24 Research & Practice in Assessment Volume Two: Summer 2007 Assessing Service-Learning

In an effort to increase the quality and quantity of service-learning assessment, this article provides a brief rationale for engaging in service-learning assessment and reviews a selection of available tools for doing so. The paper includes a matrix that lists cognitive outcomes, including critical thinking and problem solving, and the instruments that measure them. The conclusion emphasizes the role of service-learning assessment in transforming current assessment debates. Assessing Service-Learning Over two decades of research demonstrate that high quality service-learning enhances student learning (Eyler & Giles, 1999, 2001). As calls for greater accountability and evidence-based practice in higher education increase (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, 2006), service-learning researchers and practitioners are poised to provide leadership for a “new model of excellence ” in higher education (Zlot-kowski, 1998). In order for service-learning to gain recognition in this role, however, it must be fully inte-grated into departmental and general education assessment processes at colleges and universities. In this article we explain why quality assessment of service-learning is important to higher education. We then describe several tools that measure cognitive outcomes associated with service-learning