Service Learning
Service Learning is an educational initiative in which students complete a project in the community that directly relates to the objectives of a course and meets the needs of a community-based organization.
Service Learning works to:
- Engage students in community-based projects that deepen their understanding of the course content and objectives
- Give faculty a vehicle for helping students see how theory and text manifest in reality
- Create a project that benefits the community organization in some ongoing, sustainable way
Faculty Fellows Program
The purpose of this program is to support a faculty member-or a Learning Community who share a course-in developing a new service learning course or redesigning an existing course to incorporate student service to the community. Faculty receive a course reassignment or stipend to develop a service-learning project for a course in a cohort setting.
Service Learning Practicum
Service Learning Practicum (SSN 102) is a one-credit course that can be added on to any course with a service-learning component. Faculty receive an added credit to their course load, and students pay for the extra credit.
Questions? Contact:
Lisa Mahon
DON 357
413.552.2369
lmahon@hcc.edu
Service Learning is an educational initiative in which students complete a project in the community that directly relates to the objectives of a course and meets the needs of the community-based organization. A variety of partners and projects have been able to enrich the educational experineces of our students.
Service Learning Community Partners
Projects are created collaboratively with a community partner – any project is possible!
- Holyoke Food Fitness Council
- Nuestras Raices
- The Care Center
- Holyoke Boys & Girls Club
- Girls INC
- Reach Out & Read
- Springfield Schools Volunteers
- MSPCC/Halo Center
- Western MA Elder Care
- Geriatric Authority
- Kate's Kitchen/Margaret's Pantry
- Gandara Center
- The Trustees of Reservations
Service-Learning Projects
Some examples of HCC Service Learning projects:
- An Earth Science course in which students test waters for nitrates and report/present their findings to the Connecticut River Valley Watershed Council
- An English and human services Learning Community in which students learn about writing as a tool for healing and self-discovery, and then work with teen mothers studying poetry at the Care Center
- A web design course during which students design new websites for community-based organizations in Holyoke
- An English and sociology Learning Community on teen pregnancy in which students learn about poetry alongside teen mothers studying at the Care Center, and design an assessment tool for a teen pregnancy prevention program at the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club
- A robotics course in which students instruct the youth at the Holyoke Boys & Girls Club in the designing, building, and programming of robots
- A nutrition course in which students create an activity, a healthy recipe, and content for a lesson plan that teaches a nutritional concept to children at the Holyoke and Westfield Boys & Girls Clubs
- A marketing course in which students break into teams. One team completes a much-needed marketing plan/strategy for developing a new retail store run by Providence Ministries, the other team creates a much-needed survey for the Holyoke YMCA
- A nursing course in which students partner with the Holyoke Health Center's initiative that links literacy and health under Reach Out & Read
Service Learning Practicum
Service Learning Practicum (SSN 102) is a one-credit course that can be added on to any course with a service-learning component. Faculty receive an added credit to their course load and students pay for the extra credit.
Questions? Contact:
Lisa Mahon
DON 357
413.552.2369
lmahon@hcc.edu