A New Era for Service-Learning: Designing an Intentional High Impact Practice

This article describes and examines the design and assessment practices of a Summer of Service-Learning and Social Justice Program (SSSJP). The program was developed to deepen students’ learning outcomes through strategically constructing multiple high impact practices: service-learning, an internship, a learning community, collaborative projects and common intellectual experiences.  The program and assessment instruments were constructed to build a culture of evidence and inquiry among service-learning educators in a new era for service-learning. Instruments were fashioned to measure evidence of student learning in cultural pluralism, civic engagement, self-direction, curiosity, leadership, and critical reflection in a service-learning and social justice program or course.