NSTP 2 – National Service Training Program 2

Module 1 – Service Learning

Learning Objectives:
• explain how service-learning leads to effective community intervention and active participation;
• outline the different strategies applied or adopted in community services and intervention; and
• formulate programs or campaigns that reinforce service-learning and community involvement.
What is Service Learning?
Service-Learning provides students the
opportunity to work with others, gain valuable insights,
and acquire different skills. Through varied community
projects, they can apply what they have been taught in
class by formulating appropriate solutions to the
problems they encounter in their chosen communities.
As enrollees of NSTP-CWTS 2, students can use
the insights they gain in the classroom and provide
solutions to real-life problem in the community.
Here are the following:
✓ Students can analyze the effect of natural disasters and use a kit to gather important items during
disaster preparation. Elementary students can design and distribute these kits to the members of the
community.
✓ High school students can closely monitor the effects of poor nutrition and lack of exercise by
organizing health-related activities, concoct nutritious recipes, and putting up fruit and vegetable
stands in schools in the community.
✓ Biology majors can study the complexity and diversity of wetlands to eliminate invasive aquatic
species. Streams can also be monitored and the results may be presented to the class.
✓ University students can help struggling local non-profit organizations cope with difficult economic
condition. Students who are enrolled in communication-related courses can provide varied public
relations services with community partners, develop press kits, and provide assistance in holding
events.

Prepared by: Ms. Zyrill Macha-Quisquino, LPT

Characteristics of Service Learning:
1. It brings good, substantial, and practical results for the participants.
2. It promotes cooperation rather than competition where other skills associated with teamwork and
active community involvement are developed.
3. It gives appropriate rather than simplified solutions to problems that seriously affect the community.
4. It provides real-life experience wherein students gain knowledge from a particular community
engagement activity rather than from a textbook.
5. It gives students a deeper understanding of concepts and real-life situations in the community through
immediately observable results.
6. Through an immediate understanding of a situation in the community, service-learning becomes a
more significant experience for students, leading to their emotional and social development and
cognitive learning.
What Service Learning is NOT:
1. An episodic volunteer program
2. An add-on course to an existing school or college curriculum
3. Logging a set number of community service hours in order to graduate
4. Compensatory service assigned as a form of punishment by the courts or by school administrators
5. Only for high school or college students
6. One-sided, that is, beneficial only to the students or the community
SERVICE-LEARNING THEORY
Is based in the idea that experience is the foundation for learning, and the bases for learning are the
different forms of community service (Morton & Troppe, 1996). Service-learning occurs through cycles of
action and reflection. Students work with others in applying what they have learned in class to solve
community problems while, at the same time, reflecting upon their experiences as they seek to attain their
goals for the community and to develop skills for themselves (Eyler & Giles, 1999).
LEGAL BASIS OF SERVICE-LEARNING THEORY
Service-learning is based on RA 8292, also known as the Higher Education Modernization Act of
1997. This law reiterates Section 2(1) of Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution by declaring that the “ policy of
the state is to establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education
relevant to the needs of the people and society.” This policy can be attained through the HEIs’ trilogy of
functions- academics (teaching-learning), research, and extension (community service) – and their keeping
in mind of their legal responsibility to act as affective agents of change and development.
HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION (HEI) ON SERVICE-LEARNING
One of the trifocal functions of the university is
community extension. According to Tariman (2007), its duty
to the youth is to make them literate and functional, so they
can make good decisions regarding the problems affecting
their Health, Families, and Duties and Responsibilities
to the community. They should be provided with
opportunities for cooperative undertakings affecting the
welfare of the entire community, so they can develop into
young men and women who look upon their own interests
in terms of the welfare of others.

Prepared by: Ms. Zyrill Macha-Quisquino, LPT

Benefits of Service Learning:
• Increase their understanding of the class topic
• Gain firsthand experience (possibly leading to a
future internship or job)
• Question or defend values and beliefs
• Have the opportunity to act on values and
beliefs
• Develop critical thinking and problem-solving
skills
• Increase their knowledge of diverse cultures and
communities
• Learn more about social issues and their causes
• Improve their ability to handle difficult situations
• Be open to change and become more flexible
• Develop or enhance their skills, especially in the
areas of communication, collaboration, and
leadership
• Test out the skills, interests, and values required
in potential career path and learn more about
their field of interest
• Connect with professionals and community
members who will also learn from the service-
learning program
• Grow a professional network of people, whom they can contact later for career growth
• Be encouraged in joining public service or social organizations.
Community partners involve in service-learning can:
• Receive additional human resource assistance that can expedite the achievement of organizational
goals
• Inspire a higher level of enthusiasm, perspective, and energy
• Improve the organization’s pool of volunteers as students engaged in service-learning will boots
their own morale prompting them to share their experiences with their classmates and friends
• Enhance public awareness regarding significant issues confronting the community
• Ensure future support for the organization
• Make students well informed about issues in the community and enlighten them regarding common
misconceptions
• Prepare the youth of today, particularly students, to become tomorrow’s responsible community
leaders
• Establish strong networks with partners in other organizations and agencies
• Gain access to the other resources of the university and strengthen collaborative ties with its faculty
members, students, and staff

Prepared by: Ms. Zyrill Macha-Quisquino, LPT

The following are significant and helpful steps in effectively implementing service-learning:
• Assess the community resources - After selecting a project, the available resources of the
community must be assessed or evaluated.
• Establish partnership and linkages- Establishing partnerships with different service-oriented
organizations is necessary to make the delivery of community services more effective.
• Indicate the specific learning objectives in the syllabus- It must be a dominant component that
can be easily identified in the service-learning organized by community-based organizations.
• Plan the details of the program- The community project must have the following components: a
through plan, schedule or time frame, benchmark, budget evaluation and assessment, and tools
and processes to identify, document, and address problems and issues that can potentially take
place.
• Look for Funds - it is necessary to look for adequate funding source such as tie-ups with local
businessman, national corporations, faith-based organizations, NGOs, government agencies (GAs),
and other local community organizations.
• Implement and manage the programs – the plan of action must be properly implemented. The
right intervals for assessment must be set and partners must be involved in the process. Thus, in
turn, will enhance the program.
• Organize reflection activities – carefully design activities that give the students the chance to
better understand community service. Through this students’ knowledge and perceptions will
continuously reinforced, students also permitted to record all the experiences, including homework,
and activities.
• Assess and evaluate the program – it is imperative to include the active involvement of the
community or institution in assessing community service outcomes. The active participation of the
individual students and organizations in the service-learning program must also be properly
documented.
• Celebrate the achievement – appreciating and recognizing the student’s active involvement in a
community project will develop their life-long interest in service involvement.

Prepared by: Ms. Zyrill Macha-Quisquino, LPT

GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES:
[Link] Stage
Faculty members interested is conducting service-learning must see to it that the service-learning program
(SLP) is indicated in the syllabus.
[Link] students and faculty members are both responsible for the selection of the community or institution.
[Link] faculty members must submit a letter of intent to the college dean through the chairman or the head
of the SLP.
[Link] faculty member will write a letter of intent and request permission to conduct a SLP to the selected
community or institution, the letter should be noted by the dean, through the program coordinator or head.
4. The students will join the SLP must secure a waiver from the office of students’ affair (OSA) to be signed
by their parents or guardian. The waiver should be collected a day before the activity, no waiver is not
allowed to join the SLP.
5. The faculty member must conduct a classroom briefing about the program/ activity before the
implementation of the SLP.
B. Implementation Stage
[Link] students and the supervising faculty member of the SLP are required to wear their ID and college t-
shirt and observe proper decorum while in the community or institution. Smoking and engaging in other
forms of vices while in the community or institution whether before, during, or after the SLP strictly
prohibited for both faculty and students.
2. The students and faculty member on the SLP shall cover their respective transportation, communication,
and meal expenses during the period.
3. The faculty member or the assigned group leaders shall take responsibility for all communication and
coordination with partner community or institution in relation to SLP.
[Link] college dean or the head of the program will conduct spot monitoring or follow-up of students involve
in the SLP to determine the actual and current status of the program.
• In case the faculty member in charge will be absent, he or she must inform and ask permission from
the college dean to find another faculty member as substitute to supervise the students. Any SLP
activity without the supervision of an assigned faculty member shall be considered unofficial.
C. Post-activity Evaluation Stage
[Link] students must submit a narrative report with pictorial documentation and reflection paper to the
faculty member.
[Link] member will evaluate the students narrative report using the assessment tool that is designed
for this activity. The students’ performance will be evaluated using the same rubrics. The 2 evaluations will
be added and divided by two. Its average will be the SLP grade of the student, representing 10% of the
total computed grade for the term.
3. The college or university through the chairman or head of the program must conduct an exit conference
with the community or institution beneficiaries and leaders to assess the SLP implemented.
4. A certificate of SLP completion should be issued by the college or university upon the written request of
the faculty member in charge.
5. The college or university shall issue a certificate of appreciation to the cooperating community or
institution upon the completion of the service-learning activities.

Prepared by: Ms. Zyrill Macha-Quisquino, LPT