Home > Academics > Service-Learning

Advancing education beyond the classroom

Welcome to the NUSL Program online home. We have information, resources, and opportunities here for faculty, students, and community partners. Norwich University Service-Learning (NUSL) is the coordinating entity at Norwich University for service-learning projects: we connect courses with community needs, support ongoing projects, ensure high quality reflection and learning, and keep an eye and an ear out for community needs.

Norwich University defines service-learning as the incorporation of service into the curriculum. Norwich recognizes that service-learning must include:

• Explicit connections between the service and course objectives (course credit is given for learning, not service)
• Students engaged in activities which meet real community needs and/or goals
• Structured opportunities for students to critically reflect on their experience
• Genuine, active and sustained organizational commitment on the part of the college and the community
• Necessary training, supervision, monitoring, support, recognition, and evaluation to meet service and learning goals.

Faculty — service-learning and your courses

Check out the Faculty Brochure for an overview of service-learning or the NUSL Manual for a more in-depth look at service-learning.

Learning can be derived from service within any discipline, it just takes creativity and community partnerships. To incorporate service-learning into your course, these are the steps you could take (the NUSL Program can assist in any step of the process):

• Contact the service-learning program to discuss ideas, learning objectives, and general service-learning information.
• Identify a community need and connect it with the learning objectives of your course.
• Incorporate service-learning into your syllabus.
• Plan ongoing reflection activities.
• Determine the appropriate means of assessing student learning outcomes.
• Complete the tracking forms of the NUSL Program.

Resources for Faculty

At Norwich, the NUSL Program is charged with creating resources for faculty members, matching course concepts with community needs, and assisting with the process of implementing the pedagogy. The NUSL Program also has these resources available for your use:

• Faculty Consulting Corps — faculty trained and experienced in service-learning are available to consult with colleagues, departments, or divisions.
• SL Scholars — students trained in service-learning are available to meet with your classes, assist with community partnerships, and/or give a student perspective of the pedagogy.
• Professional development — workshops, fellowships, and the NUSL Training Day on campus, plus connections to conferences, institutes, and publication opportunities off-campus.
• Work-Study Program — shared work-study positions that can assist in the logistical needs of Schools active with service-learning (currently offered to the Schools of Engineering and Math/Science).
• Faculty and student grants — funding is available for conferences, workshops, or trainings, as well as financial support for project needs (transportation, supplies/equipment, meals, etc.)—download the NUSL Faculty Grant application.

To get started integrating service-learning into your class(es), contact the Service-Learning Coordinator at 802-485-2889 or mbarber@norwich.edu.

Students — What do you want out of your education?

Check out the service-learning Student Brochure for an overview of service-learning.

Service-learning can help you get more involved in your classes as well as on campus and in the surrounding community. Service-learning gives you valuable experience that looks great on a resumé as community involvement or as being active in your major field of study. Most students learn best by doing, so service-learning projects help students get more from the courses they take.

Did you know…?

• Resumé Builder: Service-learning can be treated like an internship or co-op. Employers really like involvement in service-learning too!
• Leadership Skills: Service-learning shows that you were active and involved in your school and education. Leadership is another great addition to a resumé!
• Real World Job Experience: A service-learning project can give you experience in your discipline before you graduate.
• Classes with service-learning: Many majors, like HI, ED, CM, PE, CJ, and CE, already use service-learning. Find out if you’re already doing service-learning or ask how to do it in your courses this or next semester.
• Teachers Like service-learning: Many teachers are open to service-learning, so don’t be shy. A service-learning project can sometimes be used to replace projects or papers in a syllabus.
• It’s About Learning, Not Hours: There are no minimum or maximum number of hours for service-learning. Instead, it is about what you learned while you were serving.

Norwich University Scholars Program

The Norwich University Service-Learning Scholars are committed to amplifying and promoting student voice in the integration of community need and university curriculum. SL scholars are ordinary students at Norwich University who are involved with creating, maintaining, and growing service-learning on campus. Ask any of them about the program. There is a place for you in the service-learning program! Contact the NUSL Program for more information.

So…what do you want out of your education?

You’re paying for your education. Get the most for your money. Contact the service-learning program on campus or an SL Scholar to see how you can add service-learning into your syllabus.

Community Partners

Check out the Community Partner Brochure for an overview of service-learning.

The NUSL Program strives to meet community needs through the Norwich University curriculum. If you believe that your organization or group has a project that could benefit from the involvement of Norwich University students—through their courses—please contact the NUSL Program at 802-485-2889, or mbarber@norwich.edu. NUSL staff will be more than happy to find a match between your needs and the learning objectives of a Norwich University class.

What is the difference between volunteering, service-learning, and internships?

Volunteerism is service provided to a community on an individual’s own time.

Service-Learning is the incorporation of service into the curriculum.

Internships are career-based experiences often for credit or pay and often with a for-profit company.

At Norwich, you can approach the NUSL Program, the Office of Volunteer Programs, or Internship Coordinators and we’ll help you find the appropriate office for your need. Service-learning works directly through a course and class syllabus. Remember, Norwich defines service-learning as the incorporation of service into the curriculum. And Norwich recognizes that service-learning must include:

• Explicit connections between the service and course objectives (course credit is given for learning, not service)
• Students engaged in activities which meet real community needs and/or goals
• Structured opportunities for students to critically reflect on their experience
• Genuine, active and sustained organizational commitment on the part of the college and the community
• Necessary training, supervision, monitoring, support, recognition, and evaluation to meet service and learning goals

The Community Partner Program

When looking at our composition in the spring of 2005, we had a nice complement of students, faculty members, community organizations, and “friends” of the Program all involved in some way or another. However, we were missing a vital piece…a voice was not being heard in our program. So due to a generous grant from Vermont Campus Compact, we were able to start our community partner program.

Now sustainably funded by Norwich, NUSL Community Partners are involved members of the Vermont community who have been trained in service-learning. Community partners bring valuable perspective and experience to the NUSL Program and better connect NU faculty, staff, and students to the community-at-large. They participate in activities, as required by the program, to generate a deeper understanding of service-learning. Community partners recognize that service-learning is both a valuable part of the Norwich experience and a benefit to Vermont and the local communities.

For information on any of the above programs or resources, please feel free to contact the NUSL Program:

Michelle Barber
NU Service-Learning Coordinator
802-485-2889
mbarber@norwich.edu
158 Harmon Drive, Northfield, VT 05663
Office location on campus: 16 University Ave.