~Benjamin Franklin
Community-Based Learning Pedagogy
Help your students build stronger academic skills. Create an excitement for learning. Encourage lifelong volunteerism. Change their lives, yours and many others by offering community-based learning (CBL) experiences such as service-learning and community-based research.
The Community Involvement Center at Weber State University can help you get started and offers a number of tools to support you during your community-based learning efforts. Below is a list of frequently asked questions for faculty new to community-based learning. For more detailed information, use the links in the “faculty” tab of the CIC website.
1. What counts as community-based learning?
To be CBL-designated, your class must meet nine criteria, 10 if you’re engaging your students in community-based research. For example, service should relate to the subject matter of the course and be aimed at developing students’ civic education. A complete list of criteria and other related information can be found in the CBL Designation link in the "faculty" tab.2. Why should I register my course with the CIC?
For a number of reasons, including we’ll help you find and develop community partners, record and track students’ service hours, provide documentation of your involvement for promotion and tenure files, and much more. Plus, you’ll be an active participant in upholding WSU’s mission and strategic plan.3. What training/resources are available through the CIC?
There are workshops available with topics ranging from preparing students to serve, applying for the CBL designation, and establishing community partnerships. The CIC also offers a toolkit with sample syllabi, service-learning ideas and other helpful materials. The links in the "faculty" tab will connect you to all of these resources and more.4. How do I minimize the risks of service-learning?
The CIC utilizes a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a formalization of partnerships between the CIC and community organizations. Your students must sign an Informed Consent Agreement to complete service-learning hours in an off-campus organization. This document is a stipulation of our MOU and helps ensure safety from liability to our students, faculty, staff, and partners. Learn more by clicking on the Risk Management link in the "faculty" tab.Defintions
Service-Learning and Community-Based Research pedagogy provide experiential learning of course objectives within the local community, reinforcing application of classroom knowledge. Students learn to take the core information that faculty members want them to learn, and extend that knowledge outside of the classroom.
Service Learning: What is it?
"...a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities." - National Commission
Community-Based Research: What is it?
"Community-Based Research (CBR) is a partnership of students, faculty and community members who collaboratively engage in research with the purpose of solving a pressing community problem or effecting social change." - Strand, et al, 2003