Are service-learning students different from other volunteers?
Service-learning volunteers are different from other volunteers in various ways. On a basic level, they differ because their work with you is part of a university class. Their time commitment options with you may also be more limited than some volunteers—most service-learning volunteers are expected to work 2 to 3 hours per week during the semester of their service-learning class. Also, because a semester goes by quickly, it’s very important that you plug service-learning students into concrete volunteer activities in a timely manner. The other difference is that there are learning objectives connected to these students’ work with you. As a host organization, you are considered a co-educator for these students. (This sets service-learning students apart from other students who may have to complete a certain number of hours to graduate, but whose service is not connected to an academic course.) When you work with service-learning students, we strongly encourage you to learn about what t
