A few weeks ago, I attended a lecture on campus given by Hunt Brown, Director of Sustainability and Senior Lecturer, Earth & Environmental Sciences, about a fascinating service-learning course he taught here at WSU.   The course, UH 203, took place during intersession 2007 (that's the break between fall and winter quarters), and included a one-week service trip to New Orleans, about two years after Hurrican Katrina hit.  The students researched economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainability in New Orleans.  If you're wondering

My co-teacher and I will teach our Information Literacy course, EDT 110, again beginning in January.  One of the questions I get most frequently about my class is about timing.  How long/far in advance should I start planning a service-learning partnership or course?

My friend, colleague, and fellow service-learning enthusiast, Jennifer E. Nutefall, Associate University Librarian for Innovative User Services at Oregon State University Libraries, has a new article hot off the presses! Read Why Service-Learning is Important to Librarians in the OLA Quarterly here:  http://data.memberclicks.com/site/ola/olaq_17no3.pdf (see page 16).

About this time last year, I approached a friend, Craig This, who teaches a UVC 101 course (first-year seminar or FYS).  I told him I'd like to try a service-learning research project with a UVC 101 class.  He jumped at the opportunity and said "Sign me up!"  I had already approached a community partner, Project READ, about the potential partnership, and they had also (enthusiastically!) agreed to accept students' research and service.

Someone at the Research Academy last week suggested the following book (which has also been added to the Recommended Reading section of this blog), The Unheard Voices: Community Organizations and Service-Learning. It's a fantastic resource that explores the service-learning relationship from the perspective of the community partner. Having worked with two community partners for the EDT 110 course, I became even more mindful of how stretched-thin small nonprofits and NGOs (nongovernment organizations) can be.

This morning, I attended a breakfast at my institution to celebrate the many accomplishments of the Office of Service-Learning (including their AmeriCORPS VISTA volunteers) and faculty and staff at Wright State that are involved in supporting the academy's mission to "transform the lives of our students and the communities we serve." The mission also states that "We are committed to engaging in significant community service." Wright State was the only public institution in Ohio last year named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

I've been meaning to write for some time about an interesting discussion I took part in about a month ago in the service learning faculty learning community. A panel of service learning veterans came to share their experiences with us. One of the conversations that evolved stressed the importance of the difference between serving "to" or serving "with" community partners. As one develops service learning pedagogy and curriculum, it's important for us to be mindful of this distinction.

You'll see some new additions to the recommended reading page, including High-Impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter by George D. Kuh (published by the Association of American Colleges & Universities).

Don't miss the ACRL Instruction Section virtual discussion "Service-Learning and the Academic Librarian."  This email just came across the ili-listserv yesterday: The IS current topics discussion, “Service-Learning and the Academic Librarian” will be held online Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 1 PM ET (12 PM CT, 11 AM MT, 10 AM PT) via the Elluminate platform. Convened by Gabe Gossett of Western Washington University, this virtual discussion will be an opportunity for participants to learn how service learning is becoming an important issue for academic librarians.