The utilization of a service learning assignment in an undergraduate public policy course

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the development of a service learning (SL) assignment in an undergraduate public policy course. The instructor completed a university-sponsored SL training program and then integrated SL into an extant course. The paper provides a brief overview of the (a) course topics, (b) SL planning process, (c) SL assignment, (d) reflection papers and (e) syllabus description of the SL assignment. The assignment has been implemented over several semesters. Across semesters, the purpose of the SL assignment remains focused on salience to course concepts. Thus, there is the potential that SL is a value-added experience for students (and community members [agency staff, clients]). Based on the instructor’s experience with the SL assignment, some recommendations for other courses are offered. The recommendations are sufficiently broad that they can be utilized across academic courses/disciplines. Thus, the SL parameters are not exclusively focused on social science courses