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Aims & Scope

Aim

The aim of PJSL is to globally advance service-learning and academic civic engagement by sharing prominent scholarly work in a tangible, centralized, public manor. This journal benefits Purdue’s mission, students, alumni, faculty, and administration.

Scope

A true Service-Learning (SL) experience is generally recognized as a community-based, real world experience embedded in an academic credit-based course. Students apply knowledge/skills from their course/discipline in a real-world experience to meet identified community need(s). Students then describe (in writing through reflection) how the experience enhanced their personal values and civic responsibility, as well as their understanding of course content.

In regard to the term “service-learning” picture this continuum with a capital “S” indicating a focus on the community service component of the experience, opposed to a capital “L” indicating a focus on student learning.

sL……………..SL……………Sl

A true Service-Learning (SL) balances the two components (as described above). On the far right end of the continuum are primarily service-based experiences (Sl). This includes community service and volunteerism where service to the public is emphasized. Although student learning generally occurs as well, learning is not intentional or structured - but often discovered upon reflection.

On the left end of the continuum we see may see experiences such as internships and experiential training designed to enhance student learning. The focus is not on the provision of a community service. An example is a study abroad experience where the student gains cultural knowledge within a community, but service to the community is not an integrated component.

The PJSL scope includes all student community engagement experiences.