Service learning is an integral part of the FGCU experience, designed to enrich your education and contribute to the community. Understanding how to fulfill your service-learning requirement is crucial for graduation. This guide provides clear answers to frequently asked questions, ensuring you navigate the process smoothly and efficiently.
How to Check Your Required Service-Learning Hours at FGCU
To determine the exact number of service-learning hours you need to graduate, Degree Works is your primary resource. Within Degree Works, locate the “Service Learning Hours Progress” section, typically found in the initial box at the top of the page. This section clearly displays both the supervisor-verified hours you have accumulated and the total hours mandated for your graduation. Regularly checking Degree Works will keep you informed of your progress towards fulfilling this important requirement.
Discovering Service-Learning Opportunities at FGCU
Finding the right service-learning opportunity is a key step. FGCU provides resources to help you connect with organizations that match your interests and goals. Eagle Link is an excellent platform to begin your search.
To refine your search within Eagle Link and pinpoint organizations that resonate with you, utilize the Advanced Search feature. This allows you to filter by preferred counties, categories of service, and even Sustainable Development Goals. Each organization listed includes comprehensive contact information, making it easy for you to reach out and inquire about current service opportunities.
Remember, your service can extend beyond the organizations listed in Eagle Link or the database. If you are interested in serving with an organization not currently listed, you can still do so, provided they are a registered nonprofit organization or government agency and the experience aligns with all service-learning criteria. It’s essential to understand the approval process for external service-learning experiences, which is detailed below.
Understanding FGCU Service-Learning Criteria
Ensuring your chosen experience qualifies as service-learning is vital. At FGCU, service-learning must adhere to specific criteria. The experience must be conducted in partnership with a registered nonprofit organization or a government agency. Furthermore, it must be unpaid and distinct from any credit-based internship you may be undertaking.
To confirm that your intended service experience meets all necessary criteria, it is imperative to submit a form in the Eagle Service Network before you commence your volunteering. This proactive step allows the FGCU Office of Service-Learning to review your proposed experience and verify its alignment with service-learning standards. You can access the Eagle Service Network using your standard FGCU login credentials. This pre-approval process is in place to support you and ensure your efforts count towards your graduation requirements.
Documenting Your FGCU Service-Learning Hours
Eagle Service Network is the central platform for documenting all your service-learning activities at FGCU. Accurate documentation is essential for receiving credit for your hours.
To document your service, follow these steps within Eagle Service Network:
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Initiate a Service-Learning Form:
- On your Eagle Service Network homepage, locate and click on the “Service-Learning Form” box.
- Click the green “Add New” button to start a new form.
- Complete all required fields in the form and click “Submit”. Crucially, you will need to provide accurate contact information for your site supervisor, including their name, email address, and phone number. This supervisor must be an employee of the nonprofit organization or government agency where you are serving, or an FGCU faculty or staff member who can verify your hours. Students are not permitted to verify hours for other students.
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Form Review and Approval:
- The FGCU Service-Learning office will review your submitted form to confirm the organization’s nonprofit or government agency status and the experience’s adherence to service-learning criteria. This review process typically takes 2-3 business days.
- Upon approval, you will see a green “Approved” box next to the experience in the “Service-Learning Form” section of your Eagle Service Network account. If your experience does not meet the criteria, a “Rejected” box will appear, and you will receive an email explaining the reason for rejection.
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Complete Your Service Hours.
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Track Your Hours in Eagle Service Network:
- After completing your service, navigate to “Service-Learning Forms”.
- Find the relevant experience and click the “Track Hours” link that appears beneath it (this link becomes active once your form is approved).
- Scroll down and click the green “Add Hours” button.
- Enter the details of your service hours and submit the information.
Managing Recurring Service-Learning Hours
For students engaged in ongoing service with the same organization, it is recommended to track and enter your total hours at the end of each semester. This approach simplifies the process, requiring only one form submission per term for recurring service experiences.
Adding More Hours to an Existing Form
If the “Add Hours” button is no longer visible on your form, it indicates that your supervisor has already verified hours for that particular experience. To add further hours, you will need to create a new form. The easiest way to do this is to copy your existing form. Click “Edit” underneath the original form, then select “Copy to New Work Term”. Ensure all information remains accurate, adjust dates as necessary, and submit the new form. Once this new form is approved, you will be able to add additional hours to it. For continuous service with the same organization, remember to enter your hours at the semester’s end to streamline your documentation.
Receiving Credit for Your Service-Learning Hours at FGCU
Providing an accurate email address for your service-learning site supervisor in your initial Eagle Service Network form is crucial. This email address is used to send hour verification links to supervisors. These links are automatically generated and sent from [email protected] (subject line: “Service-Learning Supervisor Verification for FGCU Student”) to supervisors every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon after students have tracked their hours. Supervisor verification is a mandatory step to receive credit for your service hours.
Addressing Discrepancies: Approved Hours Not Appearing in Degree Works
Seeing an “Approved” status in Eagle Service Network merely confirms that your experience meets FGCU service-learning criteria. It does not automatically mean your hours are counted towards graduation in Degree Works. For your hours to be officially credited, you must manually track (enter) your hours in Eagle Service Network. This action triggers the automated email to your supervisor, prompting them to verify the accuracy of your reported hours. Only after supervisor verification will your hours be reflected in Degree Works.
Resolving Issues: Tracked Hours Not Showing in Degree Works
If you have tracked your service-learning hours but they are not yet visible in Degree Works, the first step is to double-check the accuracy of your site supervisor’s email address on your service-learning form. If the email is incorrect, you can easily rectify this by clicking “Edit” on your form and submitting the updated email address. The hour verification link will then be sent to the correct address during the next automated email batch. Once your supervisor approves your hours, they will typically be added to your total hour count in Degree Works the following day.
Verifying Supervisor Hour Approval
You can readily check if your site supervisor has approved your service hours within Eagle Service Network. Once supervisor verification is complete, a link titled “Community Partner Final Evaluation” will appear below the relevant entry in the “Service-Learning Forms” section. Clicking this link and looking for the question “Are hours input by student accurate?” will confirm approval. A “Yes” indicates approval. A “No” indicates denial, accompanied by a comment explaining the reason for denial. You will also receive an email notification if hours are rejected. Note that you will not receive an email notification for approved hours. Approved hours will also be reflected in your updated total in Degree Works.
