Our Programs
Service-Learning
The Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team supports university-community partnerships through the utilization of Service-Learning (S-L). Service-Learning is a form of experiential learning for students and a teaching tool for faculty that combines academics and service to meet educational and community goals. Students and faculty work with community organizations, nonprofit groups, and government agencies to reinforce and build upon concepts learned in the classroom.
Our team also supports faculty who research issues related to service and community engagement, or who pursue research questions identified by community members or organizations.
Program Details
Courses
Northeastern offers more than 100 service-learning course sections taught by 60+ faculty members across eight colleges each academic year.
Some, but not all, service-learning courses can be found in the Banner course catalogue. This list is updated every September/October (for fall) and January/February (for spring), and reflects courses where service-learning is required of all enrolled students at the section level. For the most current list of all service-learning course sections, use the link above or view past courses here. To view service-learning courses in the Banner catalogue:
- Go to registrar.northeastern.edu
- Click on Banner Class Schedule
- Search by Term: Fall Semester or Spring Semester; click Submit
- Select Attribute Type: With Service-Learning; click Submit
View our 2018-2019 Year in Review to explore Service-Learning across the colleges.
Wondering what a service-learning course looks like in practice? Read more about various courses, partnerships, and student experiences on our service-learning blog.

Community partners
We partner on service-learning courses with a variety of community-based organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and schools. View a full list of our current and prior community partners here.
Course design and development
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When designing S-L courses and experiences, we start with two questions: (1) What do faculty want or need their students to learn in the course? and (2) What are the goals and interests of our community partners?
Faculty members can incorporate a service or community engagement component into a new course they are creating or integrate it into an existing course. Follow these steps to get started:
- Complete the self-guided onboarding module, which takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. The module explains how faculty members can partner with and become a part of the Service-Learning Program at Northeastern, and it serves as a one-stop-shop resource to explore the program’s resources, philosophies, and processes. At the end you will be prompted to fill out a form and download a set of questions to reflect on your course.
- Email service-learning@northeastern.edu to set up a time to meet with a member of the Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team.
- Meet with a member of the Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team to discuss your ideas. Please bring a copy of your reflection responses from the onboarding module.
Find more information and resources on our Service-Learning Faculty Resources webpage.
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Service-Learning courses can be structured many different ways. However, all Northeastern service-learning courses include core elements: integrated learning, collaboration, quality service, reflection, assessment and evaluation, and civic engagement and responsibility. The self-guided onboarding module discusses this in more depth, but each of these elements should be present in your course design.
Adding a service-learning component to your course may make it eligible to be designated with various attributes in Banner. Read more about this process at the bottom of this page on our Faculty Resource page.
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Our Faculty Resources page guides faculty members through the process of developing and implementing S-L courses, including best practices, nationally recognized theory and research, and the accumulated wisdom of Northeastern S-L faculty and staff.
Assessment and evaluation
Assessment of service-learning is a collaborative process intended to demonstrate that course-community partnerships meet both course and community goals.
As in any course, S-L students are graded for their learning and ability to meet course objectives, not for their service. Reflective course assignments and exercises connect academic content and service and allow students to demonstrate what they’ve learned. Community partners can also help evaluate whether S-L students fulfilled service objectives. Learn more about our student learning outcomes, assessment resources, and view sample assessment tools and methods on our Faculty Resource page.

Roles and Positions
Faculty
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Service-Learning faculty members are instructors who choose to integrate a service or community-engagement component into their teaching. If you are interested in becoming part of our network and leveraging the numerous resources we have to offer to support your community-engaged teaching, click here to get started.
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Co-managed by the Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team and the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning at Northeastern, the Service-Learning Fellows Program is a yearlong program that leads a small cohort of Northeastern faculty through an examination of service-learning and evidence-based teaching literature. Participants build knowledge to enhance student learning and engagement, connect courses with social issues, and strengthen community relationships.
Learn more about the 2019–2020 program details.
Apply here. The Service-Learning Fellows program has been put on pause for the 20-21 academic year.
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The Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team within the Office of City and Community Engagement at Northeastern, in partnership with the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research (CATLR) is hosting a series of learning communities during the Spring 2021 semester. The themes of these learning communities will be (1) Teaching for Social Justice in Service-Learning and Community Engagement and (2) Community Partnerships and are open to all faculty, staff, and interested community partners. Registration for Spring 2021 has passed, but please email service-learning@northeastern.edu if you are interested in the program for future semesters.
Students
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Service-Learning students are undergraduate and graduate students who are enrolled in one of the 100+ service-learning courses at Northeastern.
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S-LTAs are students who act as a liaison and resource for S-L campus and community partners. The S-LTA program has five goals:
- Training and supporting student S-LTAs to develop their leadership skills
- Assisting faculty members to implement the best practices of S-L in their courses
- Supporting community partners to help ensure partnership goals are met through student and faculty engagement
- Aiding student service-learners in meeting their academic and service requirements and commitments
- Serving as an extension of service-learning staff to facilitate a quality program that is academically rigorous and socially and ethically responsible
S-LTAs are typically assigned to a single course, and therefore support a specific faculty member, cohort of students, and one or more community partnerships throughout the semester. In many ways, S-LTAs act as a project manager and logistics coordinator for the course and associated partnerships as a way to foster the principles of community engagement in the course.
S-LTAs spend 7–10 hours per week on their role, including time in the classroom. Both undergraduate and graduate students can apply. View a full job description, compensation details, and qualification information here.
Apply here.
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The Service-Learning Street Team is a team of undergraduate and graduate students who support the program by (1) leading community walks for Northeastern faculty, staff, and students, (2) accompanying S-L students to their orientation or first day of service, and (3) extending the marketing and outreach capacity of the Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team on campus, in the community, and through social media.
Street Team members spend 3–7 hours per week on their role. View a full job description, compensation details, and qualification information here.
Apply here.
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The Service-Learning Team Manager (S-LTM) program offers an advanced leadership opportunity for previous service-learning student leaders (S-LTAs and Street Team). S-LTMs are upper-level students who manage a cohort of five to twelve S-LTAs or Street Team members and act as their primary advisor and manager.
S-LTMs spend 10–15 hours per month on their role, in addition to their work as S-LTAs or Street Team members. View a full job description, compensation details, and qualification information here.
Team Managers are selected each semester by the Director and Assistant Director of Community-Engaged Teaching and Research. We give consideration to all returning S-L student leaders each semester and invite those who have demonstrated their potential for an advanced leadership position, represent diverse academic areas, and have shown a deep understanding of the philosophies and principles of service-learning and community engagement.
Community Partners
We partner with community-based organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and schools across the City of Boston. View a list of our current and prior community partners here.
Many of our partnerships are initiated through a Request for Partnerships process in the months before an academic semester starts. The purpose of the RFP process is to identify the goals of community-based organizations so that we can best connect them with S-L faculty and courses.
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The Community-Engaged Teaching and Research team within the Office of City and Community Engagement at Northeastern, in partnership with the Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research (CATLR) is hosting a series of learning communities during the Spring 2021 semester. The themes of these learning communities will be (1) Teaching for Social Justice in Service-Learning and Community Engagement and (2) Community Partnerships and are open to all faculty, staff, and interested community partners. Registration for Spring 2021 has passed, but please email service-learning@northeastern.edu if you are interested in the program for future semesters.

Apply
Learn about S-L roles and positions.
Faculty
Service-Learning Fellows
To apply:
- Review the program details
- Choose a course(s) in which you would like to incorporate or deepen service-learning
- Online application coming soon.
- Email a copy of your CV and a letter of support from your department chair to Becca Berkey at r.berkey@northeastern.edu
We typically accept 4–6 Fellows for each annual cohort. The Service-Learning Fellows program has been put on pause for the 20-21 academic year.
Students
Service-Learning Teaching Assistant
Applications for Spring 2021 Student Leaders are now open and due 10/26.
To apply:
- Review the S-LTA job description.
- Submit an online application, including a resume and letter of recommendation
- Once you begin your application you will not be able to save a draft and return to it later. Please use this preview to help draft your application.
- Applications require an academic or professional letter of recommendation. If you have a recommendation on file from a former opportunity, you are welcome to use that. If you were personally asked by a faculty member to be their S-LTA, you do not need to submit a recommendation.
- Students with advanced proficiency or fluency in Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), or Russian are encouraged to apply to work with one of the language courses.
- If these materials indicate a good fit, candidates will be contacted for an interview with the Service-Learning Program. In some cases, candidates will also be asked to meet with a faculty member.
Service-Learning Street Team
Applications for Spring 2021 Student Leaders are now open and due 10/26.
Steps to apply:
- Read through the Service-Learning Street Team job description (above).
- Submit an online application and upload your resume.
- Once you begin your application you will not be able to save a draft and return to it later. Please use this preview to help plan your application.
- If these materials indicate a good fit, candidates will be contacted for an interview with our team.
Community Partners
Many of our partnerships with community-based organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and schools are initiated through a Request for Partnerships process. The purpose of the RFP process is to identify the goals of community-based organizations so that we can best connect them with S-L faculty and courses.
To view more information about our RFP process, go to our Community Partner Resource page.
Support or Partner with Us
Community Organizations
We partner with community-based organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, and schools across the City of Boston.
View a list of our current and prior community partners here.
Learn more or apply to partner with us.
On-Campus Partners and Supporters
We’re fortunate to collaborate with many campus partners across the university. The Service-Learning Program is also supported by a Service-Learning Advisory Board represented by the following Northeastern faculty and staff:
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Shan Mohammed, Co-Chair
Director, MPH Program in Urban Health
Associate Clinical Professor, Health Sciences
Bouvé College of Health SciencesBecca Berkey, Co-Chair
Director of Community-Engaged Teaching and Research
Office of City and Community EngagementKatherine Calzada
Assistant Dean for Research Development
College of Arts, Media and DesignElise Dallimore
Associate Professor, Communication Studies
College of Arts, Media and Design; Joint appointment in D’Amore-McKim School of BusinessKaitlin Fulton
Associate Director of Admissions
Undergraduate AdmissionsLori Gardinier
Director, Human Services Program
College of Social Sciences and HumanitiesAudrey Grace
Director, Diversity and Inclusion
Office of Institutional Diversity and InclusionEllen Goldman
Senior Associate Director, Career Development
Career DevelopmentAnn Golub-Victor
Associate Clinical Professor, Physical Therapy
Bouvé College of Health SciencesLorna Hayward
Associate Professor, Physical Therapy
Bouvé College of Health SciencesBrooke Hoger
Assistant Director and Academic Advisor
Northeastern Explore ProgramChelsea Lauder
Community-Engaged Teaching and Research Program Associate
Office of City and Community EngagementOlivia LeClair
Associate Director for Advising
Bouvé College of Health Sciences
Office of Student ServicesMoira Mannix Votel
Associate Co-op Coordinator and Director of Cooperative Education
Bouvé College of Health SciencesBrie McCormick
Director of Residential Life
Residential LifeMelissa McElligott
Associate Teaching Professor
Department of BiologyBrian McGrath
Senior Associate Director for Analytics
University Decision SupportGiordana Mecagni
Head of Special Collections and University Archivist
Snell LibraryBarbie Papalios
Academic Advisor
University Honors ProgramAspa Papanastasiou
Associate Director, Global Employer Relations
Career DevelopmentRichard Porter
Professor of Mathematics
College of ScienceLisa Roe
Assistant Director of Service-Learning
Center of Community ServiceCarmen Sceppa
Dean of the College
Dean's Office, Institute on Urban Health Research
Bouvé College of Health SciencesHilary Schuldt
Director of Project and Team Strategy
Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through ResearchKathryn Schulte Grahame
Associate Teaching Professor
College of EngineeringLisa Worsh
Senior Cooperative Education Faculty Coordinator
College of Social Sciences and Humanities