Service Learning

This resource is for educators thinking about the best ways to engage students in service learning and civic engagement opportunities. Both SL and CE are Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) and can have a CUNYFirst attribute or designation, which makes these courses 1) easy to locate with a basic search and 2) easy to track.

The City University of New York’s (CUNY) ELO Task Force published “A Plan for Experiential Learning” in 2016 and Hostos’ SL-CE Committee founder and former chair, Professor Sandy Figueroa, served on the committee that drafted the report.

What is service learning?

Service learning is a type of experiential learning opportunity (ELO) that places equal emphasis on the service provided to the community and structured opportunities for learning through reflection and engagement.

What is civic engagement?

According to CUNY’s ELO Task Force, “Civic engagement is a teaching and learning focus on educating students as citizens. Classes or programs include meaningful civic education and activities for social good. Classes and projects have components of reflection and engagement.”

What is available on the SL-CE Committee pages?

Our Members page includes photos and bios for all members of the SL-CE Committee.
Our Courses page includes information for faculty who are interested in 1) developing an SL or CE class, 2) submitting an SL or CE class for CUNYFirst designation, and/or 3) seeing examples of SL and CE courses.

Our Reports page showcases videos showing authentic student responses to engaging in SL and CE projects and authentic responses from faculty regarding the teaching experience.
Our News page will show SL and CE Committee updates, annual or periodic reports released by the committee, and Hostos CC or other press releases highlighting the SL and CE experiences of faculty and staff.

Members