Information for current students

With service learning, students go out into communities to undertake practical work and contribute to their overall learning outcomes while providing an important service to local people, benefiting both equally.

You'll help a community while also expanding your knowledge, and it's a great opportunity to set yourself apart and have your project contribute towards achieving the Stellify award.

How does it work?

There are two types of service learning at Manchester: service learning within your course, and service learning that takes place outside of your course.

Service learning within your course

Also known as curricular integrated service learning, this is where service learning forms part of the curriculum for your course. Our staff will work with you to help create a service learning module as part of your course content.

This includes structured reflection, which will help connect the service being provided, the content of your course, and your personal values and community engagement.

Service learning outside of your course

Also known as co-curricular structured service learning, this is where you take part in thoughtfully planned service outside of the formal structure of your course. This service will meet a community-identified need.

Meaningful, structured reflection on the needs of the community and on the impact of service on personal values is an important part of service learning. This is recognised and celebrated through university awards such as:

• Stellify awards/points
• Making a Difference Awards
• Pledge Passports - a new University initiative currently being developed to help students create an authorised 'portfolio' of service learning

One example of co-curricular structured service learning is the Dentman initiative created by Dentistry students. Learn more on the Dentman Facebook page.

What's in it for you?

Service learning can help you improve your self-confidence and enable you to connect your learning to emotional experience. Students undertaking service learning can also develop and improve the following knowledge and skills.

• Critical thinking.
• Interpersonal and intercultural competencies.
• Organisation and team working.
• Community knowledge and consciousness.
• Commitment to public service.
• Social capital.
• Communication and cognitive skills.

Students could also benefit from writing up a reflective experience for publication in journals or for presentation at conferences.

Read blog posts by Manchester students who have undertaken service learning projects to find out what they got out of the experience:

• Visit the blog

Next steps

I'm new to service learning

Take some inspiration from our current students who have completed service learning projects.

If you have ideas for a project you'd like to carry out, speak to a staff member within your Faculty to move the idea forward.

It will help if you can go to them with a rough plan for what you want to do. You might want to consider:

• what you can learn from the experience;
• how the project fits into your curriculum or another area of interest;
• your goals and objectives for the project and what you hope to achieve. For example, can you incorporate a research opportunity within this?
• ways to fundraise!

Reach out to people who may be useful contacts, and see if they are able to help you.

For additional resources and advice, please contact us.

Email: srbmh@manchester.ac.uk

I'm already undertaking service learning

Ensure everything is being logged on the Volunteer Hub for it to qualify for the Stellify Award.

Get in touch with us if:

• you have already completed a community-based project and would like to find out if the project meets the intended learning outcomes for Stellify;
• you want to improve your service learning project;
• you have ideas for service learning projects on courses other than your own course.

Email: srbmh@manchester.ac.uk