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Faculty Fellows in Service Learning

The University of Alabama Faculty Fellows in Service Learning program is a one-year fellowship designed to accelerate the work of faculty members who are eager to develop exemplary curricular approaches to education for active and ethical citizenship, social responsibility, and engagement by applying service learning to their courses.  The program aims to intentionally and thoughtfully integrate the philosophy, pedagogy, and process of service learning into the UA academic environment.

The goal of the program is to provide a venue for faculty to design a new course or to modify an existing course to include a service learning component.  The Fellows program is structured around a year-long series of meetings (a total of six meetings) designed to help faculty develop a strong background in service learning pedagogy by exploring theories, implementation, and assessment of academic service learning and how to integrate this methodology into courses across the disciplines.

Meet the 2007-08 Faculty Fellows in Service Learning!

About the program

Benefits of Participation:

For faculty members who apply and are accepted into the program, the Fellowship allows for an intellectual venue in which faculty can exchange ideas with an academically diverse group and learn from the experiences of other Fellows in the program. Faculty will leave the program with a revised course syllabus and the tools and resources needed to successfully implement a service learning course. In addition, faculty members will benefit from connections to community partners, membership in a university-wide academic service-learning network.

Participating faculty members will be provided with topic-specific readings and materials in advance of each workshop. Through the individual support provided by CESR staff, faculty members will have one-on-one assistance identifying additional discipline-specific resources and model courses in service learning.

Financially, the Fellowship also provides a modest $1,500 stipend for each faculty member to support course development and research upon completion of the program in May.  Funds can be used for teaching/research materials, hourly help by students or additional support staff, related travel, or other appropriate uses at the determination of the Fellow and his or her department head and college dean.

Expectations: 

Fellows agree to attend six seminars (three per semester) and two individual meetings with CESR’s Service Learning Coordinators (one per semester). Faculty will work with CESR to coordinate placements, assessment, and structured reflection experience, and will commit to offering at least one service learning course within one year of completing the program. This course is expected to be maintained in the department’s curriculum as an ongoing regular course offering, not taught as a one-time course.  During implementation of the course, fellows will have the continued assistance and support of CESR’s Service Learning Coordinators.

Faculty Fellows may also be called upon to present their experience as instructors of each developed SL course during the following academic year to the future Faculty Fellows in Service Learning. (CESR is sensitive to faculty workloads and will respect the time commitment of faculty). We intend that Fellows will serve as an advocate and resource for service learning in their home department and provide consultation on service learning to colleagues in their home department.

Eligibility and Selection Process:

The Faculty Fellows in Service Learning program is open to all faculty involved in undergraduate teaching (tenured and tenure-track faculty, professional and administrative educational staff, and adjunct/lecturer instructors) from any department on campus. Priority will be given to undergraduate courses taught by faculty members who are new or only marginally experienced with the pedagogy of service learning. Applicants must also have approval from department chairs and college deans. 10 faculty members are selected annually for the Faculty Fellows in Service Learning Program.

Application Process:

To apply, interested faculty members must fill out a short application and attach a brief personal statement related to your interest in service learning. Application must also be accompanied by an agreement with the signatures of the faculty member’s department chair and college dean.

The application period is currently closed, but for more information about the application process, interested faculty may download the 2007-08 application packet.

For More Information

Applications for the Fall 2008 – Spring 2009 Faculty Fellows program will be available in Spring 2008, and applicants will be selected by the end of the Spring 2008 semester. If you would like to be notified when applications are made available, or if you have any other questions about this program, please contact

Allison Stagg at 348-6495 or Allison.S.Stagg@ua.edu.