Students Ponder Enrollment in Service-Learning Courses

As the add/drop period for class registration at Loyola comes to a close next month, students are buzzing with talk of dropping or enrolling in service-learning courses over the next few weeks. Several Loyola students are unsure if this class structure is the right fit for them, and are questioning if the committment they must make to one of these courses is worth the experience. Many freshman are even entirely unaware as to what service-learning is. "I found out that one of the classes I registered for is a service-learning course," said freshman Brett Butler. "I don't really know what that means, but I've heard it is a lot of extra work and requires a lot of extra time."

At Loyola University, service-learning is considered a type of experiential learning within academic courses. Service-learning students must complete a certain amount of hours of community service outside of the classroom, as dictated by their instructor, at a site of their choosing. Some professors give students the option of participating in the service aspect of the course, whereas others require it. From tutoring Hispanic youth at a local elementary school to teaching underprivileged children how to swim at Loyola’s very own FAC, there is a wide range of service students can complete.

The purpose of learning through service is for students to gain knowledge about the subject area through interaction with the community, not just from a textbook.They experience the issues they are learning about firsthand, and connect their experiences to the central idea of their course through reflective activities and assignments. "I fervently believe that my students gain a more profound understanding of the course content," said service-learning instructor Dr. Carolyn Barry of Loyola's psychology department.

According to Barry, this learning method has as positive impact on students even beyond the classroom. "I relish the opportunity to use service-learning in my courses to ensure students have the maximal possibility of becoming more multiculturally competent so as to realize their career goals," Barry said, "as well as to become more compassionate and effective citizens of the world, furthering Loyola's motto of having students become 'people who work for and with others."

Many administrators believe that students should take advantage of  the service-learning experience Loyola has to offer. “Students should enroll in a service-learning class because they have the chance to combine their academic journey with the Jesuit mission,” said Dr. Andrea Leary of the writing department, who instructs a service-learning course titled The Art of Argument.

“The students can simultaneously serve their own needs as students while serving the community. In addition, they pursue cura personalis, or care of their whole person: my students often tell me that they believe they have gained more than they have given," Leary stated.

If you are interested in enrolling in a service-learning course for the spring 2012 semester, the full list of service-learning courses can be found here. If you are not interested in the committment, there are still several opportunities for you to participate in service throughout your time at Loyola, which are often announced on CCSJ's website.

Listen to the perspective of a service-learning student and a non-service-learning student (who is still involved in the community) below: