Why include in-class projects?
Service learning works best when it is tied into the curriculum. Student performance has also been shown to increase when service projects are used to enhance curriculum. In the end, students learn more, grow from their service, and the community benefits as well. Service Learning Credits and Service Learning Hours With the introduction of distinct in-class projects, service learning credits have been introduced as a way to keep track of student progress and completion of projects. Every 14 hours of service that a student completes will earn 1 Service Learning Credit. Therefore, completing one In-Class Project will earn 1 Service Learning Credit. Students will be expected to earn 3 Service Learning Credits for graduation. This works out to be 42 hours of service, which is only two more than the CPS graduation requirement of 40 hours. To be clear, the service learning credits are non-academic credits. They are not the same as the academic credits which students earn for passing classes.
