Building Sustainable Programs: A Guide to Developing & Maintaining Service-Learning at Community Colleges.

Service-learning is a pedagogy that combines community service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. This guide is designed to foster the development of service-learning programs at community colleges and presents experiences, ideas, and lessons learned from existing programs. First, reasons for supporting and developing service-learning programs are presented, indicating that such programs meet the community college mission, help develop student self-esteem, and build relations with the community. Programmatic, administrative, and financial strategies are then presented for developing and sustaining service-learning programs. Next, brief descriptions are provided of 19 exemplary practices or beneficial outcomes from existing service-learning programs. Practices described include techniques for forming student connections, evaluation methods, faculty mini-grants, course development methods, efforts to ensure academic integrity, the formation of community partnerships, service scholarships, a faculty institute for program development, involving faculty in community service, community service to enhance career exploration, and the use of service-learning modules that are independent from courses. For each practice, a contact person, organizational address, and electronic mail address are provided. Finally, five resources are presented for raising funds.