Even the faculty members benefit from the opportunity for students to learn beyond the classroom. Aaron Merino, an instructor in Spanish studies, is strongly in favor of Service Learning. Inc. They help teach English to recent immigrants. He refers to a former student of his that left her service learning with a different outlook in life. Janssen reported that more than half of his students opted to do community-based projects to earn credit toward their semester grade.
Some faculty members offer a service learning project in lieu of some type of course work.
The knowledge gained through this outreach program helps students better understand the community, acquire leadership skills, and get hands on training in a particular field. Iwona Lubowicka, a pre-Physical Therapy major, benefited greatly from her experience of working with the American Red Cross. Her position was to volunteer at a mobile blood drive. It was a wonderful experience for me because I learned a lot about blood, and I had the opportunity to work with people. Right away Lubowicka decided to participate with a Service Learning project through her Anatomy and Physiology class.