Developing a Service-Learning Student Facilitator Program: Lessons Learned

Abstract

The Service-Learning Student Facilitator Program originated from the first author who was engaged in service learning and sought to transform her ideas into a sustainable project that could be reproduced annually. The purpose of this program was to train and certify students as facilitators so that they could assist faculty members in implementing service-learning experiences in their courses in various disciplines across the campus. Student participants became effective leaders of service-learning projects, developed great respect for the methods of service-learning, and expressed a desire for a deeper understanding of its theoretical basis. Their feedback, along with lessons learned, helped shape training in subsequent semesters. These lessons, which are shared, are valuable to those planning to develop similar programs in their universities.