Service Learning
Course-based Service Learning is a learning approach founded in experiential education. It is a program which engages students in direct experience relevant to their course, helps develop skills and enables students to contribute within their communities.
Service Learning connects classroom theories to practical challenges, whether as an optional or mandatory part of your course, as determined by course professors. It’s an opportunity to make a difference and enhance your learning journey!
And by the way, participation in Service Learning means reducing some traditional aspects of course grading (like tests and assignments) meaning you can get hands-on experience that earns you course credits. Win-win!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Replace aspects of traditional course grading by accumulating hours in Service Learning. Grading is course specific and determined by the respective faculty member.
- Strengthen learning and retention by connecting and apply course curriculum (theory/concepts) to real-life situations.
- Improve awareness within your field of choice by reflecting on the service experience, personal values, & issues of social responsibility.
- Boost your resume by broadening knowledge, deepening skills, & challenging presumptions.
- Make career connections by collaborating and building networks with community members & organizations.
Want to learn more? Reach out to service.learning@smu.ca and check out theseSL Student Recommendation testimonials from past SL students .
Not all courses are open to Service Learning opportunities. Courses offering compulsory or mandatory SL options are determined by faculty members for their respective courses, and are often not finalized until the start of term. For an up-to-date list of courses with SL options, please reach out to service.learning@smu.ca.
If a course has a compulsory SL component, faculty will provide details during their introductory syllabus review class. If a course has an optional SL component, there will be a brief mention of SL within the syllabus. We encourage you to talk with your professor and/or reach out to service.learning@smu.ca to get more information.
- Send an email to service.learning@smu.ca with your name, S number and course code. We will reach out within 2 business days with next steps.
- Track your SL hours in the Career360 portal by clicking the Service Learning tab on the left-hand side navigation menu.
- Have your validation of SL participation reflected on your Experiential Learning Record.
Want to know more? Read the SL Student Handbook for all the details.
The Student Employment Initiative – Service Learning (SEI-SL) Bursary incentivizes students with accessibility needs to accept volunteer opportunities in the SL program. The goal of the bursary is to work towards equity, diversity, and inclusion in SL and ease barriers to participation.
Eligibility Criteria:
To qualify for the bursary, students must meet all the following requirements:
- Active domestic undergraduate or graduate students currently registered in a SL course.
- Enrolled in a SL experience coordinated by the SL Office.
- Enrolled in the SEI Program or eligible to register.
Each bursary per student is $250 and up to 10 students may be awarded per calendar year.
Courses incorporating Service Learning components often change term over term. As such, we do not maintain a published course list. However, there are always at least a few courses within each faculty that include SL opportunities. In the past, some of those courses have included:
Faculty of Arts
ATCS 4501/6501 - Public History
FREN 3315 - Academic Translation I
FREN 4400 - French Speech Strategies
FREN 4848 - Special Topics: Voices of the Francophone
GEOG 3004 - Geography Practicum
HIST 4501/6510 - Public History
Faculty of Science
BIOL 4431 - Herpetology
CSCI 2356 - Mobile App Development
CSC1 3428 - Software Engineering
ENVS 4499 - Seminar in Environmental Science
PSYC 1260 - Intro to Personality
PSYC 3332 - Adolescent Development
PSYC 3329 - Child Development
PSYC 3347 - Longevity & Aging
PSYC 4410 - Neuropsychology
PSYC 4827 - Offenders & Victims
Sobey School of Business
ACCT 4454 - Taxation II
MGMT 3480 - Ethical Responsibilities of Organizations
MGMT 4488 - International Business
MGMT 6591 - Responsible Leadership II
SMBA 6801 - Environmental & Sustainability Management
MGMT 6800 – Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Service Learning is a great way to engage your students! Here are some benefits to incorporating Service Learning into your course:
- Incorporates theories and concepts taught in class with community-identified opportunities with verified Community Partners.
- Encourages students to be more involved in the class by reflecting on their experiences and drawing connections to course content
- Enriches the teaching and learning process creating space for enlivened exploration of the course material.
- Encourages innovation, collaboration and partnership building with community organizations that can potentially lead to valuable stakeholder relationships such as university-community research partnerships, donors and more.
- Immerses participants in their communities, thereby creating space for Community Partners to serve as co-educators in the student's learning journey.
If you are interested in learning more about Service Learning or would like to find out how the Service Learning Office can support you with Service Learning opportunities for your course, please contact:
Interested in incorporating compulsory or optional Service Learning into your course? To get the process started, please reach out to the Service Learning Placement Coordinator, Ebun Oladele at ebun.oladele@smu.ca.
Ebun will provide you with access to an introductory Brightspace module that covers all the basics on developing a Service Learning course. From there, you and Ebun will discuss your course learning objectives, potential community partners, expected outcomes from participants and how best to determine grading values for your course.
Service Learning Community Partners are identified local organizations who have committed to providing Saint Mary's students with relevant learning opportunities, both in person and virtually, that coincide with the respective course matter.
In the past, we have worked with Community Partners including non-profits, publicly funded institutions and social enterprises. Based on the course, we will provide a list of verified community partners that meet the requirements for your course. If there is an organization you would like to work with that is not on the list, please reach out to service.learning@smu.ca so that we can connect with the prospective organization to ensure they meet the necessary requirements.
If you are a local organization interested in becoming a Community Partner, visit the SL Community Partner page for more information.
Have questions about Service Learning? Reach out to service.learning@smu.ca.