It can be tempting for busy faculty to skip this important step when implementing a service-learning initiative, but examining evaluation responses and taking feedback seriously is essential if faculty hope to improve the service-learning experiences offered in their courses.

Why you should assess your program

The use of assessment tools that accurately collect quantitative and qualitative information about your program will enable you to:

Assess multiple dimensions of your service-learning initiative. Evaluating student learning and shifts in attitude, community partner performance, and the integration of service and classroom learning, will help you determine the value of your service-learning effort.

Track outcomes. Keeping track of student-reported learning outcomes will alert you to changes in the quality of their service-learning experiences.

Adapt materials. New iterations of your service-learning initiative based on evaluative feedback will help you better meet student and community needs in future course offerings.

Report outcomes. The data you collect can be put to use in reports requested by your institution, applications for future funding, or as part of a research study.

Reflect on performance. Model the kind of reflective behavior you encourage in your students by regularly requesting feedback on course objectives and assignments.

Sample service-learning assessment tools for faculty

Assessment Tool	Implementation Timeline	Uses of Data
Service-Learning Pre-Service Intake Form	Students participate in weeks 1–2 of the semester.	Assess student attitudes toward service-learning. Determine level of preparation. Plan semester accordingly. Compare to the Service-Learning Student Evaluation.
Community Partner Midsemester Check-In	All service-learning community partners participate midway through the semester.	Evaluate individual student performance in service roles and projects. Assess challenges and successes of the partnership. Collect feedback for partnership improvement.
Service-Learning Student Evaluation	All service-learning students participate at the end of the semester.	Assess student learning or changes in attitude. Collect feedback for future course improvement.
Service-Learning Community Partner Evaluation	All service-learning community partners participate at the end of the semester.	Evaluate individual student performance in service roles and projects. Judge extent to which service met community-identified needs. Collect feedback for partnership improvement.
Service-Learning Faculty Member Evaluation	All service-learning faculty participate at the end of the semester.	Interpret student and community partner evaluation responses. Plan for next semester.

Interpreting student evaluations

Student responses to open-ended evaluation questions often include feedback that will help you improve your course. Inspiring testimonials that describe positive and sometimes transformative experiences with service-learning will also validate your efforts. Less positive feedback can also be extremely useful. However, take care when interpreting student feedback. The root causes behind some student reactions are not always immediately evident.

Following are typical student responses to evaluation questionnaires and the kinds of questions you might want to consider posing as a result.

The assignment was pointless. Or, the assignment didn’t make sense.

How can you more clearly explain an assignment’s rationale? Service-learning will be a new experience for many of your students, so you will need to be explicit about the reasoning behind your teaching methods and assignments.

Service took up too much time.

Sometimes service demands more of the student’s time than you, your students, or your partners expect. Do service roles or placements need to be adjusted in order to keep the time commitment reasonable? Alternatively, do you need to adjust the balance of other assignments in your course to allow for students to fulfill their service commitment?

My service didn’t relate to the course content.

It is very important to address this issue. If students perceive service as an irrelevant add-on to the course rather than an integral part of the learning experience, they will see service-learning as nothing but a burden on their time. Even when the connections between service assignments and the course material seem obvious to you, students will need well-guided, structured, and frequent opportunities for reflection in order to reach their aha! moments.

When students express feeling a lack of connection between service and academic work:

• Develop assignments to help students make the connection more easily.
• Look for more opportunities to align service experiences with existing class discussions.
• Consider whether service roles or projects need to be adjusted to better align with course content.
• Ask yourself how rigorous reflective assignments and activities can better guide students to make these connections themselves.

Limitations of student evaluation data

Remember that data can only tell you so much. When interpreting data, keep the following points in mind.

Data limitations. These data will be self-reported, and the evaluations will reflect the biases and motivations of the respondents.

Response rate. The percentage of your students who submit evaluations could have a significant bearing on survey outcomes. Look closely at the response rate. A high rate may indicate that evaluation responses reflect the experience of the class as a whole, but it is harder to draw conclusions from a more limited survey response. When response rates are low, this may indicate a lack of engagement, which merits attention.

Some dissatisfaction is to be expected. You can never make everyone happy. As important as it is to pay attention to negative feedback, do not let a small number of complaints overshadow positive responses. Some students may resist service-learning for reasons having nothing to do with the course design or the experience offered by the community partners.

Interpreting community partner evaluations

Feedback from your partners is an invaluable part of a successful service-learning program. Their evaluations can provide insight into both student performance and community needs while also helping you shape future assignments. The satisfaction of the partners is also integral to continuing the relationship, so feedback should be taken seriously.

Consider the following suggestions when creating and interpreting partners’ evaluations.

Select a mix of metrics. Look for measures that can capture the quality of student service as well as the extent to which service met the identified needs of the community.

Maintain perspective. Remember that if an organization is partnering with multiple faculty during the same semester, responses may apply to the service-learning partnership overall, rather than to your specific course.

Establish a timeline. Ask for individual student or project evaluations in time to consider them for final grades. Partners should have agreed to this timeline during the communication and expectations phase of planning.

Compare partner and student perspectives. Are partner and student perspectives on service outcomes consistent, or do one party’s responses prompt you to reexamine the responses of the other? Discrepancies can help you judge the effectiveness of your communication plan and determine if it requires modification.

Service-learning faculty self-assessments

As informative as student and partner evaluations can be, the overall evaluation of service-learning in your course will not be complete without your input.

To prepare for a self-assessment:

• Look over student assignments and blog entries.
• Review your notes and memories regarding class discussions.
• Consider other documentation that will reflect student thinking and performance.

Then ask yourself what changes your students exhibited over the course of the semester. How did they develop:

• A deeper understanding of the course material?
• Engagement with and enthusiasm for the course material?
• Oral and written communication skills?
• Attitudes toward the community and civic responsibility?

When you have evaluated the progress of your students, ask yourself:

• To what extent did students reach the desired learning outcomes?
• What role did service-learning experiences play in reaching these learning outcomes?
• Did student achievement differ in other courses where service-learning was not used?
• In what ways can service-learning experiences be better integrated to play a more powerful role in helping students reach desired learning outcomes?
• Did integrated service experiences promote valuable learning outcomes that weren’t anticipated or that weren’t articulated in the original course goals or objectives?