards the student's grade in the course, directions on how to receive paperwork (see below) and a description of the reflection assignment (if part of graded coursework). A copy of each syllabus needs to be turned into the Service-Learning Center at the start of each semester.

3. Inform Students to Attend an Orientation

All NEW students must attend a one-hour orientation. Orientations are held on both the Valencia and Canyon Country campuses during Weeks 2-4 (the schedule of times is posted on our website each semester). In some cases, classroom orientations may also be scheduled. NURSING and RETURNING students do not have to attend an orientation, they may pickup their paperwork in our office STCN-111 during the first four weeks of the semester.

4. Sign Agency Placement Form

Before volunteering, a student must complete a Placement Form. A completed Placement Form includes the following: (1) the agency the student wishes to volunteer with (taken from their course's list of approved agencies), (2) a signature from the agency's supervisor acknowledging the student's intention to volunteer with their agency, and (3) a description of the student's meaningful work to be performed at the agency. Once you have looked over the form and agree the student's placement is acceptable to meet the course requirements, sign the Placement Form so that the student can submit the form to our office and start their volunteer hours.

5. Select a Reflection Assignment

A critical component of a successful service-learning project is "reflection." Reflection describes the process of a student deriving meaning and knowledge before, during, and after their volunteer experience. Effective reflection requires the student to engage in a thought-provoking exercise that consciously connects learning with experience. We require a two-page reflection essay to be turned into and reviewed by our program staff at the end of the student's volunteer experience (the requirements for this essay is discussed during orientation). However, you may choose to assign your own reflection assignment to your students (in-class reflection, office hour reflection, reflection journal, etc). If you choose to assign your own reflection assignment as part of your graded coursework, the students must submit a copy (or proof of completion) of the assignment to our office STCN-111.

6. Award Course "Credit" to Student

At the end of the semester, you will receive a final report on which students completed a Service-Learning project so that you may award course "credit" accordingly. You will also receive the students' Certificate of Completions (these will be placed in your mailbox for you to hand out in class).

**Please be aware that if our staff needs to contact a student but the student does not communicate with the Service-Learning Center when requested, we may send a message to the instructor.