Community-Engaged Learning Course Designation at ETSU

Apply for Community-Engaged Learning Course Designation

The Office of Community Engagement and the Center for Teaching Excellence are committed to the preservation and enhancement of community connections that go beyond the classroom. As a leading institution in Tennessee, ETSU is well-positioned to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with local agencies that promote student learning outcomes and contribute to the well-being of the region. The intention of the Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) course designation is to encourage the integration of processes and experiences that nurture these goals and sustain community engagement for years to come. 

Apply for designation here!

CEL designated courses adopt the rubric linked here for CEL-related assignments. The core four criteria for designation according to the Go Beyond the Classroom Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) are listed below:

  • Mutually Beneficial
    The unique needs of the community partner should be balanced with the learning goals of the students enrolled in the Go Beyond the Classroom experience (curricular and co-curricular) such that the resulting collaboration is built upon mutual trust, benefit, and growth.
  • Critically Reflective
    Ongoing, integrated, and intentional critical reflection connects the CEL experiences of the students with an analysis of their own learning and development in relationship to both their academic and personal growth. 

  • Experiential Learning that is Instructionally Intentional
    The CEL component of the Go Beyond the Classroom experience is clearly stated to participating students and the course/program learning outcomes include a direct link between student learning and the community engaged experience. 
  • Integrates the Go Beyond the Classroom Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)

    To earn/maintain the Go Beyond the Classroom designation, a student learning experience must be assessed on at least one of the three Go Beyond the Classroom QEP student learning outcomes shared here:

    SLO 1 - Connecting: Students will make meaningful connections between their community-engaged learning experiences and academic course content.
    SLO 2 - Influencing: Students will critically reflect on how community- engaged learning influences their future aspirations.
    SLO 3 - Contributing: Students will articulate how community-engaged learning prepares them to make productive contributions in a diverse society. 

 

 

Photo of Dr. Scott Jenkinson Faculty Fellow for Community-Engaged Learning

Dr. Scott Jenkinson

Faculty Fellow for Community-Engaged LearningAssistant Professor, Educational Foundations and Special Education, Clemmer College