- Habitat for Humanity
- WINGS
- Casa Central
- Family Focus
- Feed my Starving Children
- Chicago Cares
Service Learning is a growing movement on college and university campuses to learn through engaged and active involvement in the community. Through service learning, students connect course content to real issues, complete volunteer hours, then reflect on what they learned. Oakton College is a strong community service advocate whose mission is to “empower and transform our students in the diverse communities we service.” Since 1997, Oakton has worked with the Association of American Community Colleges on civic engagement initiatives.
An important aspect of service learning is student participation, from identifying the community need to researching and contributing to the outcomes. Students who have a voice in the process are more intrinsically involved. When service learning is applied in a way that connects with course content, literature and community needs, students general report that they:
Oakton's Service Learning program integrates service projects with an academic curriculum, involving reflection of the service experience through reading, writing, speaking, listening and participating in group discussions. When participating in service learning, you will also have opportunities to:
Volunteering and community service are valuable activities that can help our students grow as civic-minded individuals. Helping students between their academic and service aspirations has been a priority for years. Students who seek to get involved in a community or want to explore a cause they are passionate about should consider service learning as a method of enhancing their college experience.
Since 1997, over ninety percent of current and former participants highly recommend service learning to all Oakton students. To explore service learning programs' possibilities and for more information, contact your advisor or instructor for initial guidance. You can also contact servicelearning@oakton.edu for more information.
Over 500 students from our Des Plaines and Skokie campuses have participated in service learning activities with over 100 community partners. These non-profit organizations represent a variety of community needs, from homelessness to domestic abuse.
Students have accumulated service hours at hospice centers, food banks and conservation sites as well. Real-world issues are as diverse as the people they impact.
Some of the partnerships that work with Oakton students include:
If you are interested in engaging in a service learning project, look for courses in the college catalog that identify with this learning method. Remember, service learning is always part of course goals and objectives. A course instructor will attach service learning hours to a course assignment. Completed hours are recorded on an Oakton-approved Student Log Sheet. The course instructor will work with the college Service Learning Coordinator to locate a service site for you if needed. The instructor will also guide you through the research process, the reflective writing, and the final demonstration, or presentation, of the learning outcome.
Join the ranks of service learning advocates. Participate in a professional development workshop on the value and benefits of service learning as a pedagogical tool for teaching and learning, and train in integrating this method of teaching into your course. The Service Learning Coordinator will help connect to approved service sites and be your writing guide, assessing and mentoring students. Oakton also has a talented group of veteran service learning faculty who are members of the Service Learning Faculty Committee. They represent all programs and both full and part-time faculty.
Oakton welcomes new community partnerships as the number of faculty and students invested in service learning grows. Community partners interested in participating in Volunteer Fairs and other college service events should contact the Service Learning Coordinator.
For questions about volunteering and service learning opportunities, please contact servicelearning@oakton.edu.