While labor intensive for the instructor, this can provide regular feedback to students and prompt new questions for students to consider during the semester. Dialogue journals also can be read and responded to by a peer. Directed writings ask students to consider the service experience within the framework of course content. A list of directed writings can be provided at the beginning of the semester. Experiential research papers ask students to identify an underlying social issue they have encountered at the service site.
Students then research the social issue.
Based on their experience and library research, students make recommendations to the agency for future action. Class presentations of the experiential research paper can culminate semester work. E-mail discussion is a way to facilitate reflection with the instructor and peers involved in service projects. Students write weekly summaries and identify critical incidents that occurred at the service site. Instructors can post questions for consideration and topics for directed writings.