Service-Learning Preparation Guide

Service-Learning Preparation Guide starts with starting or renewing your partnership, if you have not done so already. This information helps us understand your needs and match you with a course and details our roles and responsibilities of partnership.

Engaging in the process of planning, preparing, and managing your service-learning project leads to more successful outcomes and sustainable impact. When community partners work with instructors and the Service-Learning Program Team to thoughtfully design, organize, and lead their service-learning opportunities, it creates a strong foundation for meaningful outcomes.

Clear planning ensures that student roles are aligned with your organization’s real needs and that the service experience contributes to your mission in a purposeful way. Preparation—such as orienting students, outlining expectations, and establishing communication protocols—helps prevent misunderstandings and sets students up for success. Ongoing management, including supervision, feedback, and evaluation, ensures that students stay engaged, grow from the experience, and contribute effectively.

By investing in each phase of the service-learning process, partners can build stronger relationships with students and instructors, reduce administrative strain, and generate more consistent, lasting benefits for both the community and learners. Ultimately, a structured approach leads to deeper impact, improved student learning, and a more sustainable partnerships

Plan your Project

Getting started is often the hardest part. Starting slow and building on your service-learning experiences allows you, as a community partner, to drive your engagement based on your organizational goals, needs, and capacity. Connect with the Service-Learning Program to talk through potential opportunities!

1. Brainstorm a project idea. What are your organizational needs? What skillsets do you need to work towards those needs? If you’re not sure where to start, review the Service-Learning Marketplace to explore courses that have established project frameworks already.
2. Review the Placement Description Template to start thinking through what details will need to be accounted for to prepare the instructor and students for impactful service.
3. Develop your project. The Service-Learning Program team is here to help develop projects and identify course matches. If you are working directly with an instructor, review the Connect with Instructors section for guided discussion topic suggestions.
4. Consider these 10 Tips for Service-Learning Success.

Prepare for Students

1. Service-Learning students are not employees and not quite volunteers. This grey area may require you to adapt your approach to orientation, training, or supervision. The Resource Toolkit provides tools to assist you in meeting students where they are at.
2. Plan for your student orientation. We encourage you to use this Orientation Checklist, which covers many topics that set students up for success.
3. Determine how you would like to supervise, manage, and support students. To get the most out of your service-learning experience, review the Check-In with Students section to get tips on how to work with students, keep them motivated, and contribute to their learning.
4. Familiarize yourself with the evaluation process. Instructors use different methods to assess students. Is there a clear plan on what your part of student assessment is? You may be asked to approve service hours or complete a brief evaluation of your service-learning students.

Manage Service-Learning

1. Keep the semester timeline in mind when planning for student service. Students are not “required” to participate in service-learning during breaks and holidays, but many still choose to. You may notice student focus shift as the semester carries on and comes to a close.
2. We offer Project management and communication templates that you’re welcome to use or adapt to fit your organization’s needs. We encourage you to choose an approach that aligns best with your organizational needs. If you’d like support in determining the most effective approach to your service-learning project, don’t hesitate to reach out!
3. Be sure to review the Community Partner Resources page, where you’ll find a variety of tools designed to support your service-learning project. This includes templates for planning and communication, best practice guides, training materials, orientation resources, and more.
4. Keep an eye out for the Service-Learning Program Newsletter, which is sent out regularly with helpful tips, important reminders, professional development offerings, and ways to enhance your partnership with Boise State.