How Can I Create a Meaningful Service-Learning Project for my Online Class?

Service learning is a rich learning tool in higher education. Students who participate in some form of community service tied to their coursework get more out of the material. They are also more likely to complete their degrees.

Online classes pose a special challenge for faculty wanting to do service learning. These students expect greater flexibility and the ability to fulfill assignments at their computer—conditions that are not particularly conducive to traditional service-learning opportunities. Educators may also find it daunting to come up with options that engage distance learning students who may have nontraditional schedules.

Pioneering educators are coming up with fresh ways to adapt to these challenges and this 20-Minute Mentor explores practical solutions to this dilemma. The program presenter draws from her teaching experiences in an online classroom to show how she developed a meaningful service-learning experience that can be easily duplicated—the “call to action” project. The program focuses on a general 7-step service-learning template and how faculty can apply it to their own teaching.

In only 20 minutes, viewers who purchase this program will:

• See how “success” or “failure” in the activity results can teach students critical lessons
• Give students a realistic understanding of what they can accomplish in their community in a limited period of time
• Discover an efficient way for students to prepare deliverables for your review
• Learn grading techniques that conserve time and energy
• Encourage student collaboration to create a stimulating online class dynamic

Learning Goals

After viewing this Magna 20-Minute Mentor, participants will be able to:

• Identify three benefits to using service learning in their courses
• Explain key features of one model of service learning for an online course
• Apply the model to classes the participant teaches
• Help students settle on a course-related topic for their activity
• Describe different calls to action that students can employ
• Show students how to find and follow up with participants in their project
• Leverage social media to show how one person can make a difference

Topics Covered

How Can I Create a Meaningful Service-Learning Project for my Online Class? provides step-by-step instructions for a call-to-action project. The presenter explains the model she uses in her own classes and the ways that this model can be used in different course settings, disciplines, and class sizes.

Guidelines for executing every step of the call-to-action activity and results from the presenter’s own online classroom activity arm you with the knowledge and confidence to engage your online students through service learning.

Audience

This program will benefit:

• Faculty
• Instructional Designers

Product Code: QM22CA