Tools for Assessing Service Learning
As with any program, a variety of tools and methods can be used to evaluate service learning. Evaluation is essential not only for documenting a program’s effectiveness and demonstrating accountability, but also for informing continued development or improvement of programs. Evaluation is not the end of an initiative; it is an essential part of the on-going process that provides an opportunity to be deliberative, reflective, and creative. Below are a summary of websites and a list of publications that provides background, tools, and resources. Remember, new tools and resources are being developed all of the time—use the resources below to get started and check back periodically for new assessment resources.
- National Service-Learning Center: Evaluation Toolkit- Faculty-Guide to Service-Learning Program Evaluatn
- Comprehensive Bibliography Highlighting the Impacts and Outcomes of Service-Learning in Higher Education
Source: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, 2004
- Civic Engagement Assessment Rubrics (Arts, Sciences, Humanities)
- Bonner Foundation Resources on Assessment
- Shumer's Self-Assessment for Service-Learning
The Shumer Self-Assessment for Service-Learning (SSASL) is designed as a self-reflective system for professionals in the service-learning and experiential learning fields.
- Self-Assessment Rubric for Institutionalization of Higher Education (Furco, A., 2006)
- Engaged Departmental Toolkit
This handbook is designed to help departments develop strategies for including community-based work in their teaching and scholarship, making community-based experiences a standard expectation for majors, and encouraging civic engagement and progressive change at the departmental level/
(Battistoni, R.; Gelmon, S.; Saltmarsh, J.; Wergin, J.; Zlotkowski, E.; Campus Compact, 2003)
- Holland, B. (1997). Analyzing institutional commitment to service. A model of key organizational factors. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 4(1), 30-41.
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- Lunsford, C. G., Church, R. L., & Zimmerman, D. L. (2007). Assessing Michigan State University’s efforts to embed engagement across the institution: Findings and challenges. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 11(1), 89-104.
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- Chadwick, S. A., & Pawlowski, D. R. (2007). Assessing institutional support for service-learning: A case study for organizational sensemaking. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 13(2), 31-39.
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- A set of indicators of best practices and benchmarks for civic engagement at comprehensive universities
Indicators | Indicator Themes
