Assoc. Prof. Bridget Marshall's Disabilities in Literature class focuses on learning outside the classroom during their service learning trip to the Lowell Association for the Blind. Watch the video and find out more.
"The biggest praise I can give Community Writing, and service learning, is that you can’t Google the answer."
- Nick LeClair, English major
Service-Learning courses are offered ever fall and spring semester in a multitude of majors. If you are faculty looking to find out more about implementing Service-Learning into a course, or a student interested in taking a Service-Learning course, please contact the Service-Learning and Community Co-op Resource Office, and/or use our Service Faculty Guide (pdf).
“A credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.” (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995).
Additional information:
For information on adding a Service-Learning Attribute to your course, campus-wide events and more, please visit our campus-wide Service-Learning page.
In the College of FAHSS we have two specific Experiential Learning programs that engage students from all our colleges majors. In both programs students learn valuable professional skills, build their resume and expand their network, while also providing a meaningful service to the local community.
Immersive Scholars (formerly known as Co-op Scholars) - A scholarship program given to a small number of incoming freshmen every year across all disciplines at UMass Lowell. Students are given the choice to work alongside a faculty member, or at a community-based organization of their choice. For more information, visit Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Collaborations.
FAHSS Community Internships- The Community Internship Program provides students with paid experiential learning opportunities by partnering with local Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). Each semester CBOs are offered the opportunity to submit a job description to hire UMass Lowell students to assist with marketing, social media, program planning, volunteer management research, and technology. Students can apply for positions that interest them. The intern’s pay is split between the CBO and the University.
Student testimonials:
“I will forever sing the praises of UMass Lowell’s Community Internship Program. The organization I worked for hired me back for next semester, with the potential of being hired full-time once I graduate.”
“My internship helped me gain experience working in a community center and helped me learn so much about my future career. None of it could have been possible without the FAHSS Community Internship Program.”
For more information on either of these programs, please use the below contact information.
Service-Learning and Community Co-op Resource Office, Mahoney 212
If you are interested in specific questions related to Service-Learning and Community Outreach in specific majors, please see additional website information below.