Applying for the "S" Suffix

Benefits provided by the “S” Suffix

• It appears on student transcripts to document academic service-learning and community-based experiences, and it will provide standardized language for service-learning course expectations in the UGA Bulletin.
• For many schools and colleges, courses with the S-suffix are automatically approved as fulfilling the university’s Experiential Learning requirement.
• It helps the Office of Service-Learning track the prevalence of such courses and provides specialized support to instructors, such as access to service-learning assessment tools and faculty development opportunities.
• It allows faculty to document their time spent teaching service-learning courses.
• It appears on student transcripts to document academic service-learning and community-based experiences, and it will provide standardized language for service-learning course expectations in the UGA Bulletin.

Information Required for the “S” Suffix Designation

To designate your course with an “S” suffix, follow the standard process for submitting a CAPA application via your department. The amount, focus, and partners for community-based work can vary substantially, and no minimum number of “hours” of service is mandated. However, all S courses must involve students in undertaking, and reflecting on, projects/placements applying course content to benefit the (local, state, national, or international) community.

Both a service-learning and non-service-learning section of the same course can be created (e.g. ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1101S), giving departments options depending on whether the course is being taught with a service-learning component in a given semester or by a given instructor. Additionally, online courses that carry an E suffix can receive the “SERV” attribute and will be included in automated reporting.

Evidence of service-learning best practices, including reflection, must be included in the Course Objectives and/or Topical Outline section of the course approval form. It is also helpful to include an indication of community-based work in the course description. Sample language could be similar to the following:

• “Develop, implement, and reflect on an applied service-learning project/placement in [content area]”
• “Apply knowledge gained from community service experience by contribution to class discussions and written assignments.”
• “Understand service and outreach aspects of [topic]; Identify and apply course techniques in community settings; Demonstrate understanding through critical reflection activities.”
• “Serve the local and broader community by assisting nonprofits with [topic]. Connect communitybased work to class content through arts- and writing-based assignments.”
• “Apply their new knowledge about [topic] to their service experience as well as apply their service experience to their new knowledge.”

To apply, follow these steps:

1. Have the Department Course Initiator login to CAPA at capa.uga.edu.
2. Select “Begin a New Course Proposal” to create a new course with service-learning, or “Begin a Course Change Proposal” to add an S suffix to an existing course. You can have both an S and non-S version of a course, so the option selected will depend on the department’s needs.
3. Review the guidance information about course attributes here. 
4. Fill out the course ID and number and select the “Service-Learning Course (S)” button to indicate this will be an S-designated course. You can also request a course to receive the SERV attribute without the S suffix by ensuring that the required information (above) is included, and the title of the course includes “Service-Learning”. Add a note to curriculum systems at the end of the submission if you are requesting the attribute only. 
5. Make sure to include evidence of service-learning in the Course Objectives and/or Topical Outline section of the course approval form, and to make clear that students are taking part in critical reflection activities helping them link their service with the learning outcomes.

Please contact the Office of Service-Learning at 706-542-8924 if you have questions.

The approval process:

S designated courses go through the standard course approval process, however, the Office of Service-Learning is available for consultation or support during any stage of the process:

1. The faculty member or Department Course Initiator enters a New Course Proposal or a Course Change Proposal.
2. Proposals are reviewed and approved by departments and sent on for college/school approval.
3. Proposals with an S designation are sent to the Office of Service-Learning for comments and feedback.
4. After any suggested changes are made, proposals are sent to the University Curriculum Committee for approval.
5. Please note that this process can take some time and that there are course application deadlines you must meet in order to have courses approved by certain academic semesters. CAPA deadlines can be found online at https://capa.uga.edu.
6. There is also a process for requesting a temporary, one-semester approval for an S course to be designated/offered for the upcoming semester, if the CAPA process has been initiated but not finalized in time. Check with Curriculum Systems of the Office of Service-Learning for more about this option.