A Collaborative-Teaching Approach to Linking Classes and Community

The potential benefits of academic service-learning are manifold, but service-learning is not used to its potential. In this paper, we discuss an innovative approach to the use of academic service-learning, that of collaborative-teaching. We address some possible reasons why faculty members do not use service-learning projects more, and we demonstrate how a collaborative-teaching method helps to expand the reach of this kind of project. The collaborative-teaching approach to academic service-learning helps to make this kind of project possible in a wide range of circumstances and benefits both students and the community partners involved with the project.