Should service-learning be a required component of a College of Family and Consumer Sciences course?
There are “pros” and “cons” to requiring service-learning. When service-learning is optional, the students who participate are most likely to be motivated to succeed in the project; however, students who opt out may not have the opportunity to challenge and expand their experience of the subject matter in the same way that participating students do. When service-learning is required, some students may express reluctance to participate at first because the assignment pushes them outside their “comfort zone.” This push may be a valuable learning tool for some students. Instructors should encourage students who have concerns about the service-learning project to express and process those concerns. Because service-learning involves real-world collaborations with the community, it may be important for the instructor to offer an alternate assignment for students who have religious or moral conflicts of interest, or who might create ill will or otherwise disrupt the project.
