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Community-based Learning Course Syllabus Design

A syllabus for a course which incorporates community-based learning provides evidence of this component of the educational experience. Students should be able to independently analyze the syllabus to gain knowledge of the role community-based learning will have in the course.

The main components one expects to see are:

  • Description of community-based learning experience
  • Goals and objectives of these experiences for students and for community partners
  • Opportunities for structured reflection on the connections between academic content and service provided
  • Integration of academic content and community service in methods of assessment of student learning

To determine the presence of these components, we look for:

  • Course description which includes description of community-based learning approach for the course
  • Learning objectives for students which address the community-based service experience
  • General service objectives for community partners
  • Projects/assignments related to the community service experience
  • Readings/discussions/presentations (i.e. course content) related to the community service experience, illustrating a deliberate connection between the academic content and the community service experience
  • Opportunities for structured reflection through assignments, journals, discussions, and other mechanisms set explicitly in syllabus
  • Assessment of community experience as an explicit component of determining grading for the course
  • Evidence of integration of the community-based experience with other methods of instruction and learning

There is no specific weighting of these components; however, the ideal syllabus would include all of these components.

Community-based Learning Course Syllabi - The National Campus Compact hosts a clearinghouse of successfully implemented community-based learning course syllabi for a wide variety of academic disciplines.  An extension of these resources was created through Loyola University Maryland and is available here: Service Learning Syllabi by Discipline (*please click on the blue bullets to open the syllabus of your choice). 

Best Practices, Syllabi, Lesson Plans and Curricula - The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse provides a repository for effective service-learning practices for short-term and long-term classroom use, as well as suggestions for integrating national "days of service" into the curriculum.