Student's Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19

By continuing to provide quality safe opportunities for our students and community is our main goal. Our office is:

Reaching out to community partners to provide resources for creating virtual opportunities.
Collaborating with faculty to provide digital tools and best practices for online learning.
Tag remote opportunities for easier search in the database.

The safety of our students and community remain a top priority. We recommend searching for a virtual (remote) service-learning. Use the database to search for the key word: “remote” service-learning. In addition, we recommend speaking with your course faculty for recommendations on service-learning sites appropriate for your course.

Faculty determine the number of hours, alternate assignments, etc. Please speak to your course faculty for course specifics in regard to hours, assignments, learning outcomes, etc.

For in-person placement see COVID-19 Experiential Learning Summer 2021/Fall2021 Guidelines in Accordance with EO #88315133. Also view the COVID-19 In-Person Placement Checklist which provides a detailed instructions of the steps to take to help navigate you from the beginning to the end of the process your in-person placement.

If you have any questions regarding the new guidelines, please email our offfice: cce@cpp.edu.

What is Service-Learning?

Service-learning is an academic course where a service project or service experience is part of the overall grade. In the spirit of learning-by-doing, Cal Poly Pomona faculty, staff and students actively support and engage in service-learning activities that build meaningful and sustainable community partnerships.

While volunteerism is geared toward the advantage of the community, Service-Learning also requires that the student reflect on and learn from the service being performed. The student, as well as the community, will receive the "benefits" from the activity. While internships or field placements tend to focus solely on student learning. Service-Learning focuses on both the service the community needs and the instructor's learning objectives. Both the communities needs and the student's learning needs will be met.

Finding a Virtual Service Learning Opportunity

An opportunity that does not require you to be in a specific physical location. The duties and task assigned to you can be completed online or from a virtual location.

CPP students may participate in on-site in-person internship activities in the State of California provided the student and the organization follow current Federal, State, and County public health guidelines effective May 19, 2020. Students and organizations will be required to submit evidence they are in compliance with public health guidelines in BroncoSERV. Please view COVID-19 Experiential Learning Summer 2021/Fall2021 Guidelines in Accordance with EO #88315133.

Visit the Service-Learning website for more information about the in-person placement guidelines.

We are working with partners to inform them all in person opportunities must abide by local, county, and federal COVID-19 public health guidelines. As always, continue practicing guidelines that include social distancing measures, wearing masks, washing your hands frequently, and contacting your site supervisor if you feel sick.

To avoid a conflict of interest, students may not complete their service learning hours for academic credit at an organization where their family member is their supervisor.

Finding a Service-Learning Site

You can view a complete list of approved sites on the BroncoSERV Database.

Please follow the BroncoSERV Database step-by-step guidelines on how to make a placement.

Service-Learning can only be performed at sites which have an active agreement and are in our database. All approved sites are reflected on the Internship and Service-Learning Database. Therefore, students must select a Service-Learning site from the database.

Course Requirements

Review your course syllabus. Most course instructors will review detailed information about a service-learning or community service project with in the few weeks of the course.

For more information, please consult with your course instructor.

Once you have found your service-learning site and have received approval by your course instructor, please follow these steps to make a Service-Learning Placement.

Hours may vary between courses and course instructors. For more information please review your course syllabus.

Service-Learning is a tool that will help you learn course material. You may not use previous community hours to fulfill your current semesters hours. It is typically required that the service occurs during the duration of the course while you are studying the course content.

If you would like to begin your hours prior to the start of the course, please contact your course instructor.

Your course instructor is responsible for all course grades and assignments related to your service learning course.

The Department of Service-Learning is not responsible for course grades, adding or dropping a course, and/or course assignments.

For questions related to your course grades and assignments please consult your course instructor.

Additional Questions

No. Your interview is like a job interview. Serveral factors play a role in a good match: course goals and objectives, schedules, position availability, the agency's need, the skills and learning interests you bring, etc.

If you need assistance with a resume, cover letter, or other essentials to landing your Service Learning opportunities please contact the Career Center.

If you have not heard back from the sites that you have reached out to please consult with your instructor for a list of additional recommended sites.

Speak with your site supervisor immediately. If there is a problem please discuss the matter with the organizations volunteer coordinator to see if you can explore other available opportunities at that organization.

If the problem persists, first talk with your instructor and then with the Center for Community Engagement for help with a change of settings.

Service-Learning needs to address an important community need and contribute to achieving your course objectives. Job assignments may not be compatible with course learning needs.

Performing service at another agency offers the opportunity to expose you to new situations and experiences.

Overall, we strongly encourage you to serve at another agency.

If you have limited transportation, please discuss alternative option with course instructions.

If you do not live in Pomona use the search bar in our BroncoSERV database to search by the city you are located in.

If you find a site in your city that you wish to complete your hours at but it is not in our database please contact your instructor.

Service-Learning