At Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), engaging in Eagle Service through service-learning is a valuable part of your academic journey and a graduation requirement. Navigating the process might seem daunting, but the Eagle Service Network and Degree Works are your key tools to ensure a smooth experience. This guide addresses frequently asked questions to help you understand and manage your service-learning hours effectively, making your contribution to the community seamless and rewarding.
Finding Your Total Service-Learning Hours Requirement
To ascertain the total number of service-learning hours you need to graduate, Degree Works is your go-to resource. Upon logging in, locate the “Service Learning Hours Progress” indicator, typically found at the top of the page. This section provides a clear overview of your progress, displaying both the supervisor-verified hours you’ve accumulated and the total hours mandated for your graduation. Regularly checking Degree Works ensures you stay on track with your eagle service commitment.
Discovering Eagle Service Opportunities
Finding the right service-learning opportunity that aligns with your interests is made easy through the Eagle Service Network. Here’s how to explore and pinpoint organizations that resonate with you:
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Utilize Advanced Search: To refine your search and discover organizations matching your preferences, click on “Advanced Search.” This feature allows you to filter by counties, categories of service, and even Sustainable Development Goals. This targeted approach helps you find eagle service opportunities that are meaningful to you.
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Explore Organization Pages: Each organization listed within the Eagle Service Network has its own dedicated page. Here, you’ll find comprehensive contact information, enabling you to directly reach out and inquire about available eagle service opportunities and how you can contribute.
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Beyond the Database: Don’t limit yourself solely to organizations listed in the database or Eagle Link. You have the flexibility to engage with organizations not currently listed, provided they are registered nonprofit organizations or government agencies. The experience must also meet all other service-learning criteria. It’s always worth exploring opportunities in the wider community for your eagle service. (Refer to the section below on getting experiences approved).
Ensuring Your Experience Meets Service-Learning Criteria
To guarantee your chosen activity qualifies as service-learning, it’s crucial to understand the essential criteria. Eagle service for service-learning must adhere to the following:
- Partnership Requirement: Service must be conducted in collaboration with a registered nonprofit organization or a government agency.
- Unpaid Engagement: The service must be unpaid, emphasizing the voluntary contribution aspect of eagle service.
- Distinct from Internships: The service-learning should not be part of a credit-based internship program to ensure it is recognized as distinct eagle service.
To confirm that your intended service meets all prerequisites, it is mandatory to submit a form in the Eagle Service Network before you commence your volunteering. This proactive step allows the Service-Learning office to review your submission and verify compliance. Use your regular FGCU credentials to log into the Eagle Service Network and initiate the approval process for your eagle service.
Documenting Your Eagle Service Hours
The Eagle Service Network serves as the central platform for documenting all your eagle service hours. Accurate documentation is vital for receiving credit towards your graduation requirement.
- Supervisor Contact Information: When documenting your hours, you will need to provide the name, email address, and phone number of your site supervisor. This individual will verify the accuracy of your recorded hours. Ensure this information is accurate within the Supervisor Contact Information section of the form. The supervisor must be an employee of the nonprofit or government agency, or an FGCU faculty/staff member capable of confirming your eagle service hours. Peer verification from fellow students is not permitted.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to documenting your eagle service:
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Initiate a Service-Learning Form:
- On your Eagle Service Network homepage, click on the “Service-Learning Form” box.
- Click the green “Add New” button to start a new form for your eagle service.
- Complete all required fields with accurate details about your eagle service and click “Submit.”
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Form Review and Approval:
- The Service-Learning office will review your submitted form to confirm the organization’s nonprofit or government agency status and that the experience aligns with service-learning criteria. This review process typically takes 2-3 business days.
- Upon approval, you will see a green “Approved” indicator next to your experience in the “Service-Learning Form” section of your Eagle Service Network account. If your eagle service experience does not meet the criteria, you will see a “Rejected” notification and receive an email explaining the reason for rejection.
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Complete Your Service Hours: Engage in your eagle service with the approved organization.
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Track Your Hours in Eagle Service Network: Once you have completed your eagle service, it’s time to log your hours:
- Navigate to “Service-Learning Forms.”
- Locate the relevant eagle service experience and click the “Track Hours” link (this link becomes visible after your form is approved).
- Scroll down and click the green “Add Hours” button.
- Enter the details of your eagle service hours and submit the information.
Tracking Hours for Recurring Eagle Service
For ongoing eagle service commitments with the same organization, it is advisable to enter the total hours served at the end of each semester. This approach simplifies the documentation process, requiring only one form submission per term for your consistent eagle service.
Addressing Issues with Adding Hours
If the “Add Hours” button is no longer visible, it indicates that your supervisor has already verified hours for that specific experience. To add more hours for continued eagle service, you’ll need to create a new form. You can efficiently do this by clicking “Edit” under the original form and then selecting “Copy to New Work Term.” Ensure all information remains accurate, adjust dates as necessary, and submit the new form. Once approved, you can add the additional hours related to your eagle service. Remember, for continuous eagle service, entering hours at the end of each semester is recommended for streamlined management.
Receiving Credit for Your Eagle Service Hours
Providing an accurate email address for your site supervisor in the initial Eagle Service Network form is paramount. This email address is used to send hour verification links, ensuring accurate crediting of your eagle service. Verification emails are dispatched to supervisors from eagleservicenetwork@fgcu.edu (Subject: “Service-Learning Supervisor Verification for FGCU Student”) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon, following student hour entries.
Resolving Discrepancies Between Eagle Service Network and Degree Works
Seeing an “Approved” status in Eagle Service Network merely confirms that your experience meets service-learning criteria. It does not automatically update your hours in Degree Works. For your eagle service hours to count towards graduation, you must manually track (enter) them in Eagle Service Network. This action triggers the email verification process to your supervisor, who then confirms the hours.
Investigating Missing Hours in Degree Works
If you’ve tracked your eagle service hours but they are not reflecting in Degree Works, the first step is to verify the accuracy of your supervisor’s email address in your form. Incorrect emails prevent hour verification. If corrections are needed, click “Edit,” update the email, and resubmit. The verification link will be resent in the next batch. Upon supervisor approval, your hours will be updated in Degree Works the following day, reflecting your completed eagle service.
Confirming Supervisor Hour Approval
To check if your supervisor has approved your hours, look for a link titled “Community Partner Final Evaluation” under the entry in the “Service-Learning Forms” section of Eagle Service Network. Opening this link and checking the question “Are hours input by student accurate?” will display “Yes” if approved. If it reads “No,” your hours were denied, accompanied by a supervisor comment and an email notification. Note that you do not receive email confirmation for approved hours; you must check Eagle Service Network or Degree Works. Approved hours will also be reflected in your Degree Works total, confirming your successful eagle service contribution.
By following this guide and utilizing the Eagle Service Network effectively, you can confidently navigate your service-learning requirements and make a meaningful impact through eagle service at FGCU.
