SL Requirement

Service-Learning Requirement

The Senate-approved overall curriculum framework for the 4-year undergraduate degree structure (December 2010) stipulates that all students qualifying for the degree from 2012/13 onwards must successfully complete one 3-credit subject designated to meet the Service-Learning Requirement.

Definition of Service-Learning at PolyU

In the context of subject development and approval for meeting the Service-Learning Requirement, PolyU adopts a broader definition of service-learning which entails both

1. Activities that directly serve people in need (e.g. health education for under-developed communities, providing scientific literacy classes for children in underperforming schools, building bridges for remote villages), and
2. Civic engagement activities that indirectly serve the community or an underprivileged group (e.g. community-based research on sustainable development, consultancy service for NGOs or underprivileged groups, advocacy for social justice, etc.)

Please note, however, that for service projects, direct or indirect, to be counted as service-learning, they must

1. Be coherent within itself and with the academic content of the subject, and require students to apply what they learn at university to serve the community,
2. Provide ample opportunities for students to interact with the people in need so as to enable them to develop an increased understanding of, and empathy for, the underprivileged group they purport to serve,
3. Require students to reflect deeply on their service experience, particularly on the linkage between service-learning and the academic content of the subject, as well as their role and responsibilities as a professional and a responsible citizen,
4. Deploy purposively the deliverables and outcomes of the projects to bring about real and significant benefits to the community or the target underprivileged group to be served, and
5. Ensure that students will be able to acquire substantive learning gains from the service experience rather than merely providing manual labour for other agencies. Both local and offshore service activities can be included.

Types of Service-Learning Subjects

Interested departments or staff can propose subjects that fulfil the Service-Learning requirement. These subjects may take the following forms:

1. An open-for-all GUR subject (e.g. on a generic topic such as globalisation, inter-cultural issues, poverty) that is appropriate and contributes to the general education for students from any discipline
2. A GUR subject targeted for students with certain background (e.g. subjects that address interdisciplinary issues/concepts such as health care for the elderly, engineering solutions for poverty relief, etc. that require more in-depth background specific to particular disciplines.)
3. A DSR subject that fulfils the requirements of the service-learning requirement as well as the discipline-specific requirements.

Prior approval from the Head of the offering Department must be obtained for all subject proposals.

Individual programmes are strongly encouraged to give students maximal flexibility in choosing from the range of service-learning subjects available across the University to fulfil the Service-Learning Requirement, wherever possible.

Credit Transfer

Some students may request credit transfer for Service-Learning subjects. For applications with corresponding subject indicated, Programme host department will send the application forms together with the supporting documents (including detailed syllabus) to the subject offering department for consideration. For applications without corresponding subjects indicated, applications should be submitted to Service-Learning and Leadership Office (SLLO) via the Programme host department. If in doubt, SLLO should consult the Sub-committee on Service-Learning Subjects.

The principles for the granting of Credit Transfer of Service-Learning subjects are:

1. It must be a credit-bearing subject, with a minimum of 3 credits, or a total student study effort equivalent to a 3-credit subject as stipulated by PolyU regulations;
2. The subject must have a service-learning component, and the amount of direct servicing should be a minimum of 40 hours (i.e., rougly one third of the expected total student effort);
3. The subject must include clear academic contents that are linked to the service-learning component, and intended learning outcomes that are associated with service-learning (demonstrating understanding of social issues, empathy for people in need and sense of civic responsibility); and
4. The subject must include assessment components in which students' performances in service delivery and achievement of learning outcomes are assessed, using a Letter-Grading system.

For details, please refer to the "Guidelines for Credit Transfer of General University Requirements Subjects under the 4-Year Undergraduate Curriculum".