"Education is the art of giving shape to human powers and adapting them to social service."
   -- John Dewey

What is Service Learning?
Service learning is an approach to education as old as formal instruction itself. Those interested in service learning believe that students can learn as much, or more, about subject through experience and practice as through traditional classroom instruction alone.

The modern service learning movement in colleges and universities creates opportunities for students to combine community work with academic perspectives in order to make higher education more valuable to students and more relevant to the community.

1. Serve as clearinghouse for placement of volunteer students;
2. Disseminate information about community volunteer needs, the value of service learning, and service-oriented innovatons in curricula;
3. Promote campus commitment to community service

Campus Outreach
Helping to foster a "culture of service" around the campus brings immediate benefits to the community, the college, students, and faculty. Service learning improves retention rates for students, increases their sense of civic responsibility, and deepens their understanding of community issues.

SLP is committed to sponsoring campus events, and to participating in conferences and in-services. Many campus organizations, individual staff, faculty members, and students have long been actively engaged in the community. The SLP seeks to coordinate these disparate efforts in order ti enhance visibility and enthusiasm for this community work.

The community gains from the unpaid work of service learners, while Houston Community College furthers its outreach objectives. Faculty often finds that community work awakens their students to new perspectives, facilitates dialogue about academic materials, and creates a concrete link between their classroms and the surrounding community.

We invite you to become involved with this exciting opportunity to combine academic reflection with social practice.

Student Placement and Community Partnerships
The SLP works to establish partnerships with non-profit organizations and with the community service sections of corporations within the college service area.

Placement opportunities are available to students enrolled in classes with a community service component, and walk-in students. SLP maintains a searchable database of registered partners.

The program advocates a balanced service learning approach, meeting the needs of community while maintaining an academically rigorous campus environment.

Faculty Assistance
The SLP is able to assist faculty in a variety of ways. Access is offered to the library materials of the program. Assistance is available for curricular design and students placement. SLP personnel can help with grant applications for service learning projects. By arrangement, program representations to classes conduct orientation sessions, attend or fecilitate reflection sessions, and participate in project reviews and evaluations.

Information Services
The SLP publicizes services and projects through campus and community media. The SLP accumulates a library of materials about service learning programs and about community partners willing to wok with service learners.

How to Contact Us
Founding Co-Directors of the SLP are Larry Gonzalez, Ph. D and John G. Speer both of the Department of Government at HCC - Southwest.

Write to Service Learning Program
HCC-Southwest
10141 Cash Rd.
Stafford, TX 77477
Tel: 713.718.7777 Fax: 713.718.7779