Risk Management

Tools to Develop A Comprehensive Risk Management Plan for Service Learning Courses

Listing of Approved Community Partners for Service Learning

The office of Community Engagement works with local not-for-profit organizations in establishing the foundations for academic collaboration. Community organizations may submit unsolicited requests to partner with the University, often seeking student or faculty expertise in a particular area; or faculty may have already developed a relationship with the agency and contact Community Engagement to initiate the paperwork required to become an approved University partner. All service learning assignments must occur at an approved University partner site.

Service Learning Project Planning Checklist

A critical component of developing a service learning assignment is the completion of a Service Learning Project Planning Checklist. Recognizing that each service learning assignment is uniquely designed to fulfill course-specific learning outcomes; we also acknowledge that the level of risk for these assignments may vary even if the assignments occur at the same learning site. Because of this variance of risk, faculty should have a conversation with the learning site supervisor(s), utilizing the Service Learning Project Planning Checklist as a guide, to determine the potential risk(s) to students involved in the service learning assignment. Once the Project Planning Checklist is completed, faculty should arrange a meeting with the office of Community Engagement to review the plan and discuss potential risks.

This form is to be completed by faculty designing a service learning assignment and must submitted to the office of Community Engagement at least one (1) month prior to the start-date of the semester in which the service learning project will occur.

Recommendations for Incorporating Service Learning into the Course Syllabus

Service learning assignments are to be treated as other course assignments and should be explicitly detailed in course syllabi to avoid any misunderstanding or miscommunication of the assignment requirements, learning objectives, or service learning community partner(s).

In-Class Orientation Checklist

Faculty must provide students with an in-class orientation to the service learning assignment; the In-Class Orientation Checklist will help you prepare service learning students for their community experiences. The in-class orientation should provide students with a clear understanding of the work they will be doing, the risks associated with that work, and how they should conduct themselves when working in the community as part of a learning assignment. If you have completed a Service Learning Project Planning Checklist much of the information for the in-class orientation has already been collected and this can be easily incorporated as an orientation tool.

Learning Site Orientation Checklist

Learning Site Supervisors must also provide students with an orientation to the learning site. The Learning Site Orientation Checklist is a resource tool for the learning site supervisor and should be used with the Service Learning Project Planning Checklist to develop a thorough Learning Site orientation for service learning students. The learning site orientation should provide students with a clear understanding of the work they will be doing, the risks associated with that work, and how they should conduct themselves when they are working in the community as part of a class assignment. This is the simplest, most efficient way for students to become aware of emergency policies, accident procedures, and the rules and regulations of the site.

Student Service Learning Plan & Agreement (Sample)

The Student Service Learning Plan & Agreement has been developed as an online form and must be completed by all students engaged in a service learning project prior to their first day at the learning site. Students who participate in a service learning assignment without submitting a Student Service Learning Plan & Agreement are not covered under the SAFECLIP campus insurance program. Part one (1) includes areas for students to provide information about themselves, emergency contact information, identify their community learning site and site supervisor, detail course information (including articulating their learning and service objectives), and define the beginning and ending dates of their service learning assignment. Part two (2) defines the participation guidelines for students engaged in a service learning assignment and are important in order to provide a positive learning experience. The guidelines acts as the student's acknowledgement of their responsibilities in completing their service learning paperwork, understanding of the potential risks associated with the service learning assignment, as well as the professional standards expected of them while at the learning site. The Student Service Learning Plan & Agreement also informs students that they are personally responsible for paying any costs related to the treatment of any injury or illness they may suffer while at the learning site. For this reason, students are encouraged to have health insursnce. We recommend discussing the Student Service Learning Plan & Agreement with students during the in-class orientation.

Student Time Sheets

DUE: Friday, May 10, 2013

Student Time Sheets document the hours that students serve at the learning site and the type(s) of activity they did while at the site. The Student Time Sheets has been developed as a PDF document that students can access from our website to enter their hours and activities. At the end of their service hours, student must print and sign their time sheet, obtain a signature from the Learning Site Supervisor, and return the completed document to the office of Community Engagement by the due date indicated above.

Evaluations

• Pre-Service Learning Evaluation (Sample) - DUE Sunday, February 17, 2013
• Post-Service Learning Evaluation (Sample) - DUE Friday, May 10, 2013
• Learning Site Supervisor Evaluation of Student (Sample) - DUE Friday, May 10, 2013

Evaluations from students and learning site supervisors are valuable when the office of Community Engagement is determining the ongoing nature of campus-community partnerships with particular community-based organizations. When evaluations are collected and processed, the service learning office, faculty member and risk management officer can revisit the desirability of renewing the Service Learning Campus-Community Partnership Agreement with any particular community organization. Additionally, the pre- and post-service learning evaluations act as tools for measuring students' inclination to participate in service learning classes and the likeliness of students to participate as active members in their community. Students and learning site supervisors should be directed to Community Engagement's website where the evaluations can be accessed and completed by the due date indicated above.