Service learning is “a credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs (in partnership with a non-profit agency) and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of the course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.” (Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. Implementing Service-Learning in Higher Education)
Unlike extracurricular volunteering, service-learning is a course-based experience that produces the best outcomes when meaningful service activities are related to course material through reflection activities. Unlike internships, the experiential activity in a service-learning course is not necessarily skill-based within the context of a student’s major or minor.
Western New York Service Learning Coalition 