USING COMMUNITY SERVICE PRACTICUM (IS 291)
IN NON-HONORS COURSES

As part of its effort to foster the idea of service learning at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, the Honors Program has modified Interdisciplinary Studies 291, "Community Service Practicum,” so that the credits are variable and the course may be repeated. These changes allow faculty to attach IS 291 to another course they are teaching or supervise an independent version.

If IS 291 is attached to a second course, the instructor should submit a proposal to the Honors Program in the form of his or her syllabus for that course showing clearly how the community service component will be integrated into the overall schedule of class meetings, assignments, and evaluations. For one credit of IS 291, students are usually expected to perform a minimum of two hours a week for a total of 30 hours a semester.

When IS 291 is taken as an independent course, the student in effect designs his or her own community service practicum with a faculty advisor and submits a proposal to the Honors Program. That proposal should specify the number of credits to be earned, how and where the community service will be performed, and how the service will be evaluated by the faculty advisor.

The Honors Program believes that service learning is an important way for undergraduates to complement academic learning with experiential learning and encourages all UHM faculty to take advantage of this community service practicum option.