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Supervisor Handbook
Contact the Service Practicum Office
Letter to Supervisors
Dear Service Practicum Supervisor,
The mission of Columbia Bible College is “Preparing People For Life and
Ministry.” To accomplish this we must go beyond the classroom and
offer students the practical training that only comes with direct
"hands on" experience in actual service and ministry settings.
The primary role of the Service Learning Department is to administer,
facilitate and supervise the proper accomplishment of this basic
objective.
Many students enrolled at Columbia come with very limited experience or
background in serving. Consequently, they are in need of personal
help and careful training in practical Christian work. Even
students who are seasoned in ministry can always use new ideas and
richly benefit from being accountable to someone else. It is
impossible and impractical for our department to adequately supervise
and personally train all students as they serve in numerous capacities
and places throughout the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.
The Service Practicum program is designed for the student to choose a
ministry placement that gives the personalized guidance necessary to
provide the best possible learning experience. We are relying on
you as their supervisor to host them, love them, and give them
constructive assessments of their work. We see your role as being
one of the most fundamental to the success of the whole program.
Therefore we acknowledge our profound indebtedness to you and we wish
to express our highest appreciation for your willingness to assist us
in this very important role. We could not accomplish our goal
without you!
Your responsibility as a supervisor will be a big challenge and it will
take time and commitment. It also assumes a certain understanding
of the Service Practicum program’s expectations, requirements,
procedures, and policies. This Supervisor’s Manual is designed to
help you understand these guidelines. It also gives some ideas
about what we desire from you as a supervisor. Please read
carefully to familiarize yourself with it!
Thank you again for your willingness to invest in students lives as a
Service Practicum supervisor. We appreciate you, we value your
insights and ideas, and we want you to know that you will always have
our support. Please feel free to contact us if you ever have any
questions or concerns.
In our Lord's service,
The Service Learning Staff
INTRODUCTION TO THIS HANDBOOK
This handbook is designed to help a person assigned to supervise a
Columbia Bible College student’s Service Practicum placement to do the
best job possible. We encourage you to take time to thoroughly read
this handbook in order to help you supervise and in turn enable the
student to be a more effective servant.
This handbook is written with the assumption that most of the Service
Practicum placements will be in the context of Christian organizations
and with Christian supervisors. However, we realize that not all
placements will fit that context. If you or your organization does not
fit that context, we want you to know that does not eliminate you from
participating as a supervisor. There is still much valuable information
in the following pages to help you effectively supervise a CBC student.
As you read, please make note of the things you feel you may not be
able to offer as a supervisor. Then contact the Service Learning
Department and we will be glad to discuss how we can work out those
details in such a way that would still allow the student to serve in
your context.
INTRODUCTION TO SERVICE PRACTICUM
Columbia Bible College is all about “Preparing People for Life and
Ministry”. To make this true, we must offer more than just classroom
teaching. Practical training in real life situations teaches things a
textbook never can and real life experience in turn causes people to
seek answers to questions they may not have thought of if they hadn’t
gained the experience. Formal education informs life experience and
life experience motivates education. Study and integration of truth in
everyday life must go hand in hand. In fact, teaching without practical
experience produces an incomplete education. Learning by doing is quite
often the best way of learning. The SP program is designed to provide
students the opportunity to do just that; to take classroom knowledge
(theory) and apply it to real life situations (practice). We
truly want them to “learn to live well”.
Service is the focus of SP. It is something done with someone else in
mind, something for their benefit. Service is other oriented, not
self-oriented. The focus of service is giving not getting! Ultimately,
we desire to see students develop a servant’s heart that will invade
and affect their whole life; now and after Columbia!
Open Communication
We desire to make every effort to communicate what you need to know to
help students succeed in the SP program. Your careful attention to the
guidelines will help avoid confusion and will make the students
experience more rewarding. Therefore:
1. Our department will communicate important messages
regularly through the e-mail address you provide on the Registration
Form and periodically in separate SP letters/newsletters, so please
check for and read these messages as often as possible.
2. When you have questions or concerns about SP, please ask us. We are here to help you!
3. If concerns are raised, we may arrange personal
times to meet with the students you supervise so we can check on how
they are doing in their SP placement. We will do our best to let you
know about these meetings before they happen and to give you any needed
feedback following the meeting.
4. Ultimately we want the students to have a great SP
experience. Reading the handbook, asking questions, and contacting us
as needed, will contribute to their experience. We want to see the
students succeed!
THE MISSION OF COLUMBIA BIBLE COLLEGE
In our attempt to “prepare people for life and ministry”, CBC seeks to
affirm students’ gifts and equip them for effective ministry in their
homes, churches and communities. The overall program of the College is
governed by this mission and is guided by the following objectives:
- Spiritual Formation: To develop Christian character in the lives
of students through understanding, internalizing and applying the
teachings of the Bible and Christian theology. Prayer, classroom
instruction, service and community life are vital to this process.
- Christian Character: To teach students practical obedience to
Jesus Christ through the application of biblical principles to develop
godly character, biblical values, healthy choices and lifestyle
integrity.
- Foundation for Growth: To develop skills in biblical
interpretation, which provide the students with the basis for continued
personal study, instruction of others and for lifelong usefulness and
growth.
- Preparation for Ministry: To equip workers and train students to
serve as a worker/leader in practical ministry (lay or vocational) in
the church and in the world. Based on the instruction provided,
the student has adequate preparation for graduate level studies in
seminary or university. The student is also challenged to respond to
world mission and the need to share the gospel with peoples of all
nations.
- Intellectual Development and Biblical Worldview: To increase the
students’ breadth of knowledge and understanding of the secular world
through studies of a general nature from a biblical perspective.
Students should be able to evaluate other worldviews, from clear
personal convictions and help others develop a Christian worldview. To
that end, students are exposed to intensive biblical studies,
supportive general studies, and the ministry preparation that provides
the framework to understand and guide people in their ministry
assignments.
Another way of looking at these guiding principles is to say that Columbia is:
- Christ-Centred. Jesus is the focal point of all studies. The Christian life is foremost submission to him.
- Bible-Based, the foundation for academics. All courses are based
on Scripture to enable students to develop a biblical worldview where
they will be effective witnesses in whatever vocation they choose.
- Life-Related, designed to provide the practical dimension through which to grow as truth is applied to real life situations.
- Mission-Driven, which means giving priority to the commission of Jesus "to make disciples of all nations" (Mt. 28:19-20).
- Church-Focused, that is, giving recognition to the central place the church has in the plan of God.
THE MISSION OF THE SERVICE LEARNING DEPARTMENT
The Service Learning Department oversees both the Service Practicum and
Internship programs and our mission is to integrate knowledge with
practical experience. We facilitate the effective fulfillment of the
preparation for the “ministry” element of the college’s mission
statement, by providing service opportunities, training, and evaluation
for students to effectively integrate faith and learning in practical
settings.
PHILOSOPHY OF THE SERVICE LEARNING DEPARTMENT
To plan and administrate effectively a complete SP and Internship
program, there are certain assumptions and principles that form the
overall philosophy of the Service Learning Department. These
theologically, educationally, and service oriented convictions provide
the foundation for determining the actual procedures and policies of
the Service Learning Department and program. At Columbia Bible College,
the Service Learning Department has the following philosophical and
Biblical priorities and beliefs:
1. All committed Christians should, as a natural part
of life, love and serve God and other people. All ministry / service
should naturally flow out of a heart-felt love for God - a service to
Him and for Him. Loving God means loving people. Serving God means
serving people. The greatest demonstration of obedience to God is to
love Him and people (Matthew 22:34-40). The external measurement of an
internal love for God will be the outward demonstration of love and
service to and with people. Christian commitment is assessed by an
attitude and action of love toward others. True faith in God will
result in works for God and loving deeds toward people (James 2:14-24).
True love for God will result in love of people (I John 4:19-21). True
Christian service is an act of loving and serving God.
2. God's primary agency is the local church. Jesus
Christ declared, "I will build my Church" (Matthew 16:18). The Church
of Jesus Christ, as manifested in the local church body, is the primary
agency of ministry and service. The Holy Spirit uses the Church to
reach out to the unsaved world through evangelism, and builds up the
Church through edification. All forms of Christian ministry and service
ultimately function through these processes of discipleship (evangelism
and edification).
3. Practical education is an integral part of a
complete academic program. An academic curriculum is not complete
without the proper application of classroom knowledge and theory into
practical real life experience. A proper philosophy of education will
incorporate this practical experience dimension of learning into its
academic curriculum. People learn by "doing" and "hands on experience"
is often the best way to learn. The only way to become a leader is to
lead. The best way to develop communication skills is to communicate.
The best way to learn youth ministry (or adult, or children, or
pastoral, or music, or counselling ministry) is to do it. Complete
learning takes place when what is taught is put into practice. "A
student is
not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like
his teacher" (Luke 6:40). Ultimately, learning is doing. The SP
emphasis is on "doing" and therefore, it is a crucial aspect of the
total education process.
The good news is that the “doing” also gives a new perspective to the
classroom learning. As a result of the hands on experience new
understandings and questions emerge that are brought back to the
classroom for further exploration and development. Sometimes the
motivation to learn is triggered by opportunities to serve in a real
life situation. The connection between head knowledge and application
is always strengthened by practical experience.
4. Personal and service skill development, are most
effective when they are purposeful, systematic, focused, progressive,
and related to personal or vocational goals. SP should result in the
development of personal and service skills. This development is most
effective when it follows certain principles and patterns. Maximum
personal and service skills development will occur when involvement in
service is: “purposeful" (conscious, intentional, directional,
deliberate, and planned instead of random, spontaneous, or impulsively
based);“systematic" (organized according to a regular scheduled
pattern, usually on a weekly basis); "focused" (intensified on the same
ministry in order to develop depth over a prolonged period of time);
“progressive" (leads to gradual improvement, growth and maturity in
one’s ministry which naturally results in a deeper level of involvement
with increased responsibilities/leadership); "related to personal or
vocational goals" (individualized to maximize personal growth, and
consistently compatible with personal professional/career training).
5. Personal and service skill development is most
effective when guided and stimulated by personal accountability,
supervision, and evaluation. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man
sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). A meaningful SP is
often maximized when it is observed, guided, motivated, and stimulated
by someone other than the individual doing the service. Personal
"accountability" facilitates increased personal and service
productivity and development. Personal "supervision" enhances and
stimulates personal character and spiritual development by providing a
personal role model. Personal “supervision and evaluation” helps
identify strengths/giftedness along with weaknesses and
deficiencies. Honest and careful "evaluation" appropriately
communicated with the student produces an accurate self-awareness of
personal assessment in personal development, growth, and effectiveness.
THE PURPOSE & OBJECTIVES OF THE SERVICE LEARNING DEPARTMENT
The primary purpose of the Service Learning Department is to provide
practical "hands on" experiences to train students for a lifetime of
fruitful service wherever God may lead them. At Columbia, both
Service Practicum and Internship are an integral part of the total
academic program, under the supervision of the Academic Dean, and
administered by a team of qualified faculty and staff.
To fulfill its purpose, the Service Learning Department maintains and
strives to achieve certain objectives. The objectives specify how
the department itself has determined to meet its mission, and what it
is accomplishing in the lives of students. There are four primary
departmental objectives and three primary student objectives.
Departmental Objectives:
1. To administrate and communicate a comprehensive
Service Learning program, which provides meaningful practical
experience and develops a servant’s heart in students.
2. To provide a variety of Service Learning
opportunities compatible with students’ interests, gifts, study focus
and life goals.
3. To helps students discover a personal sense of
purpose, develop confidence in personal gifts and abilities while
testing possible career/ministry options
4. To help students recognize the value of service
others and the importance of commitment, punctuality, and communication.
5. To challenge students to grow
6. To assist, advise, supervise, and evaluate students in their service experiences.
7. To document each student's SP.
Student Objectives:
1. To love/serve God and other people.
2. To develop skills and determine personal strengths and gifts.
3. To receive specialized service training.
4. To understand the value of service in the local church/community.
ACCREDITATION AND SERVICE PRACTICUM
Columbia requires SP not only because it is a strategic part of our
overall mission, but also because our accreditation mandates it.
CBC is accredited through the ABHE (Association for Biblical Higher
Education). A school cannot receive or maintain ABHE
accreditation without a mandatory SP requirement.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
Service Practicum is an important part of the student's overall
training while at Columbia, so it is necessary to keep accurate records
of the student's Service Practicum involvement. We require
students to register their SP placement with our department before they
begin. Without this formal registration, we cannot give them
credit!
One of the essential steps in registration is your signature on the
Placement Information (Supervisor) form (p. 18) acknowledging that you
have agreed to carry out the necessary functions of a supervisor.
By signing this form, you are committing yourself to this important
responsibility. If you have questions about your role and
responsibility as a supervisor, do not hesitate to ask. This is
very important!
If for any reason you are unable to fulfill these functions, please
inform the student and the Service Learning Department immediately so
that another supervisor can be found.
NOTE: Registration is not complete until the student has personally
given his/her Registration Form to a staff member and secured approval
for that placement.
WAYS STUDENTS CAN CONNECT WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION/CHURCH
While the student is responsible to locate an approved ministry and
make contact with those supervising that ministry, the Service Learning
staff is available to help provide suggestions and information on
potential placements. In order to help fulfill our departmental
mission and objectives, we connect students with churches, parachurch,
and other organizations in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.
Because all first and second year students are required to do SP, we
have the potential of 250+ students being available to serve in the
community. You may have need of additional volunteers. Some
of our students might come along side you and assist as
volunteers. The following are a number of ways you may be
able to connect with students.
Service Fair - The Service Fair provides your church/organization with
a personal opportunity for direct contact with students, to share your
heart and needs with them. It is designed to help students select
the placement best suited to their interests by exposing them to a wide
range of opportunities. The Fair is held once every year during
the Fall semester. This year, on Tuesday, September 12, 2006,
representatives from local churches, parachurch and other organizations
will have the chance to come on campus and provide specific information
about Service Practicum opportunities. If you would like more
information about the Service Fair, please contact our department.
Placement Application Form – If you desire students to serve with you
in organization/church, you, your staff, and/or other leaders may also
complete a Placement Application form, available from our department.
These opportunities are posted on an SP Bulletin Board, which contains
specific information on current SP opportunities for students. The
information is submitted by local churches/organizations, which may or
may not be represented at the Fair.
Service Learning Staff - We can help with placement of students into
your organization/church. If you have a specific need we will do our
best to help connect you with interested students.
OUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE STUDENT
To qualify for SP credit, a student's SP needs to meet certain
specifications. Here is a brief summary of those requirements and
expectations. For a more detailed description, please refer to
the student's current Service Practicum Student Handbook.
1. THE NATURE OF PLACEMENT
The student's placement must involve direct contact and interaction
with people, helping to meet their needs. This could happen in a
formal type placement like teaching a Sunday school class or helping at
a soup kitchen. It may also be an informal placement like a youth
drop in centre. Whatever the case, the placement must give the
student an opportunity to put their faith into practice and apply what
they are learning in the classroom setting through service of others.
The primary focus of our department is toward off-campus placements, as
opposed to on-campus placements in which students serve their
peers. We require CBC students to have at least one year of their
service practicum in or through a local church, and we limit their
credit for on-campus SP to one year. It is also preferred if
students, in their second year, are involved in a setting which
directly correlates with their major and life goals.
2. THE TIME FRAME OF MINISTRY
We want the student to develop the philosophy that service should
happen in a consistent, regular, and ongoing basis and not in short
concentrated spurts of time. Therefore, in most cases, the
student's service must be done on a weekly basis during the Fall and
Spring Semesters. Service Practicum should involve an average
time commitment of two to three hours per week. This
includes:
· Preparation for the service,
· Travel time to and from the service,
· The actual execution of the service, and
· Any necessary follow-up after the service.
The student may spend as much time in service as they feel they
realistically can and still maintain the balance of personal and school
obligations.
The placement should continue through the full academic year (September
through April) to allow a maximum and thorough service
experience. Any exceptions or changes should be authorized by the
Service Learning Department.
3. ATTENDANCE
Perfect attendance is encouraged of all SP students. Students
will be allowed 1 excused absences per semester before losing marks or
being withdrawn from the course. We believe that attendance is very
important and understand that organizations are counting on their
attendance for their programs to run smoothly.
Excused absences are allowed for the following reasons only:
· Personal or family emergency.
· Hazardous weather conditions prevent students from attending.
· Illness requiring a visit to the doctor or hospital.
· The assignment has been cancelled by the organization or church.
· Holidays
· Reading Break (Spring Semester)
· Urban Mission Adventure*
* 1st year students will be going on only one Urban Mission Adventure
(2nd years do not go). This does not count towards the student’s
excused absence count, as all 1st year students are required to go.
If the student is absent, the student is responsible for making proper
notification and arrangements for their absence well before the
scheduled time of service. If a student has more than 1 excused
absence per semester they will be required to make up the hours missed.
Students should arrange this with the supervisor to find a suitable
time for both parties.
Supervisors: Please report any attendance problems of students to the
Service Learning Associate’s Office - 853-3567 ext (390) or Email Adel:
adel.klassen@columbiabc.edu. The Service Learning Associate will
address irregular attendance patterns directly with the student and
appropriate action will be taken. Students may not exceed more
than 2 excused absences per semester.
4. GRADING
We feel that the attendance and participation of the student is the
most important part of service, therefore half of the course grade
consists of attendance and involvement in their SP placement. The
remaining 50% of the grade is from their personal reflection and the
evaluation of their supervisor. The Supervisor Evaluation will be
brought to you by the student at the end of each semester to complete.
If for any reason you do not receive one, please contact the Service
Learning Department and we can mail, fax or email one to you.
5. ACCOUNTABILITY
The student's SP must be done under supervision. We rely on
students working closely with qualified supervisors who will provide
them with adequate direction, accountability, training, and
evaluation. For this to occur, we require students to initiate
contact and have at least two (2) meetings with their supervisor each
semester. This is where you become involved in their education.
IN SUMMARY, a student's placement must meet the following requirements
to be approved for credit:1. Involve direct
interaction with people.2. Serve on a weekly basis
involving an average of 2-3 hrs/wk and continued for a full academic
year.3. Be under supervision; the student will be
held accountable through meetings with a supervisor.
OUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE SUPERVISOR
1. BE QUALIFIED AS A SUPERVISOR
Students are expected to have a qualified supervisor, meeting for
accountability with him/her, and assure that all completed supervisor
evaluations are returned to the SP office. We ask for and need
each supervisor’s full cooperation for the SP program to work
thoroughly and effectively.
All supervisors are to be approved by our staff. Here are the
qualifications we are seeking and ask the students to keep in mind when
determining their supervisor.
· We want supervisors to be the person in the best
position to observe and directly supervise the students in ministry for
the entire academic year (September to April). If direct
supervision in not possible, indirect supervision is permissible.
· We ask supervisors to be available to interact with
students informally on an ongoing basis and formally thorough meetings
at least twice per semester. We ask that supervisors limit
themselves to supervising no more than 4 - 6 CBC students. If a
supervisor has more than 6 students sharing the load with another
leader is advised (doing evaluations and meetings for more than 6 can
be difficult).
· We expect the supervisor to keep accurate records
of student's service and supervisor contacts and to communicate
appropriately with the student concerning pertinent issues (service or
personal).
· We prefer supervisors to be of the same sex as the
student. We desire the student-supervisor relationship to be
close and meaningful, so as a general caution, we encourage this
principle. However, it is not an absolute. There may be
cases in which the obvious person to be the supervisor would be of the
opposite sex, and that is acceptable.
2. BE AWARE OF OUR PROGRAM
We ask you to be aware of the philosophy, principles, and policies of
the SP program. Supervisors need to understand the criteria we
use and encourage the students to meet those requirements in order to
successfully earn and receive SP credit. This is the main reason
for this manual, to inform you of these things. Periodically
review this manual to refresh yourself on the requirements. We greatly
appreciate your cooperation in the following areas:
· Provide the student with at least 2 hours of volunteer service each week.
· The student should be working with or providing a
service to people if possible. This will provide the student with
valuable service practicum experience.
· Students should be given clear expectations and responsibilities.
· When working with children/youth, CBC students
should have another adult or student present if at all possible.
· Students should only mentor same gender.
· CBC recommends that organizations require a
criminal record check for all students working with children, youth or
persons with special needs.
· If a criminal record check is required of
student(s) please indicate this on the application form and be willing
to cover any related costs.
3. BE AVAILABLE FOR STUDENT CONTACT
We ask you to be available to personally meet with the student you are
supervising for a minimum of 30 minutes at least twice per semester. We
desire your meeting to be a personal one-on-one. You may request
special consideration for group meetings. Sometimes, contacts may
be made by telephone when personal meetings are not possible due to
emergencies or unscheduled conflicts. (This is the exception not
the rule.)
We suggest you schedule a time for these meetings at least 2 weeks in
advance. Without your cooperation, it will not happen properly
and the student will not get credit for doing ministry. This
personal contact is the only means you and we have to keep the student
accountable. If you feel you are unable to fulfill the
expectations, please pass this responsibility on to someone who is
qualified to complete the requirements.
Our department expects the students to report periodically to us
concerning their SP. However, we still need them to regularly
report directly to you, their supervisor. Then you communicate to
us through the final evaluation. This student contact becomes the
basis of your final evaluation, which is turned in to our department at
the end of the semester. Please feel free to contact us anytime
concerning questions, issues, or problems that come up.
4. BE HONEST IN EVALUATION
We ask you to be honest in your evaluation of the student's SP.
At the semester's end, we give the student an evaluation form for you
to complete. Although we stress it is the student's
responsibility to see this form is completed and returned, we ask your
cooperation. This evaluation becomes the basis for granting
credit to the student so it is
very important it is completed properly and returned on time. You
can feel free to send the completed form to us directly if that would
be easier but only after you have reviewed it with the student.
The evaluation is not only for our use in determining credit, but it is
primarily for the student's benefit, growth, and maturity. Thus,
we ask you be honest and thorough. A fair and honest evaluation
will include certain room for growth and improvement. This
evaluation should be a reflection of the student's actual overall
performance completely unbiased by personal friendships, relationships,
and/or feelings toward the student. They may be a great likeable
guy/girl but the evaluation should distinguish between personality and
performance. Students are not perfect and so you should not feel
you are hurting them by telling them their good and bad points.
We see little practical benefit if you make no useful comments.
Please take the time to make comments; we want this to be a meaningful
learning experience for the student. We ask you to personally go
over your evaluation of the student with them before the form is
returned.
SUPERVISOR/STUDENT RELATIONSHIP AND CONTACT
Good accountability and personal growth through a supervisor-student
relationship will happen only if it is taken seriously by both parties
and given enough time for meaningful, qualitative and individual
interaction. If the student is not receiving adequate supervision, we
ask him or her to talk with their supervisor about what can be done to
improve the situation. Your communication and cooperation will do much
to make your ministry time a great learning experience.
Supervisor contact should be far more than touching bases on the simple
logistics of the ministry. It should be a time of personal dialogue,
open communication, and prayer concerning the student's role, growth,
feelings, and goals in ministry.
Accountability is important to developing rapport with the supervisor.
We believe the growth of a good relationship with the supervisor is one
of the most significant aspects of the Student Ministries program. We
appreciate the time and interest supervisors take with their students
and have found that both students and supervisors benefit from their
time together.
The growth of a good relationship with the supervisor is one of the
most significant aspects of our program. Good accountability and
personal growth through a student-supervisor relationship will happen
only if it is taken seriously by both parties and given enough time for
meaningful, qualitative and individual interaction.
One goal in having the student meet with you is to facilitate
communication about their progress in the service placement. This
relationship should be one of personal accountability. You should
ask questions that will not only assure them they are faithful and
effective in what they are doing but are growing through this
experience. We expect you both to challenge and encourage
them. We ask you to give them direction, support, and feedback
regarding their progress. We trust this time will be more than a
review of their faithfulness in ministry.
A second goal is to provide a time to discuss the student's ability to
integrate what they are learning in the classroom into their SP
setting. Although your role in a student's SP may
include technical supervision, we also want you to help them integrate their Columbia training into real life settings.
Some supervisors may think, "How can I adequately supervisor a student
when I have never had any training myself?” Our reply would be
that while the students may have the theory, many of them do not have
the practical experience, which they need. Love and encourage
them and teach them what you do know. We are not looking for a
professional here, but someone who will take students "under their
wing" and help them through the hard spots of their service.
Accepting the supervising responsibility is a great opportunity to
influence the student’s life. Their future effectiveness and
success could depend upon the quality of training they receive from you
in their present service. Truly, you are really multiplying yourself
for future times throughout the world. WHAT KIND OF YOU DO YOU
WANT TO SEND OUT INTO THE WORLD?
A third goal is to help the student in personal growth. We ask
you to be someone who is able not only to build the student up in their
SP but in their personal development as well.
Strive to resolve any concerns that may arise in the student’s
relationship with other staff, volunteers or you as the supervisor. The
Service Learning staff should only become involved if the concerns
persist.
THE EVALUATION PROCESS OF THE STUDENT
At the end of their SP assignment, we will want you to evaluate the
student. We ask you to be honest, fair and open with
them. Where they have done well, praise them! If they
need improvement and growth, tell them! They will profit and grow
more from your counsel than if the problem is overlooked. Do not
be guilty of passing a "problem" student on to the next person without
confronting them personally with the truth concerning their
performance, actions, attitudes, and behaviour. It is a simple
matter of "speaking the truth in love."
At the end of each semester, the supervisor will fill out a Final
Evaluation Form (see sample on page 22) and discuss it with the
student. After you have reviewed it together, both the student
and supervisor must sign the form. This evaluation will not only help
the student know how he or she performed in the eyes of the supervisor,
but also inform our department if the student has successfully met all
the necessary requirements to receive full credit.
NOTE: IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THE EVALUATION:
1. TO THEIR SUPERVISOR ON TIME, and
2. BACK TO THE SERVICE LEARNING DEPARTMENT BY THE DUE DATES!
We appreciate your time and interest with the students. You are a
very important part of their training, service, and personal
lives. We have found that both have benefited during this time
together. Thank you for this relationship.
SP ABSENCES/MAKEUP
A minimum number of hours within the SP are crucial to provide an
adequate training experience. Therefore, even with legitimate excuses,
failure to achieve the required number of hours may disallow credit.
The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and Columbia Bible
College deem SP as a vital part of the educational experience. It is
not an extracurricular activity. It is just as important as any
other class. Therefore, the student is expected to work around all
classes and extracurricular events such as musical activities, sports,
student government, retreats, and conferences (yes, even required
school functions)!
NOTE: If a student knows they may be gone for long periods of time
during the school year, especially on the weekends (due to
extracurricular activities, choir tour, sports trips, going home,
skiing trips, etc.) they need to select a mid-week placement to prevent
numerous absences.
The student is responsible to coordinate any absence with his or her
supervisor and others who may need to know of the absence well in
advance. Any arrangements made to be absent and/or to make it up must
be to the satisfaction of the church/organization and consistent with
the specific placement. However, if problems arise, please check
with the Service Practicum office to work out an alternative solution.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Columbia recognizes that service is an essential part of every
student’s total Bible learning experience and is best accomplished
simultaneously along with his or her academic coursework. Therefore,
all students need to achieve the required number of SP credits.
To graduate from any one (1) year program you will need two (2) SP
credits. To graduate from any two (2) or four (4) year program
you will need a total of four (4) SP credits.
Students are encouraged to maintain the number of SP credits
proportionate with their academic credits in order to move toward
meeting graduation requirements. This can easily be done if each
student completes one (1) SP credit for each full-time semester until
the requirements are met.
OUR RELATIONSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO YOU
It is our desire to provide quality students to assist you in your
organization/church. To this end, we seek to develop the student
through our own individual counselling, guidance, support, and
direction.
We will try to contact you with relevant information about the Service
Practicum program as it comes up. We will serve as a liaison
between you and Columbia. Please take advantage of our contact to
share any points of concern, satisfaction, or questions you may
have. We would be delighted to receive your ideas and suggestions
regarding our Service Learning Program. We want to be a resource
to you, providing whatever help you need in your supervisory capacity.
We strongly encourage all students to be involved regularly and
committed in the worship and fellowship of a "church home," even if
their SP is not directly in or through a local church. We request
those students doing an SP in a church to participate in programs and
activities of that church and to be a good model for those whom they
serve. For example, they should not teach Sunday school in one
church and go to the worship service or college group of another.
We in the Service Learning Department are grateful for the opportunity
to work together with you in the training of young men and women to
serve God and others. THANK YOU!
Please contact us if you ever have any questions or concerns. We are here to help and serve you!
In His Grip,
The Service Learning Staff
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