<P> Effective service - learning programs also include required written reflection . Not only does writing permanently record a student's service - learning experience, but it also provides a helpful tool for continued reflection long after the program has been completed . Written reflection assignments also require students to stop, think, and articulate their learning . This evaluation is of incredible value to students . </P> <P> High quality placements are a key to the success of a service - learning program . This requires the service learning establishment to have a broad network of connections within the community . Students need to have a positive connection with the establishment they're serving in order to maximize their learning . </P> <P> Diversity is also a component of a successful service - learning program . By working with people of different ethnicities, lifestyles, and socioeconomic statuses, a student's learning and tolerance will increase . By serving in a diverse learning environment, student are more likely to reduce stereotypes and increase their cultural appreciation . This can help a student learn how to more effectively serve a broader array of people . </P> <P> The Service in Service Learning takes knowledge outside the classroom into the real world with real people and situations . In his book Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty, Muhammad Yunus states that "If a university is a repository for knowledge, then some of this knowledge should spill over to the neighboring community . A university must not be an island where academics reach out to higher and higher levels of knowledge without sharing any of their findings ." </P>

What does not a service learning course mean