Dewey, Tyler, Piaget, Kolb, and Taba composed educational philosophies that, in order to provide a framework for learning, schools must integrate experiential learning into the curriculum ( Kinsley & McPherson, 1995). Tyler (1949) professed that learning occurs “through the active behavior of the student; it is what he does that he learns, not what the teacher does” (p. 63). The education faculty at MBU believes that students of all ages develop morally, emotionally, and socially, as they become actively involved and solve real-life problems with peers, adults, and the community in which they live. Through active involvement and real-life problem solving, students will become cognizant, sensitive, compassionate, and empathetic to the needs of others. The MBU education faculty believes that service learning is a stimulus to help students develop positive moral behavior and character, foster an ethic of service to others and the community, and develop positive relationships with peers and adults and their community. Community service experiences that are integrated into the school curriculum provide opportunities for students to make real contributions to their school and community thereby fostering a positive sense of self and personal worth.

Currently, service experiences are provided for the MBU students through campus organizations and practicum experiences. Additionally, every MBU student is required to take the capstone course IDST 403, World Citizen. An integral part of this course is a service learning project in which each student must participate and consequently submit a reflective document as the culminating course requirement.

Organizations in which students in the educator preparation programs are encouraged to participate are Student Missouri State Teachers Association, Kappa Delta Pi, Students in Free Enterprise, Student Life, Campus Crusade, Ministerial Alliance and the MBU Habitat for Humanity Chapter. Examples of service projects these organizations have undertaken include book drives for domestic abuse shelters, providing school supplies for inner-city classrooms, and volunteering to tutor individual students in the classroom or home. It is the goal of the Education Division to expand upon these efforts by encouraging our faculty to include community service into the academic curriculum through such classroom activities as providing students with structured time to think, talk, and write about their service activities.