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Partnership with Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve

The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, a local nonprofit environmental group, relies on volunteers for a major portion of the work load. The board members and executive director had been looking to highlight the volunteers’ accomplishments in their biannual newsletter, and Rochelle Dale’s EN 111 class is fulfilling that desire. Students from Rochelle’s class interviewed eleven of those volunteers and then scrupulously wrote, revised, and edited volunteer profiles for publication in the December 2009 issue of The Yellow Dog Howl. In order to give students a sense of place that the volunteers and other members are so passionate about, the class traveled to a section of the Yellow Dog River one sunny September day. For many, this trip was a discovery. As one student said, “As soon as I got out of the van, I realized this was why I came to Marquette and NMU.” Others were impressed by the people they met: “The interview experience was awesome.”

Partnership with Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve

The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, a local nonprofit environmental group, relies on volunteers for a major portion of the work load. The board members and executive director had been looking to highlight the volunteers’ accomplishments in their biannual newsletter, and Rochelle Dale’s EN 111 class is fulfilling that desire. Students from Rochelle’s class interviewed eleven of those volunteers and then scrupulously wrote, revised, and edited volunteer profiles for publication in the December 2009 issue of The Yellow Dog Howl. In order to give students a sense of place that the volunteers and other members are so passionate about, the class traveled to a section of the Yellow Dog River one sunny September day. For many, this trip was a discovery. As one student said, “As soon as I got out of the van, I realized this was why I came to Marquette and NMU.” Others were impressed by the people they met: “The interview experience was awesome.”

Academic Service Learning Courses


Current Courses	Past Courses	Designating a Course

Reflections on Academic Service Learning

	"In my time at Lake Superior Village Youth and Family Center I have witnessed how important Judy Puncochar’s ED 231 Teaching and Learning in the Secondary Classroom students are to the program...It has been my experience that without the ED231 volunteers the program at Lake Superior Village Youth and Family Center would be quite difficult to run." -- Karen Kasprzak, LSV Youth and Family Center Supervisor
	“Being able to see children that are thankful for things as small as a bar of soap was a really moving experience. They were so excited to learn a new skill and be able to go home and share that with their family, and it felt amazing to be a part of that moment.” -- NMU Student More photos from Honduras course
	“Academic service learning is a natural fit with our advanced courses in broadcasting. In working with the U.P. Sled Dog Association, my students not only learned how to produce a television documentary. They also learned why planning and attention to detail are so important to this process. Student-created documentary on UP 200 race

Defining ASL
Academic service learning is an exciting teaching methodology that incorporates community service as a means of helping students gain a deeper understanding of course objectives, acquire new knowledge, develop professional expertise and engage in civic activity. Academic service learning vs. community service Academic Service Learning Statistics Currently Fall 2009 has: Number of Courses - 24 Number of Sections - 44 Currently Winter 2010 has: Number of Courses - 35 Number of Courses - 54

Defining ASL

Academic service learning is an exciting teaching methodology that incorporates community service as a means of helping students gain a deeper understanding of course objectives, acquire new knowledge, develop professional expertise and engage in civic activity.

Academic service learning vs. community service

Academic Service Learning Statistics

Currently Fall 2009 has:
Number of Courses - 24
Number of Sections - 44

Currently Winter 2010 has:
Number of Courses - 35
Number of Courses - 54

ASL Calendar
Remember to designate your Winter 2010 courses.

Community Partnerships
A successful academic service learning project or activity requires active participation from both the university participants and the community partner. Good communication and consideration helps ensure collaboration and steady progress toward common goals. Maintaining a positive relationship increases the possibility for future collaborative activities at the site or with other organizations in the community.

Community Partnerships

A successful academic service learning project or activity requires active participation from both the university participants and the community partner. Good communication and consideration helps ensure collaboration and steady progress toward common goals. Maintaining a positive relationship increases the possibility for future collaborative activities at the site or with other organizations in the community.

Serving on ASL Board
Past and present NMU faculty with an interest in growing academic service learning are welcome to serve on the Academic Service Learning Advisory Board. The goal of the program is to have at least one representative from all academic areas of study, as well as student service areas, on the board. The current committee chair is Chuck Ganzert. More on the advisory board

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