What is Community-Engaged Learning?
There are many definitions of Community-Engaged learning. Here at the University of Minnesota, we use the term to describe a teaching method that incorporates community involvement into coursework. This class-related community involvement enhances students' understanding of course materials. While deepening the learning process in this way, students build a sense of civic responsibility. At that same time, they address community-identified needs.
Students, faculty, and community members all benefit from incorporating community-engaged learning into coursework. It promotes interactive teaching, active learning, new classroom discussion possibilities, civic and learning skills for students, and a connection to the community. It also can lead to new avenues for research and publication.
Learn more about Community-Engaged Learning at the U of M
Benefits of Community-Engaged Learning
Students
Students gain a more adaptable skill set by engaging in experiential and community-based learning, better preparing them for post-graduation. This approach also provides a deeper connection to class content by encouraging students to apply their classroom knowledge to a real-world setting. Students work alongside our strongest community leaders and are able to expand their professional networks and potential career paths. Finally, students grow their intercultural understanding and values by having the opportunity to work in diverse communities and settings.
Faculty
Faculty that implement community engagement within their classroom promote active learning and incorporate different learning styles within the classroom. This can help engage discouraged students and attract highly motivated students. The community-engaged approach also curates a more interactive and inclusive classroom atmosphere in which students are more valued and heard. Bringing community into the classroom also cultivates new relationships, strengthens existing, and creates the opportunity for future collaboration.
Community Partners
By engaging students into the organization, students are not only impacted personally but are able to contribute to the overall impact of the organization by increasing awareness, helping work towards the mission, and by expanding necessary human resources. Organizations are also able to develop and strengthen relationships with the University of Minnesota staff/faculty and provide civic mentorship opportunities for tomorrow’s leaders. Engaging young people in an organization’s mission helps build future stability and curate wider perspectives within the organization itself.
Faculty Support for Communtiy-Engaged Learning
Community Engaged Learning Services and Support
For all community-engaged learning courses coordinated through the Center for Community-Engaged Learning, we provide the following services and support:
- Integrating community-engaged components to existing or new syllabi
- Assistance in identifying organizations and projects that connect to course objectives
- Faculty development workshops and individual consultations
- In-depth knowledge of community-engaged learning pedagogy
- Online system for community-engaged learning students to manage position referrals, track hours, and communicate with community partners.
- Training to help students prepare for their community work and get as much out of it as possible.
- Conflict resolution, mediation when there are issues of concern, and liability forms.
About Communtiy-Engaged Learning Courses
There are many definitions of Community-Engaged learning. Here at the University of Minnesota, we use the term to describe a teaching method that incorporates community work into coursework. This class-related community work enhances students' understanding of course materials as community work becomes a lived experiential text that holds up knowledge of community members which is then combined with other forms of knowledge. While deepening the learning process in this way, students build a sense of civic responsibility. At that same time, they address community-identified priorities or needs.
For a list of CEL courses typically offered see here.
