The Office of Outreach and Engagement invites applications for the 2024 Service Learning Faculty Fellows Program.

We are pleased to support UConn's commitment to Life Transformative Education by offering a full-year fellowship opportunity to faculty interested in teaching Service Learning courses.  Service Learning is a long-established UConn pedagogical practice that works with community partners to combine classroom learning with hands-on service in the community. Fellows meet on Fridays during the spring semester to train in SL methods and individually with SL faculty mentors to develop reciprocal community partnerships and adapt syllabi based on their partnership. Fellows then launch their courses in the summer, fall, or the following spring and continue to meet 4x in the fall to discuss progress and challenges.

The Service Learning Faculty Fellows Program is open to all faculty on all campuses, and courses may be undergraduate or graduate, domestic or global. 

The fellows program offers the following:

• Training in the principles and practices of Service Learning
• Assistance in creating or adapting a syllabus to a service learning project
• Mentoring and ongoing support from faculty who practice community-engaged teaching
• Assistance in identifying and collaborating with community partners
• Up to $1000 to support the development of a Service Learning course (limited to the first seven applicants who are accepted)
• The opportunity to converse with peers about community-engaged teaching and scholarship, to expand one's pedagogical repertoire, and to make learning more meaningful.

Spring Schedule:

Friday, February 9th, 2 pm-5 pm: Essentials of Service Learning, Part 1

Friday, March 1st, 2-5 pm: Essentials of Service Learning, Part 2

Friday, March 29, 2-3:30 Fellows meeting

Friday, April 19, 2-3:30 Fellows meeting

Individual meetings with COE Faculty throughout the semester

May, time and date TBA: Visit the community partner site

Applications are due to the SL committee of the OOE by Monday, January 22, 2024. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by Tuesday, January 30.

To apply, please send a Word document to Anne.Gebelein@uconn.edu with the following information:

• Name, Department, Campus, and semester in which you plan to teach a SL course
• A copy of a syllabus you would like to adapt or a sketch for a new course
• A paragraph in which you outline your goals for participating in the Fellows Program
• A description of any experiences you have had in community-based work that you think are relevant