When students interact with each other and become active rather than passive learners, their achievement as well as their cognitive and social development improves. The challenge for faculty is to inspire and motivate students toward the common purpose of maximizing each other's learning. Classes engaged in service learning provide meaningful services to the community while making the curriculum more relevant to students' lives. When designing a service learning component for a course, faculty must be careful to include a clear connection between the service and the course competencies or objectives, a carefully structured assignment that includes a reflection component, and a meaningful contribution to the community. The extent of the service experience will vary based upon the degree to which the service connects with the course objectives.
Students explore a common theme to see relationships between different ideas and subjects.
Often these courses are team-taught by college faculty. Students and teachers benefit by having larger blocks of time for sustained discussions and activities about a theme, seeking connections between subject matter, disciplines, and ideas. Learning communities also build a sense of community among students and faculty. This connection contributes to student success in college. Assessment instruments are created, administered, and analyzed by the teachers themselves.