It's an essential part of an education that allows students to think about responsibility in developing civil society and being part of it. Linton and other faculty dedicated to service-learning are constantly revising their courses for a better fit between the classroom and the community. Most recently, Linton taught a course for which every student worked with a resident at Shelter, Inc., preparing a narrative of the life events that culminated in that person's homelessness. Many other faculty at IUB share Linton's dedication to service-learning. Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, in Political Science, has taught her collective action class several times, and has changed it with every iteration.
Research suggests that service-learning can enhance retention as well.
Service-learning enables students to feel a connection, to feel necessary to a community. When Defiance College, in Ohio, initiated a service- learning requirement for entering students, the school's retention rate rose ten percent in the first year. Students there worked primarily as tutors with elementary school students. Campbell, familiar with faculty interested in service-learning, can contact appropriate instructors. Savich, in turn, gains a better sense of the university's service-learning needs.