ENVSTD 121 student engages in habitat restoration with Intermountain Bird Observatory
In service-learning classes, you apply coursework to a community project—partnering with local nonprofits, schools, and agencies. These hands-on projects help you to deepen your learning, build valuable skills, and explore careers and causes you care about.
As a result, you can:
gain hands-on experience that can be applied to a future career
develop valuable skills like leadership and communication
2,289 Boise State University students contributed 61,738 hours of service to the community through service-learning courses.
84 unique faculty members offered 146 classes with service-learning in the curriculum.
Service-Learning Examples
URBAN 489: Investigate Boise
In Dr. Mari Rice’s URBAN 489 class, students investigated the food systems in Boise to address the barriers that affect fresh food access within the community.
“These community visits and conversations showed us what is working, what is struggling, and where support is needed if Boise wants a food system that stays strong and affordable in the future.”
– URBAN 489 Student
ART 420 – Applied Projects in Graphic Design
Students in Eryn Pierce’s ART 420 course applied graphic design skills, designing interpretive signage for Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to educate visitors on the history of the Idaho City yurts.
“Through this partnership, we gained valuable real-world experience in creating finalized work for a client, communicating with an established organization, and collaborating with other designers with a shared goal.”
–Raegan Johnson, Carolyn Kielman, Melanie Mckenzie, Kylee Rost, ART 420 Students
ENVSTD 300 – Environmental Management and Analysis
Working with the City of Boise, students in Dr. Mari Rice’s ENVSTD 300 course explore human impact while practicing ecological restoration in local wetland areas.
“I now have a deeper appreciation for the nature around Boise and the work people put in to maintain it for the wildlife, and our communities. This experience gave me further desire to volunteer for nature restoration around my community.”
– Nathan Shearman, ENVSTD 300 Student
COID 352 – Designing for Impact
Students in Anthony Saba’s COID 352 course utilize user experience (UX) design to develop real-world solutions, applying accessibility standards and “Universal Design” principles, in the community.
“For my service project I designed an app for Nampa City Schools. I never in a million years would have thought that I would design an app, and pitch it, and people would like it and want me to continue moving forward with it. I think that says a lot about the program that I’m in. I went from not knowing anything about designing apps and interfaces to winning pitch competitions and joining the incubator program.” -Kelli Meyer, COID 352 student
SOC 340 – Sociology of the Family
Students in Desiree Brunette’s SOC 340 course support English language learners with academic assistance and enrichment activities via the Learning-Enrichment After School Program (LEAP).
“My Sociology of the Family students have gained so much from working with the LEAP program—it is truly life-changing for everyone involved.”
-Desiree Brunette, Boise State University Lecturer
SPAN 300 – Spanish for Bilinguals
Dr. Carolina Viera’s SPAN 300 students created educational materials for The Nature Conservancy to educate Spanish-speakers about how to prevent forest fires.
“Because we’re having a lot of forest fires… we did a poster for The Nature Conservancy in Spanish to bring attention to our Hispanic community. I am proud of trying to get the attention of the Hispanic community and help them understand why they need to care about the issue.”
-Natalie SPAN 300 student
GEOS 305 – Global Climate Change
Students in Kerrie Weppner’s GEOS 305 course led activities at local elementary schools to teach students about ocean acidification and greenhouse gases.
“Service-Learning is a great experience because you are giving back to your community and hopefully, inspiring a little thought, like little seedlings, in these kids.”
-Josue D., GEOS 305 student
IPS 490 – Community-base Learning Project
Jacob Ruther, a student in Dr. Margaret Sass’s IPS 490 course helped the Gem County Historical Society create a digital map of Emmett’s historic homes.
“This experience challenged some of my assumptions about what service looks like. This project showed me that helping communities celebrate and preserve their culture can be just as important as direct problem-solving. This experience taught me to listen more carefully, stay open to feedback, and think about how my work could be used beyond the classroom.”
–Jacob Ruther, IPS 490 student
ED-CIFS 114 – TRS Mentoring and Leadership
ED-CIFS 114 students built a collaboration with South Jr. High School where Boise State students tutored and mentored multi-language learners.
“Interacting with refugee and immigrant children, we saw how much they have to cope with, and how hard they work. Working with this community has been nothing but eye-opening and informative because of how different their reality was to ours. Each visit was full of “ah ha” moments, whether that was learning to be patient, learning about the life of your student, or simply learning how to keep these kids engaged.”
–ED-CIFS 114 students Alfredo Palominos, Noemi Tapia, Israel Rivera, Valeria Chavez, and Jillian Reynolds
Featured Courses for Fall 2026
TEAM 303: Teamwork in the Digital Age – Explore how digital tools and remote collaboration have reshaped teamwork in today’s globalized world. Engage in essential teamwork skills, including communication and coordination, with an emphasis on remote teams, collaboration, and work.
UF 219: Free Speech & Media – Explore the ethical issues connected to digital media use, and consider the consequences of digital media production and consumption.
COMM 351: Intercultural Communication – Analyze societal and cultural influences on interpersonal communication. Practice examining communication within and among subcultures as well as across cultural boundaries.
NONPROF 330: Introduction to NonprofitManagement – Explore nonprofit management and community development to support your career and community. All majors welcome!
IPS 490: Community-Based Learning Project – Design your own community project and get a deep look at the dynamics of community development, social impact, and solution-driven community collaborations. You’ll also practice using AI for communication, and explore its ethicality. Anyone can take this course!
COID 352: Designing for Impact – Make a difference through design. Learn how to design for accessibility, inclusivity, and social impact using Universal Design principles and emotional design. You’ll also experiment with AI as a learning partner and explore how to integrate AI into your design processes and products.
