Honors Service Learning Project-Journal Guidelines

During your service project, you should keep a complete and up-to-date service project journal. The purpose of this journal is to help you think and reflect about your Honors Service Learning Project experience and to provide you with a framework for completing your Honors Service Learning Project Evaluation Paper. You will be using your Service Project Journal to record your reactions and responses on a regular basis.

Your journal entries will be read by your mentor for content and thoughtfulness, but not for grammar or spelling. Your journal may also be reviewed by the Honors Advisory Council.

Keeping an Honors Service Learning Project Journal

Begin your journal by “framing” it with an assessment that addresses your interest in your chosen project. Discuss your expectations, and what you hope to observe and learn during your experience. Include any career-related skills that you anticipate acquiring or observing. This is an appropriate time to mention any pitfalls or difficulties you might encounter. “Framing” your journal will help you focus your writings and is intended to assist you when you write the introduction to the Honors Service Learning Project Evaluation Paper.

The body of your journal is a personal account of your volunteer experience so it should reflect your observations, your joys, and your frustrations. The purpose of the journal is to offer you the opportunity to write down events, observations, and evaluations of the experience. You will use this information to form your Honors Service Learning Project Evaluation Paper that your mentor as well as the Honors Advisory Council read and approve. The introduction and conclusion of the journal may serve as starting points for the introduction and conclusion of the Honors Service Learning Project Evaluation Paper.

Writing a journal is a personal experience that can be accomplished in many ways. Below are a few suggestions offered by others who have written Service Project journals. You may find a different method or a combination of these suggestions that works well for you. Remember that you are free to customize these suggestions to fit the service project and your own personal style.

• Explain an important concept you learned or a process that you observed during your visit. It may be valuable to explain why this concept or process is important. You may try explaining how this new knowledge will be helpful in your career or future.
   
• Write about personal associations that come to mind during your visit. Writing about associations may include reflections, reactions (good or bad), and evaluations. Explore your own feelings and try to explain your reactions. Do not be afraid to express yourself!
   
• Keep a list of topics as well as new vocabulary terms, jargon, or acronyms you encounter during your visit.
   
• Consider and discuss your daily learning experiences and how or whether they connect to your longer-range career goals.
   

Once you have completed your Honors Service Learning Project hours and the accompanying journal entries, evaluate your experience in a conclusion to your journal. Some issues to address in your conclusion may include your reaction to the volunteer experience. Was this a positive experience for you and would you consider more volunteer work in the future? Your conclusion will allow you to reflect on the entire experience and to determine if the experience met your initial expectations. It will also allow you to consider the value of the learning experience as it relates to your future goals. The conclusion to your journal can be used to outline the conclusion to your Honors Service Learning Project Evaluation Paper.

Remember: writing your journal is a personal experience designed to give you the opportunity to record your feelings and observations. Since you will use the journal to create the Honors Service Learning Project Evaluation Paper, the more complete your journal, the easier it will be to reflect upon your volunteer experience and provide supporting details for your paper.

Have fun with your Honors Service Learning Project, the journal, and the evaluation paper!