Academic Service-Learning is a pedagogy that integrates service in the community with academic study to meet specific learning goals for students. Faculty, in partnership with representatives of community agencies, design service-learning projects that will:

1. meet community-identified needs
   
2. advance students' understanding of specific course content
   
3. promote civic engagement.

Critical reflective components are built into the course to help students consider relationships between their service, the course curriculum, current societal issues, and their professional goals.

Co-curricular Service-Learning differs only with regard to a link to course content.  It maintains the requirements that the activity have specific learning goals for participants, the service must meet a community-identified need, and includes strong reflection and evaluation components. Generally these service activities are directed under the leadership of student organizations and groups. 

The goals of the Service-Learning initiative at SDSU are to:

• Build reciprocal, collaborative partnerships between campus and community
  
• Provide training and support to faculty members exploring the pedagogy of service-learning
  
• Expand service-learning opportunities available to SDSU students
  
• Advance the scholarship of engagement