About the Program
The Berea College service-learning program is housed in the Center
for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS). Service-learning
staff work with faculty and community organizations to design collaborative
projects that address community issues and that allow students
to develop and apply academic and critical thinking skills.
Service-learning experiences and structured reflection provide students with the opportunity to make connections between academic course content and community issues, in the broader context of civic engagement. Service-learning also facilitates the exchange of ideas, knowledge and resources between Berea College and the local community, the Appalachian region, and beyond.
What
Is Service-Learning?
Service-learning is an educational experience
based upon a collaborative partnership between college and community.
Learning through service enables students to apply academic knowledge
and critical thinking skills to meet genuine community needs. Through
reflection and assessment, students gain deeper knowledge of course
content and the importance of civic engagement. (Definition developed
by the Berea College Service-Learning Advisory Committee, March
2004). For more information, view our Elements
of Service-Learning page.
Service-Learning at Berea College
In
keeping with Berea College’s strong history of service, faculty
have been connecting their teaching with community service and
outreach throughout the College’s history. Berea College’s
formal service-learning program came into being along with the
establishment of the Center for Excellence in Learning Through
Service (CELTS) in 2000. The service-learning program at Berea
College provides support for faculty, staff, students, and community
partners who are involved in service-learning activities. In just
a few years, service-learning has become a significant feature
of the academic program at Berea College. The number of service-learning
courses taught each semester has increased, new programs for faculty
and community partner development have been established, and support
for service-learning collaborations has grown.
At Berea College today, service-learning courses are being taught in over twenty disciplines across campus. Our community partners include
non-profit agencies, community organizations, and schools. These
organizations work in different ways toward providing needed services,
promoting greater educational and economic opportunities for the
Appalachian region, addressing poverty issues, and working toward
a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Berea College is affiliated
with regional groups, such as Just Connections, and national groups,
such as Campus Compact, that are committed to using service-learning
as a tool for engaged learning and to address community needs. |
