FAQs
What is the Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership (CCELL)?
CCELL serves as LSU's clearinghouse for service-learning partnerships and community-engaged
research. We promote community engagement and facilitate campus-community partnerships.
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What is service-learning?
A service-learning partnership involves a community partner (usually a nonprofit organization,
governmental agency, PK- 12 public school, or the philanthropic arm of a for-profit
organization) and faculty member working together to develop a service placement or
project that will engage students in serving the community partner's needs while gaining
an enhanced understanding of the learning objectives in an academic course. These
partnerships involve an entire class, or occasionally a small group of students, serving
with your organization for an entire semester.
Our program is founded upon a reciprocal relationship between students and community
partners. We strive to make a partnership with LSU service-learning a positive experience
for everyone involved. By definition, a service-learning project must serve the needs
of your organization. Please notify us at ccell@lsu.edu or 225-578-4245 if you have concerns about the reciprocity of a project.
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How is service-learning different from volunteerism or internships?
- Service-learning is designed to benefit both the student and the community. The service activities meet community needs and enhance student understanding of course content. Service goals are aligned with learning objectives.
- Volunteerism and community service activities are designed to benefit the community. The benefit to the student is limited to learning how service makes a difference in the lives of the service recipients.
- Practicums, field education, internships and co-op education are designed to benefit the student by providing experience in a particular field of study. The student typically works
in the private sector rather than for a nonprofit and may even be paid for the work.
What kinds of service do service-learners provide?
There are two kinds of service. For both types, students should be able to relate
their work directly to the mission of your organization.
- Deliverable projects are service projects that require the completion of some project as the service goal. An example of this sort of service project is business writing students writing grant proposals with a local nonprofit organization. It is the end product, the finished grant proposal, which is required for the completion of the project, not a certain number of service hours. Projects must be well defined. Students must be provided with information and access to a knowledgeable individual who can answer their questions.
- Placement projects are service projects that require a number of hours of service as the service goal. Placement projects should have consistent hours so that students can serve regularly throughout the academic semester.
What are some examples of service-learning classes?
- Biological engineering students build school playgrounds.
- Education, math, science, music and English students tutor and mentor elementary school children.
- Computer science students build customized computer applications and websites with nonprofits.
- Ecology students identify and eliminate invasive plants in wildlife conservation areas.
- English students build community gardens, conduct youth poetry workshops, and create newsletters with nonprofits.
- New and unique courses are added each semester.
How can community agencies or groups get involved with LSU service-learning?
Click on the Community Resources button on the top menu to submit your organization's contact information, partnership ideas and/or feedback. Interested
in other opportunities? CCELL's list of Partnership Contacts provides a list of the various LSU departments and initiatives involved in community
engagement.
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Do you have tips on working with university partners?
Yes. CCELL's LSU Service-Learning Handbook is a great introduction to working with LSU service-learning. The Handbook includes information on how to build an effective service-learning partnership,
how to help orient students to your site and how the CCELL office can assist you in
making the service-learning partnership most beneficial to you and the people you
serve.
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Are there forms that can be used to record or evaluate service for faculty or student
partners?
Click here to see the Service-Learning Forms page.
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