Service-learning is different than other forms of service in method, structure and focus.

Volunteerism

•    Occurs when an individual or group acts freely to undertake a task. The primary emphasis is on the task and the beneficiary is the one receiving service. There is no connection between volunteerism and coursework or credit
•    Example: You notice trash along the Centennial Trail, so you and your friends decide to pick up trash the following weekend.

Community Service

•  Focuses on the service being provided, as well as benefits for the one serving. 

• Community service may be linked to coursework, but does not receive class credit. 

• Example: You and your friends pick up trash at an event sponsored by Friends of the Centennial Trail. You pick up trash, get a free t-shirt, and learn about how your actions impact animals and life on the trail.

Interships

• Are closest to service-learning, but are different in key areas. 
• Interships place students in the community with the intent of student learning. Internships are not integrated into an existing course. Rather, they are considered a class in and of themselves.
• Example: As a student in the Water Resources program, you learn how to analyze water samples and complete field surveys during your internship. The focus is on the skills you are acquiring.

Service-Learning

• Service-learning is the formal integration of meaningful community service with classroom instruction and reflection to enhance student learning, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. 

• Example: You are a student in an environmental studies class. The objective of the class is to contribute to student preparation in aquatic sciences by exposing students to a variety of aquatic environments and techniques to describe, manage, and manipulate freshwater ecosystems. You work with a government agency on a special project to collect samples, develop data and pose a recommendation to any concerning data. Back in class, you reflect on the skills you are learning in the agency and how those skills are connected to your coursework. The focus is both on the skills you are learning and the service you are providing to your agency.

 

Source: Campus Compact Model, February Pre-conference workshop on Service-Learning at the Western States Communication Association 2000 Conference, Sacramento, California