American Association for Higher Education 

“Service-learning helps promote both intellectual and civic engagement by linking the work students do in the classroom to real-world problems and real-world needs. Without compromising academic rigor or discipline-specific objectives, service-learning gives students concrete reasons for doing their personal best.” 

American Association of Community Colleges 

“The service learning instructional methodology integrates community service with academic instruction as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility. Service learning programs involve students in organized community service that addresses local needs, while developing their academic skills, sense of civic responsibility, and commitment to the community.”

The National and Community Service Act of 1990

“Service learning is student participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences:

1.     that meet actual community needs and that are coordinated with the school and community;

2.     that are integrated into the students’ academic curriculum or provide structured time for a student to think, talk, or write about what the student did and saw during the actual service activity;

3.     that provides students with opportunities to use newly-acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their communities;

4.     that enhance what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community and help to foster the development of a sense of caring for others.”

Miami-Dade Community College

“Service-learning is a teaching strategy that uses meaningful community service, combined with guided reflection, to enrich and enhance student learning of course materials.”

“Service-learning is best understood in the context of a continuous learning cycle where meaning is created through concrete experience, reflection or assimilation, abstract conceptualization or theory building, and active experimentation or problem solving.”

Chandler-Gilbert Community College

“Service learning combines community service with academic instruction, focusing on the following: critical thinking and problem solving, values clarification, social and personal development, and civic and community responsibility.”