Service learning is the integration of community engagement projects with student learning to provide real-world experiences that foster cultural and classroom understanding, critical thinking and civic responsibility.

The Service Learning Program supports Wake Tech’s mission by offering students opportunities to learn and apply skills in real-world settings while establishing lasting partnerships in their communities.

The program promotes Wake Tech’s core values by fostering the following:

• Accountability to the community
• Respect for those served
• Responsibility for using knowledge to help others
• Encouraging critical thinking about one's life experiences
• Communication with others about shared goals
• Collaboration to identify and address common problems

All Wake Tech students who are in academic good standing are eligible to participate in service-learning opportunities, provided their courses offer that option and they meet any pre-service requirements. Students can check their course syllabus or contact their instructor to find out if a course offers service-learning opportunities. If not, students can request this option, and program coordinators are happy to help.

• Faculty members approve service-learning opportunities that align with at least one student learning outcome for a course and assign a reflection activity.
• Students commit to completing 10 hours of community service outside class followed by a reflection assignment determined by the instructor. Upon completion, they receive a transcript designation indicating that they met service-learning requirements for that semester.
• Community partners or groups within Wake Tech receive valuable assistance from students and benefit from collaboration with Wake Tech. A service project on campus strengthens our Wake Tech community.

Students can earn their 10 required service hours in a variety of ways to best connect with their career goals and course objectives. The easiest way to find up-to-date opportunities is to join the Service Learning Program's Microsoft Teams group, which is updated regularly with event-based and ongoing service opportunities. Activate Good's website is another option to search based on topic, times and locations to find opportunities that match with your interests and availability.

Benefits of Service Learning

Students

• Increases understanding of a subject
• Gain hands-on experience, with potential for future internships or employment
• Gain a Service Learning distinction to add to the resume (and official notation on the college transcript to help stand out on transfer applications)
• Develops and enhances skills in communication, collaboration and leadership
• Explore or cements values and beliefs
• Have opportunities to act on values and beliefs
• Develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Grow to understand the diversity of cultures and communities
• Learn more about social issues and their root causes
• Improves ability to handle ambiguity and be open to change – become more flexible
• Apply skills, interests and values to potential career pathways or learn more about certain fields
• Connect with professionals and community members to learn from them
• Build a professional network for future internship and employment opportunities

Faculty

• Encourages interactive teaching methods and reciprocal learning between students and faculty
• Promotes active learning and engages students with different learning styles
• Helps students achieve core competencies and student learning outcomes for the course
• Develops students' civic and leadership skills
• Attracts highly motivated and engaged students
• Adds insights and dimensions to class discussions
• Provides networking opportunities among faculty in different disciplines
• Fosters relationships between faculty and community organizations, opening other opportunities for collaborative work
• Provides firsthand knowledge of community issues and opportunities to be more involved

Community partners

• Gaining additional human resources for reaching organizational goals
• Utilizing the skills of educated college volunteers
• Injecting new energy, enthusiasm and perspectives into the organization
• Expanding the volunteer pool
• Increasing public awareness of key issues
• Reaching out to youth, educating them about community issues and correcting any misconceptions
• Helping to prepare today's students to be tomorrow's civic leaders
• Networking with colleagues in other organizations and agencies
• Identifying and accessing faculty, students and staff

Questions?

If you are a student or faculty member interested in doing service learning, email a Service Learning coordinator:

• Wendy Johnson at [email protected]
• Traci Rowe at [email protected]