Business & Social Science

Service Learning Program

General Information:
The Service Learning Program offers students the opportunity to participate in community service for course credit. Participating students remain in the same class as other students, and complete the same course requirements as other students. Students’ final course grades are computed differently, however, so that the community service counts for part of the final grade.

Transcript Designation:
Courses in which the student has selected the SLP option will receive a special designation on the student’s academic transcript. This designation will inform colleges, universities, employers, and others who view the student’s transcript that s/he volunteered at a community service agency.

Requirements:
Any student enrolled in a class that offers an SLP option may participate. The student’s volunteer service usually begins during the third week of the semester, and continues for a total of ten weeks. The student must sign and return an SLP enrollment form and liability waiver at the beginning of the semester.

Grading:
Under the SLP option, the regular course requirements count for 75-80% of the student’s final course grade. The volunteer service counts for the remaining 20-25% of the student’s course grade. Volunteer service is graded based on written reports from a supervisor at the volunteer site. In addition, instructors may require written assignments (related to the volunteer service) from student participants.

Volunteer Sites:
At the beginning of the semester, each student who chooses to participate in the SLP option will locate an appropriate community service program in which to volunteer. Students will have approximately two weeks (the exact date will be announced in class) to locate their volunteer sites. Appropriate volunteer sites include local, state, or national organizations that are generally non-profit, and open to the public. The organization must provide some type of community service through the use of volunteers. The instructor of the course must approve the volunteer opportunity. Each student participant is responsible for returning a signed copy of the “Supervisor Agreement” form from an approved volunteer site within the two-week period. If a student already performs community service with a volunteer agency and wishes to receive course credit for his/her service, this is perfectly acceptable. During the semester of participation, the student will be required to submit the same paperwork and adhere to the same guidelines as other students in order to receive course credit.

Courses:
We currently offer a service learning program in many psychology, sociology, social work, and criminal justice courses. Check with your instructor to see whether your course offers the option.

Further Information:
The SLP sponsors at Darton College are:

Contact any sponsor for further information.