| SL Course Attributes | Low Intensity | Medium Intensity | High Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) Reciprocal partnerships and processes shape the community activities and course design. | The instructor contacts a community organization to host students and provides a brief overview of the course (e.g., learning outcomes, syllabus) and the purposes of the community activities. | The instructor meets with the community partner(s) to discuss the course (e.g., preparation/orientation of students, learning outcomes, syllabus), and to identify how the community activities can enrich student learning and benefit the organization. | The instructor collaborates with and learns from the community partner(s) as co-educator in various aspects of course planning and design (e.g., learning outcomes, readings, preparation/orientation of students, reflection, assessment) and together they identify how the community activities can enrich student learning and add to the capacity of the organization. |
| 2) Community activities enhance academic content, course design, and assignments. | The instructor includes community activities as an added component of the course but it is not integrated with academic content or assignments. The syllabus does not address the purposes of the community activities. | The instructor utilizes the community activities as a “text” to provide additional insight into student understanding of academic content and ability to complete assignments. The syllabus describes the relationship of the community activities to learning outcomes. | The instructor integrates the community activities and relevant social issue(s) as critical dimensions for student understanding of academic content and ability to complete assignments. The syllabus provides a strong rationale for the relationship of the community activities to learning outcomes. |
| 3) Civic competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills, disposition, behavior) are well integrated into student learning. | The instructor focuses on discipline- based content with little attention/priority given to civic learning or development of civic competencies. | The instructor focuses on discipline-based content and connects to civic learning and civic competencies when relevant to the community activities. | The instructor focuses on the integration of discipline-based content with civic learning and civic competencies and emphasizes the relevance of the community activities to the public purposes of the discipline in society. |
| 4) Diversity of interactions and dialogue with others across difference occurs regularly in the course. | The instructor and the course and community activities offer students limited opportunities for interaction and dialogue with others across difference. | The instructor and the course and community activities engage students in periodic interactions and dialogue with peers across a range of experiences and diverse perspectives. | The instructor and community partner(s) engage students in frequent interactions and dialogue with peers and community members across a range of experiences and diverse perspectives. |
| 5) Critical reflection is well integrated into student learning. | The instructor asks students, on a limited basis, to create reflective products about the community activities, usually at the end of the semester. | The instructor structures reflection activities and products about the community activities that connect the experience to academic content, require moderate analysis, lead to new action, and provide ongoing feedback to the student throughout the semester. | The instructor builds student capacity to critically reflect and develop products that explore the relevance of the experience to academic content, use critical thinking to analyze social issues, recognize systems of power, lead to new action, and provide ongoing feedback to the student throughout the semester. |
| 6) Assessment is used for course improvement. | The instructor articulates student learning outcomes but no measurement tool is in place for assessing the service learning component of the course. | The instructor articulates student learning outcomes and uses a measurement tool to assess the service learning component of the course. | The instructor and community partner(s) articulate student learning outcomes, and use measurement tools to assess the service learning component of the course and impact of the community activities. |