The Barbara Higgins Bodwell '45 Center for Service & Volunteerism
The University of Maine
5748 Memorial Union
Orono, ME 04469
207.581.1796
FAX: 207.581.3085
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Service
Learning
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Community Partners are groups or organizations that provide
a venue for a service learning project. Entering into a partnership
with the Service Learning program requires a commitment of
time, resources and effort, but the benefits for the agencies,
instructors, service-learning students and communities can
be dramatic and transformational.
Many of our community partners were surprised but interested
when they got a phone call from a University of Maine professor
asking if they'd like to participate as a partner in a
course project. They've found themselves working with
a team of University
of Maine students who are using their academic knowledge
to address a problem or situation that the community
partner faces.
Working with Community Partners
"...the natural development of university community
partnerships begins with work between the university
and well-organized local agencies and organizations that
have
the capacity and sophistication to interface with the
more bureaucratic university."
Holland,
B. & Gelmon, S. (2003). The States of the Engaged
Campus: What We Learned About Building and Sustaining University-Community
Partnerships. In Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit.
Providence, RI: Campus Compact, p. 197.
What can a community partner expect from a service-learning
project
- Working with a group of energetic students and a dedicated
professor. Our experience shows that most of the professors
who choose this strategy are excellent teachers who
care deeply about their students' learning. The students
generally
enjoy this sort of learning and quickly see the merit
of it.
- Clear and consistent communication with the team
and the
professor.
- A well-focused project with clear criteria.
The project should meet real needs or situations for
the client.
- A project delivered on time.
- Professional behavior from
the student team.
What are the responsibilities of the
partner?
- Enjoy working with people who are learning how to be
professional. Our partners often say how important it's
been for them to
meet students and mentor them as they apply their academic
knowledge to the professional world.
- Be accessible to the
student team by phone and/or by e-mail. Money and lavish
resources aren't necessary, but communication
is key to this sort of learning project. Students will
be working in a tight timeframe.
- Be able to narrow the
scope of the project to fit the time available to the
student team. The professor of
the course
will have designed the project to allow students to
learn and to practice certain skills and to complete the
project
by the end of the semester.
- Be flexible. Allow for
individual learning styles while still expecting professional
results.
When developing a service-learning partnership,
consider
the following tips for placement site success. Tips
for placement site success
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