Direct integration into a new or existing course

Making CSL an integral part of a new or existing course is the most common model employed by UMass faculty.  All students in the course engage in service or community-based research as a part of the course’s requirements.  Class discussions, assignments, papers and exams integrate the service experience as a necessary component of the overall academic content of the course.  Other course requirements, particularly reading load and assignments, are modified to take into account the amount of time students spend doing service.  Most students perform three to four hours of service or community-based work per week throughout the semester.

Examples:

• Students in an Education course tutor students in a range of different schools and pool their experiences to learn about the social and economic forces that shape educational opportunity.
• Students in a course on Psychology of Aging work on two projects: some visit older adults in a nursing home for conversation and games while others work side-by-side with older adults in a service project for children.
• The year-long capstone course in Information Technology organizes students into project teams; each team works with a community organization to develop solutions to its information technology needs.