Service Learning Faculty Resources

Overview

The Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, with the support of the Registrar’s Office, identifies courses each semester that integrate service-learning using the SRVC attribute in Gulfline. Registered SRVC courses will also include the standard comment "This course includes an integrated service-learning requirement." in the comment box. This attribute is very beneficial to faculty members promoting their service-learning courses, students who are looking for course-based service-learning options, advisors who are assisting students with their schedules, and our office for record keeping and reports.

Training

We strongly encourage all faculty to complete the Service-Learning Canvas Training Module before integrating service-learning into your class(es). This training module provides each of our service-learning instructors (new and returning) with the latest best practices, effective strategies, new resources, frameworks, and shared terminology within the field of service-learning. It also provides an opportunity to bring all instructors to a common level of knowledge while providing you a resource point to return to as needed throughout each semester. When you complete the training module and final survey, you will receive a certificate of completion signed by the Provost for your professional development files. To gain access and complete the Canvas training module, please contact Justin Fitzgerald, Director of Community Engagement at jfitzgerald@fgcu.edu.

FGCU’s most successful service-learning classes follow the objective-based service-learning model. Within the class setting, it is never recommended to assign a specific number of service-learning hours for your students to complete. This can distract from the larger project objectives that should be set between students and the community partners they are setting out to serve.     

The best way to ensure students submit their service-learning hours with the university is to have them submit a screenshot from Eagle Service Network as an assignment in Canvas. A screenshot should be submitted once after their community partner is approved and again after their total service-learning hours for the semester are electronically verified by their community partner. Students should submit their community partner for approval as soon as their partner is confirmed. Students should track their final number of service-learning hours in Eagle Service Network no later than two weeks prior to the last class meeting. This provides the best chance for a community partner to have time to receive, review, and electronically verify a student’s hours are correct. Screenshot examples are shown in the Objective-Based Service-Learning Guide.