The Office of Academic Service Learning works to support faculty in utilizing AcSL pedagogy and to encourage greater community engagement on campus. Throughout the year, we offer a variety of professional development opportunities for faculty, including individual consultations, AcSL course development workshops, and interdisciplinary field trips into the community.
Still need more information? Check out the resources below to learn more about best practices in AcSL, communities of practice, and other resources to help make your course idea a reality.
As part of our Creighton 150 Strategic Plan, Creighton faculty are encouraged to integrate concepts of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) into their teaching and research to be more fully open to the neighborhoods that surround us, addressing poverty and other significant issues. Academic Service-Learning is a great way to accomplish this.
For more CST resources, please visit Education for Justice, a dynamic resource designed to help educators find print-ready resources which foster greater knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching and demonstrate connections to current social justice issues and world events. Please contact Kelly Tadeo Orbik for login credentials to access the site.
Academic service learning must result in direct or indirect benefits for community partners. AcSL courses are established with the input and agreement of all partners, especially for ongoing communication, decision-making and conflict resolution. Consistent with our Catholic and Jesuit identity, faculty are encouraged to seek community partnerships that embody the Jesuit mission of “men and women for and with others” and the Catholic Social Teaching principle of a “preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.”
Below are some resources for identifying potential community partners for your course(s). If you are interested in connecting with community partners, please contact Dan Walsh, Senior Program Administrator, at 402.280.4388 or danielwalsh1@creighton.edu
Schlegel Center for Service and Justice
Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
Amerson, R. (2014). Research-based recommendations for implementing international service-learning. Journal of Professional Nursing, 30(2), 175–179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2013.09.006
Carney, W. (2014). Keyword essay: Critical service learning. Community Literacy Journal, 99(1), 79-83, DOI: 10.1353/clj.2014.0016
Felten, P., & Clayton, P.H. (2011). Service-learning. New Directions for Teaching And Learning, 128, 75-84. DOI: 10.1002/tl.470
Grabbatin, B., & Fickey, A. (2012) Service-learning: Critical traditions and geographic pedagogy. Journal of Geography, 111(6), 254-260. DOI: 10.1080/00221341.2012.694465
Howard, J. (Ed.). (2001). Michigan journal of community service learning: Service-learning course design workbook. Ann Arbor, MI: OSCL Press.
Ivey, J. (2011). Demystifying research: Service-learning research. Pediatric Nursing, 37(2).
Medina, A., & Gordon, L. (2014). Service learning, phonemic perception, and learner motivation: A quantitative study. Foreign Language Annals, 47(2), pp. 357–371. DOI: 10.1111/flan.12086
Mitchell, T.D. (2008). Traditional vs. Critical service-learning: Engaging the literature to differentiate two models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 50-65.
Rooks, D., & Winkler, C. (2012). Learning interdisciplinarity: Service learning and the promise of interdisciplinary teaching. Teaching Sociology, 40(1), 2-20. DOI: 10.1177/0092055X11418840
Ruppert, N. (2013). The value of fieldwork and service learning. Action in Teacher Education, 35, 489–502. DOI: 10.1080/01626620.2013.846767
Schofield, R., Allan, M., Jewiss, T., Hunter, A., Sinclair, N., Diamond, A., & Sidwell, C. (2013). Knowing self and caring through service learning. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 10(1), 267–274. DOI: 10.1515/ijnes-2013-0009.
Trail Ross, M.E. (2012). Linking classroom learning to the community through service learning. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 29(1), 53-60. DOI: 10.1080/07370016.2012.645746
International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement: Peer-reviewed online journal dedicated to the publication of high quality research focused on service learning, campus-community engagement, and the promotion of active and effective citizenship through education.
Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship The mission of this journal is to provide "a mechanism through which faculty, staff, and students of academic institutions and their community partners disseminate scholarly works from all academic disciplines with the goal of integrating teaching, research, and community engagement."
Journal of Community Practice Discusses the development, debate and exchange of ideas on community practice in research, theory development, intervention models, curriculum development, and teaching.
The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement serves "as the premier peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal to advance theory and practice related to all forms of outreach and engagement between higher education institutions and communities."
Metropolitan Universities Journal: Published by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) on behalf of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU). Each themed issue reports in-depth on theoretical and applied aspects affecting colleges and universities. Articles are contributed by top scholars and administrators who bring diverse institutional perspectives to their ideas.
Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning: Articles written by faculty and service-learning educators on research, theory, pedagogy, and issues pertinent to the service learning community.
Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: Peer-reviewed articles focus on how theories and practices can inform and improve partnerships, connections, and collaborations. Studies co-authored by faculty, students, and/or community partners; or examining practices across disciplines or campuses; or exploring international networks are all encouraged.
AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. AAC&U initiatives relevant to academic-service learning include:
Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. As the only national higher education association dedicated solely to campus-based civic engagement, Campus Compact enables campuses to develop students' citizenship skills and forge effective community partnerships.
Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) was founded with the purpose of bringing together leaders and scholars of urban and metropolitan universities to share, discuss, and debate important issues facing our unique institutions and the cities we serve.
The Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC) is composed of higher education member institutions, a mix of state-public and private institutions. Their goal is to work collaboratively to build strong university-community partnerships anchored in the rigor of scholarship, and designed to help build community capacity.
Imagining America is a consortium of universities and organizations dedicated to advancing the public and civic purposes of humanities, arts, and design.
The International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE) is an international non-profit organization devoted to promoting research and discussion about service learning and community engagement. They promote the development and dissemination of research on service learning and community engagement internationally and across all levels of the education system.
The American Democracy Project is a multi-campus initiative focused on higher education's role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy.
