Community Engaged Learning Pillar
Definition: Community Engaged Learning (CEL) are any student centered, interactive, experiential educational endeavors, either curricular or co-curricular, that are clearly community focused and action based. The purpose is to move from an observer of the conditions that exist in our society to intellectual awareness and informed action.
A CEL is a project that...
- Is designed to encourage students to reflect on their connections and commitments to the community in which they live (local, national, global).
- Brings campus partners (faculty, staff, and students) and community partners together to address specific issues, problems or concerns.
- Is created and designed through collaboration of campus partners and community partners.
- Encourages students to integrate academic and practical knowledge.
- Involves structured and guided reflection by students on the meaning and broader implications of the CEL project/activity.
- Is designed to benefit students through learning and community partners through capacity building of the organization.
- Is designed and carried out with explicit, clearly articulated Learning Outcomes which are assessed.
2021-2022 CEL Scholar Program
This initiative is to support those interested in CEL in the work of planning and implementing a course/project. Selected CEL Scholars will work with a mentor to develop, plan, and execute a CEL, possibly as a course, a project within a course, or a co-curricular initiative. CEL Scholars will meet monthly with mentors during Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. Mentors will help mentees find and work with a community partner to foster the CEL development. They will also assist in the planning and execution of the course and development of an assessment plan for each course/project. At the end of the course, mentees will submit to CTEL a report on the project. Scholars will be awarded a $1500.00 stipend for their work. CEL Scholars will be selected by the University CEL Committee, chaired by Rick Ellis.
The deadline for applications is April 23, 2021. *Please contact Coordinator Karen Barron for more information.
Click on the name of any faculty/staff member listed below and you will be taken to their Washburn profile where you will find detailed professional information about the individual and their contact information.
If you would like to be added to this list, please fill out this form.
Kelly McClendon |
Lecturer in International Programs/Intensive English |
| Associated Course: | IE091 & IE092 Language in Context Seminar I & II |
| Area of Development: | Adult Education & Job Skills Development, Education & Schools, Government, Homeless, Hunger & Soup Kitchens, Special Events & Holiday Opportunities |
| Class Size: | 30-40 |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP | 50%-59% |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Language & Translation, Intercultural knowledge |
Dennis Etzel Jr |
Lecturer of English |
| Associated Course: | EN200 Writing Topeka Stories |
| Area of Development: | Arts & Culture, Board Services & Nonprofit Development, Children & Youth, Community Development, Diversity, Domestic Violence, Entertainment, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Human Rights, Literacy, People with Disabilities, Seniors, Women's Issues |
| Class Size: | 22 |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP | 50%-59% |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Writing |
RaLynn Schmalzried |
Assistant Professor of Psychology |
| Associated Course: |
PY212 Psychology of Aging PY210 Infant and Child Development PY211 Adolescent Psychology |
| Area of Development: | Adult Education & Job Skills Development, Children & Youth, Seniors |
| Class Size: |
~30 |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP |
30%-39% 30%-39% 20%-29% |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Companionship/Caregiver, Life Review / Writing |
Miguel Gonzalez-Abellas |
Professor of Modern Languages |
| Associated Course: | SP315 Translation |
| Area of Development: | Children & Youth, Education & Schools, Health & Mental Health, International |
| Class Size: | All students enrolled in the course. |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP | 30%-39% |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Language & Translation |
Jericho Hockett |
Assistant Professor of Psychology |
| Associated Course: |
PY339 Psychology of Sex and Gender PY310 Social Psychology |
| Area of Development: | Diversity, Domestic Violence, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Homeless, Housing, Human Rights, Hunger & Soup Kitchens, Immigrants & Refugees, Legal & Justice, People with Disabilities, Seniors, Veterans Affairs, Women's Issues, Men's issues, sexual violence issues, gender issues in general |
| Class Size: |
15-20 20-40 |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP | |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Advertising, PR, & Strategic Planning, Companionship/Caregiver, Fundraising, Grantwriting, Legal, Medical & Scientific, Performance, Social Media, Teaching & Coaching, Social-psychological skills in general, advocacy |
Melanie Burdick |
Associate Professor of English |
| Associated Course: | EN101 Freshman Composition |
| Area of Development: | Adult Education & Job Skills Development, Children & Youth, Citizenship & Voting, Community Development, Diversity, Domestic Violence, Education & Schools, Faith-Based, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Historical Sites & Heritage, Human Rights, Hunger & Soup Kitchens, Immigrants & Refugees, Literacy, People with Disabilities, Seniors, Special Events & Holiday Opportunities, Veterans Affairs, Women's Issues |
| Class Size: | 20 |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP | 20%-29% |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Copywriting & Copyediting, Design, Interviewing, researching, and writing |
Tracy Routsong |
Professor of Communication |
| Associated Course: |
CN306 Health Communication (Patient Advocacy or Public Service Announcements) CN351 Interpersonal Communication (Mentoring) |
| Area of Development: | Board Services & Nonprofit Development, Children & Youth, Domestic Violence, Education & Schools, Health & Mental Health, Hospitals, Literacy, Mentoring, Seniors |
| Class Size: |
small groups of 3 - 5 students |
| % of Course Involved in HICEP |
20%-29% 20%-29% |
| Student skills/knowledge: | Companionship/Caregiver, Fundraising, persuasion and advocacy |
Click on the name of any faculty or staff member below and you will be taken to the Washburn profile where you will find more detailed information about them as well as contact information.
If you would like to be added to this list, please fill out this form.
Kelly McClendon |
Lecturer in International Programs/Intensive English |
| Associated Course: | IE091 & IE092 Language in Context Seminar I and II |
| Class Size: | 30 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP | 10%-29% |
| Community Partners: | Elementary Schools, Topeka Rescue Mission, McCrite Plaza |
| Activities: | Play games with kids in after-school program and talking with classes about students' home countries, Students get tour and make appointments to volunteer later, Students get tour and talk with residents about their home countries |
Dave Provorse |
Associate Professor of Psychology |
| Associated Course: | PY647 Group Therapy Practicum |
| Class Size: | 4 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP | 80%-89% |
| Community Partners: | YWCA--Center for Safety and Empowerment |
| Activities: | Psychology faculty and graduate students worked collaboratively with staff from the CSE to develop a curriculum focus on "Healthy Relationships" that was provided to members of Washburn Sororities in Spring 2015. Topics included Intimate Partner/Sexual Violence; Communication; Self-Esteem; Culture/Gender-based Beliefs vs. Personal Values. One emphasis was on encouraging more active involvement by "bystanders" with a corresponding reduction in "victim blaming". |
Deborah Altus |
Professor of Human Services |
| Associated Course: | HS495 Research and Evaluation |
| Class Size: | 10 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP | 10%-19% |
| Community Partners: | Varies by semester |
| Activities: | Students work with community partners to conduct surveys or other types of evaluation activities that partners want assistance with. |
Melanie Burdick |
Associate Professor of English |
| Associated Course: |
EN300 Advanced Composition Teaching Emphasis |
| Class Size: |
20 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
20%-29% |
| Community Partners: |
Hope Street Academy, Seaman High School Writing Center |
| Activities: |
EN300 Students tutor high school students on their writing. The experience is connected to the literacy and writing theory that we cover in class, and the experience spurs a reflective journal and a research paper assigned towards the end of class. |
Dennis Etzel, Jr. |
Lecturer of English |
Title: |
Examining Hunger In America |
| Associated Course: |
EN-101 Freshman Composition |
| Number of Students Involved: |
22 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
10%-19% |
| Community Partners: |
Harvesters The Exchange |
| Activities: |
Students volunteer at Harvesters and design flyers in coordination with Washburn's food bank The Exchange while learning and researching about hunger in America, both nationally and locally. |
Title: |
Writing Legacy Stories |
| Associated Course: |
EN-300 Advanced College Writing for Nursing Emphasis |
| Number of Students Involved: |
30-40 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
30%-39% |
| Community Partners: | Midland Care and Hospice |
| Activities: |
Students interview clients or volunteers while learning and researching about the positive impact legacy stories have for interviewees and their families. |
Title: |
The Hero’s Journey: Stories of Community and Social Change |
| Associated Course: |
EN-210 Mythologies in Literature |
| Number of Students Involved: |
22-25 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
20%-29% |
| Community Partners: | ArtsConnect Topeka |
| Activities: |
Students interview volunteers, people who work in community organizations, and donators while learning and researching about the effect the Arts have on community growth and social justice. |
Jennifer Pacioianu |
Adjunct of English |
Title: |
Intergenerational Partnership with Brewster Place |
| Associated Course: |
EN-101 Freshman Composition |
| Number of Students Involved: |
22 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
30%-39% |
| Community Partners: |
Brewster Place Retirement Living |
| Activities: |
Students visited the Brewster Place Retirement Living over 2 class periods, interviewed residents, and composed narratives based on their interviews. Students then revised the narratives for Brewster to publish as shorter pieces on their Facebook page, in newsletters, and possibly in other promotional materials. |
Rick Ellis |
Professor of Human Services and Director of the Center for Community Services |
Title: |
Poverty Alleviation |
| Co-curricular: |
Bonner Scholars |
| Number of Students Involved: |
44 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
100% |
| Community Partners: |
Community Action |
| Activities: |
Students work to develop policies to support lobbying activities with the state legislature |
Patricia Dahl |
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice & Legal Studies |
Title: |
Master of Criminal Justice Capstone Course |
| Associated Course: |
CJ693 The Capstone Experience |
| Number of Students Involved: |
3 to 7 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
40%-49% |
| Community Partners: |
A public, private, or non-profit agency or organization after consultation with the client and the professor overseeing the Capstone course |
| Activities: |
Graduate students use evaluative research to investigate a problem, question, or issue for a local organization. After acquiring and assessing information, the graduate student provides useful feedback to his/her client through a deliverable product. Additionally, the graduate student produces a research-based paper for the Capstone course. |
Tracy Routsong |
Professor of Communication |
Title: |
Classroom to Community Needs Assessment |
| Associated Course: |
CN 498 Senior Capstone |
| Number of Students Involved: |
3 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
70%-79% |
| Community Partners: |
Pine Ridge Manor Residents, THA,Inc. |
| Activities: |
In order to understand the health needs of the Pine Ridge community, we helped design, implement, and analyze a needs assessment. Following the assessment, we continue to work with the community on action steps for this ongoing project. |
Title: |
Building Acceptance, Building Community |
| Associated Course: |
CN 395 Global Communication; Family Communication; Intensive English |
| Number of Students Involved: |
50 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
10%-19% |
| Community Partners: |
WU International House |
| Activities: |
Students connected with those from the International House in intensive writing or speaking courses. They met up and both mentored the international students to customs and life of a college student, while at the same time faced their own perceptual biases. |
Karen Barron |
Lecturer of English |
Title: |
Bods Fight Poverty |
| Associated Course: | EN-101D & EN-101J Freshman Composition |
| Number of Students Involved: |
44 |
| % Course Involved in HICEP |
30%-39% |
| Community Partners: |
Executive Director of Community Action, Tawny Stottlemire, |
| Activities: |
My two classes of Freshman Comp students (approximately 44 total) will be paired with a volunteer worker from Community Action, interview him/her and write a narrative (meaningful story) about why that person has chosen to work in a non-profit organization that fights poverty. Peer editing of the written piece will be built into the team arrangement. These stories will be used by Community Action primarily to include with grant proposals. |
Community Engaged Learning ideally includes an emphasis on:
- Place-based learning that incorporates community understanding, local context, local assets and includes community voice in defining the nature of the project and the relationship.
- Co-creation of projects and products in which community partners and campus partners (students, faculty, staff) share in status as co-educators
- Integration of academic and practical knowledge
- Time depth for multi-year capacity building (multi-year relationship between campus partners and community partners)
- Development of student participants through the identification of challenges that meet their intellectual, academic and skill level.
- Scaffolded (sequenced) projects that evolve over multiple semesters or years
- Team -based learning in which students and community work together to maximize learning, collaboration, and leadership
- Reflection on the community context, broader implications, and student learning
- Mentors who coach and guide the process through dialogue
- Learning opportunities that are clear, collaborative, and well defined through outcomes
- Focused around Capacity Building needs of the community partners
- Use of Evidence-based Models for community engagement and assessment of student learning
- Assessed for evidence of student learning and community impact
It is suggested that at least one of the following outcomes be included in the development of a CEL activity/course.
Upon completion of a CEL project or activity students will:
- Connect and extend knowledge (facts, theories, etc.) from their own academic study/field/discipline to civic engagement;
- Demonstrate evidence of adjustment in their own attitudes and beliefs as a result of working within and learning from a diversity of communities and cultures;
- Articulate a clarified sense of civic identity;
- Demonstrate abilities in self-awareness and self-reflection;
- Show evidence of initiative and team leadership;
- Tailor communication strategies to effectively express, listen, and adapt to others to establish relationships;
- Articulate the value of public action and/or;
- Demonstrate ability and commitment to collaboratively work across and within community context and structures to achieve a civic aim.
GET IN TOUCH WITH CTEL
Center for Teaching Excellence & Learning
Morgan Hall room 204
1700 SW College Ave.
Topeka, KS 66621
Phone & Email
785.670.2835
ctel@washburn.edu
