A 2-credit service-learning biotechnology course designed as a general education elective for students of all majors and at all levels was offered as an 8-week, half-semester course. The course met for a total of 3 hours of lecture/discussion and 2 hours of service-learning workshop weekly, during which students participated in discussions about…

Classroom demonstrations are a great vehicle for getting students to apply information they have heard in a lecture. Educational research is replete with data showing that concept application in an inquiry setting reinforces long-term science content retention. This means that students learn best when they experience applications of concepts and…

This report reviews the literature and research on the use of experiential learning in higher education, focusing on classroom-community linkages. It defines experiential learning and reviews the current employment of experiential learning in higher education. An introductory section explains the politics and policy issues of experiential learning…

In 1993, Ambassador Walter Annenberg gave $500 million to address issues of school reform in the United States. A portion of this, known as the Rural Challenge, was dedicated to rural school reform. The four aspects of the Rural Challenge--a grants program, public policy initiative, public engagement effort, and large evaluation--provide a…

This digest suggests how outdoor education and experiential learning can develop in students a sense of community participation and set them on a path of strong participation and civic responsibility. Following definitions of outdoor education and experiential learning, various outdoor and experiential approaches are described. Adventure education…

This guide introduces teachers to the ideas and methods that underpin project-based learning. Teachers who are new to planning and managing projects will find the guide particularly helpful as a starting point and resource guide. Chapter 1 presents a rationale for project-based instruction, describes potential benefits and concerns, discusses the…

Profiles three programs that incorporate service learning into efforts to reduce violence. Extrapolates a set of criteria for developing similar programs. These include meaningful activities, skill-based instruction, recognition of student effort and clear expectations for non-violent behavior. Includes a brief list of teaching resources. (MJP)

Outlines approaches for student evaluation in service learning projects. Maintains that most service learning project participants' goals fall into three broad areas: civic development, academic achievement, and personal or social development. Assessment in these areas can be accomplished through tabulation of service hours, student journals, and…

Maintains that self-esteem is more than simply "feeling good" about oneself. It derives from having experienced meaningful success. A service learning program can accomplish this and avoid the self-preoccupation and narcissism that occasionally accompany self-esteem efforts. Service learning can replace this with empathy and commitment. (MJP)

Describes traditional Indian education and how it differs from the Euro-American model by utilizing example instead of indoctrination. Notes that experiential and service learning include many key elements of Native approaches. Describes programs developed by the National Indian Youth Leadership Project that combine these approaches with…

Describes common elements of service learning emerging from case studies. Focuses on national service programs. Common successful strategies found in Kuliah Kenja Nyata (KKN) program at Indonesian universities and We Care and Share elementary school program in Nova Scotia. Studies programs' development, fiscal considerations, and service…

Classroom experiential-learning activities help college students understand the social-justice issues implicit in their service-learning projects and become culturally dexterous leaders. Classroom exercises described cover trust building, communication, consciousness of power and class issues, differentiating between social service and social…

A study examining the characteristics of students engaged in service learning and the association between service learning participation and student performance involved 699 college students in an American government course over three semesters. Females and lower-income students were more likely to be service learning participants, and service…

Preservice teacher education candidates reveal personal and professional benefits of participating in a service-learning project. University students actively engaged in connecting content knowledge and pedagogy with authentic experiences in K-12 classrooms. Reflections revealed a service learning component had an impact on participants' sense of…

Undergraduate sociology students at Rust College, Mississippi, an historically black college, have been given the opportunity to connect with the lives of others in institutional settings, thus making a generational connection between the college and a local nursing home. During the 1995-96 academic year, students in three sociology courses…