As a best practice, community-engaged courses should benefit students, community, and faculty through centering the needs and goals of each entity. Ensuring reciprocity and centering sustainable authentic relationships requires great care, intention, time, and a clear strategy to execute. We describe how our intercollegiate and co-instructed…

Service learning is one of the most effective teaching methods for engaging and retaining community college students, but it comes with its challenges. For many students, the added requirements of a service learning experience can become one more responsibility in an already too-long list. In addition to being responsible for children, holding…

Public two-year colleges serve as an important access point for two out of every five students enrolled in postsecondary education. However, only 40 percent of community college students earn a postsecondary credential of any kind within six years, limiting their opportunities for advancement. Hoping to increase student retention and success, many…

To determine the level of involvement in service learning among community colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conducted a national survey of over 1,100 colleges in spring 1995. The following institutional and program profile, based on responses from 773 institutions, emerged from the survey: (1) four out of five…

During the 1990-91 funding year, Collin County Community College (Texas) piloted a service-learning program, Students Utilizing Collin County's Educational and Service Systems (SUCCESS). SUCCESS involved students in community service activities for learning both about their careers and about their capabilities as agents for community change. The…

Defines community service, which involves unpaid work to improve the community, and service learning, which blends academic study and community service. Offers a rationale for service learning at community colleges. Explains how to start a service learning program, document students' community involvement, and obtain funding. Discusses…

Describes national initiatives providing community colleges with grants and technical assistance to develop community building and service learning programs. Suggests that the objectives of service learning (that is, integrating community service with academic instruction, emphasizing critical reflection and civic responsibility) matches the…

The service learning instructional methodology integrates community service with academic instruction and seeks to address local needs and develop students academic skills, sense of civic responsibility, and commitment to the community. The following elements are important for effectively organizing a community college service learning program:…

This paper discusses three forms of community connections: service learning, partnerships, and public service, and offers an overview of the current service-learning movement in community colleges. It argues that, in order for community colleges to fulfill their missions, they must embrace the full implication of the having "community" in their…

Presents information on educational programs related to civic literacy and community services, providing brief descriptions of programs and related research efforts. Reviews programs related to civic responsibility, civic learning, and general education, and discusses community-based programming and service learning. (11 citations) (MAB)

Based on the idea that community colleges have a critical role in enhancing civic literacy through community-based programming and service learning, this volume provides descriptions of theoretical frameworks and practical models for incorporating community renewal into the college mission. The following articles are provided: (1) "Service…

Two White Pass School District (Washington) programs increase community cohesiveness despite troubled economic times: (1) the school district offers adult education, utilizes community talent, and hosts community recreation events; and (2) the Forest Service, school district, and community college developed a summer job program for secondary…

The document discusses a project that sought to create sustainable service learning programs in community colleges. In 1997, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (District of Columbia) began a 3-year grant project to increase the number, quality, and sustainability of service learning programs in community colleges nationwide.…

This document contains a series of 2001 research briefs, Catalyst: Inquiry for Change (Volume 1), that is part of a research project supported by the Institute for Community College Development at Cornell University, New York. The Institute's research projects are stakeholder driven for the purpose of researching areas of the most interest to…

The fourfold purpose of this study was to determine if student attitudes toward community service, student attitudes toward civic involvement, student attitudes about life skills, and student attitudes toward civic engagement and service learning differed based on enrollment in a course with a service learning component or enrollment in a course…