CSL as an option for extra credit or as a substitution for another assignment

Some UMass faculty offer CSL as a "fourth credit option" either through their own department or through an optional Honors Colloquium through Commonwealth College.  Students in such courses opt to engage in service that directly relates to the content of the course they are taking.  Generally a faculty member provides a list of appropriate placements, students negotiate the terms of their placement with community organization representatives, and the instructor engages the students in writing and discussion that integrates this experience into the rest of the course content.

Less frequently, professors offer service-learning as one among several choices in major assignments.  Students might be offered the option of completing a standard library-based research paper or writing about their experience working in a community setting.

Example:

• Students in an Economic Geography class participate in community based research, which includes volunteer work with community-supported agriculture projects.