For students with a heart for community service and a gap in their schedule for the fall, a service-learning course may be the perfect choice.
Service-learning courses fall under a variety of majors and combine academic studies with volunteer work related to the course topic. This spring, 27 different service-learning courses were offered at The University of Alabama. Last fall, 36 service-learning courses were offered.
Ashley Smith, a sophomore majoring in dance and apparel design, is currently taking DN 403: Approaches to Dance Instruction. Students in the course teach dance lessons during the P.E. hour at a local elementary school.
Smith said she thinks service is a good way to develop as an individual and is an important opportunity to give back to others.
“I believe that service greatly helps develop us as individuals, because it often forces us out of our comfort zones and gives us perspective far beyond our own little worlds, taking our focus and priority off of ourselves,” Smith said. “It’s a chance for us to share the time, resources, talents and unique gifts that each of us has been so abundantly blessed with, and to hopefully leave the people we interact with better off than they were before.”
Smith also said service should not be limited to the classroom.
“While service-learning classes are a great way for us to develop and serve in a safe setting, we don’t have to wait for structured opportunities to share what we’ve been given with others,” Smith said.
David Kwong, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, is a lead volunteer in UH 333: Every Move Counts, a class in which students teach chess at local elementary schools.
Kwong said learning chess can directly benefit elementary students.
“It gets the students thinking about decision making and strategizing. They subconsciously benefit in terms of mathematical thinking,” Kwong said. “It keeps them more focused on their studies as opposed to making poor decisions.”
Kwong said Every Move Counts is also a valuable experience for UA students.
“They get honors credit and humanities credit, and they should come out with a reasonably good grade. All-around, I would say it’s a win-win,” Kwong said. “They not only get to help out the kids, but they also learn a little bit about how they do as a mentor, leading someone who’s younger than them to grow up and be successful.”
Another service-learning course in the Honors College is UH 103: Alabama Action, a week-long volunteering program in August for incoming freshmen.
Susan Alley, faculty advisor for Alabama Action, said service-learning courses can help students develop a heart for the community.
“Through service-learning courses, students not only gain technical skills, but also intangibles, such as leadership, perseverance, and, oftentimes, a heart for the community,” Alley said. “We also are able to discover how to create systemic change in the environment, which can inspire leaders for generations to come.”
Alley also said service-learning courses like Alabama Action give students a practical way to demonstrate what they have learned.
“We take a holistic approach to learning, where the learning done in service depends on the learning done in the classroom and vice versa,” Alley said. “We are thrilled to give students the opportunity to put all they have learned into practice.”
