The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis of service learning. This analysis was performed to collect data on student perceptions of service learning and to understand the importance of service learning on community college students in their own words. Data were collected through interviews with 24 community college participants from Virginia Highlands Community College and Mountain Empire Community College, both in Southwest Virginia. I used a nonstandard interview because it is less abrupt, remote and arbitrary than the structured interview. I wanted to tap into the experiences of these students to learn what they thought, how they felt, and how service learning benefited or did not benefit them. Permission to conduct this study was granted by the Institutional Review Board. Personal contact was made with school officials. Interviews were conducted in phases depending upon the availability and convenience of the participant. Findings showed that students involved in service learning experience many outcomes. These ranged from hands-on experience, social benefits, academic benefits especially in the area of accounting, civic responsibility, personal efficacy, civic mindedness and community building, developing a meaningful philosophy on life, appreciation for diversity, altruism and student autonomy. Findings did show that time and family or job responsibilities seemed to be the reason more students do not get involved. Students were concerned about the lack of enthusiasm from the instructors. They also said there would be more student participation if lab time, like a biology or science lab, were built into the service hours.

In-forest teaching is a vital element of forest science education at university level, and university forests play a critical role in this. In Japan, the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) owns the oldest university forest, which was established in 1894. This paper outlines how the University of Tokyo Forests (UTF) provide in-forest education for forest science. The UTF consist of seven branch stations with a total area of over 32,000 ha. Third- and fourth-year undergraduate students majoring in forest science attend field courses in these forests. Same undergraduate and graduate students are affiliated with the UTF, where they conduct field studies for their graduate theses. Since 2005, the UTF have expanded their educational activities by offering university-wide hands-on experience seminars with field experience for first- and second-year undergraduate students, although these courses are open to all students studying at UTokyo.