Public health emphasizes care for one’s neighbors and greater community.
Community service learning (CSL) in public health education offers an invaluable opportunity to nurture public service as a value in students before they begin their careers as public health professionals. Furthermore, CSL uniquely enhances student knowledge and professional development through a recipricol relation between the academic classroom and professional experience in the community.
CSL and CSL-intensive courses structure learning through incorporation of five essential elements:
- reflection
- collaboration
- commitment
- integration
- evaluation.
The utilization of these elements in CSL provides a learning opportunity that is beneficial for not only students, but for faculty and community partners. Simultaneously we build transcripts and resumes.