Elena Klaw and Andrea Tully Exploring the Relationship Between Service-Learning and Community Engagement Among Students Andrea Tully, assistant director Center for Community Learning & Leadership and Elena Klaw, professor of Psychology and the director of the Center for Community Learning & Leadership When the state allocated over $1 million annually to expand and institutionalize service-learning at California State University in the year 2000, the SJSU Center for Service Learning, which is housed at the Undergraduate Education Program within Academic Affairs, was born. This funding allowed the Center — now called the Center for Community Learning and Leadership (CCLL) — to pursue research that explores the effects of service-learning and community engagement to college students, alumni, faculty, and community organizations. Service-learning is defined by the Corporation for National Service as “a pedagogical approach that integrates meaningful service and community involvement with instruction and reflection related to a disciplinary curriculum.” During the course of its research on service-learning, CCLL has looked at the impact service-learning has on students, and found that it leads to numerous positive outcomes, including an increase in academic skills, engagement, leadership, service-related future plans, and satisfaction with the university. “Our interview research suggests that service-learning fosters an awareness of social issues, as well as the development of professional skills and networks, and that participation in an intensive remote community engaged learning program enhances social awareness, career skills, civic motivation, and academic involvement,” says Elena Klaw, CCLL’s director, who works on the project with Assistant Director Andrea Tully. Involvement of SJSU students has been substantial: Since CCLL’s inception, 80,000 students have contributed more than 1.4 million hours of service through service-learning courses in partnership with hundreds of community-based organizations that meet critical needs — particularly when it comes to educational equity. For example, some students have mentored elementary school children to help them develop STEM-related skills. Klaw says the results are a testimony to the power of service-learning. “We are heartened that our qualitative findings suggest that participation in funded community engaged peer leadership programs create connections that motivate students to remain in college, especially for students, such as veterans, who often feel isolated at SJSU,” Klaw says. 8 SJSU RESEARCH FOUNDATION
