ABSTRACT
The university has a longstanding tradition of reaching out to the community, a tradition rooted in its identity as an interdenominational Christian university, while service-learning is a relatively new interest. In 1994 an effort was made to incorporate community service into classes to enhance student learning in a unique way. A number of factors helped make this type of service-learning possible. One is the rich tradition and expectation of community service that exist on campus. Another is small class size, which requires only a few associations with community groups in order to provide opportunities for all participating students. However, biology component of spring 1996 program was a great success. Service-learning interns, university students, and high school students all enjoyed the program and felt they had benefited from it, with students devoting approximately 10 hours of work to their presentations. Conversations with the high school students and their teachers and/or parents have conveyed an increased awareness of and appreciation for biology.
