LYCOMING COLLEGE SUMMER MAGAZINE 2023

Laying the Groundwork Lycoming College’s last two Strategic Plans have prioritized what is broadly known as civic engagement. Under the umbrella of civic engagement falls a multitude of initiatives across campus, including In an effort to prioritize the integration of civic engagement into the curriculum in a coordinated fashion, the College created within the Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences (CEAE) a part-time position dedicated to the curricular-based work. The Office of Community Based Learning was born, and Caroline Payne, Ph.D., was appointed director. “Many faculty at the College

Significant research shows that CBL is exceptionally effective at improving a multitude of student outcomes... Caroline Payne, Ph.D.

1 community-based learning 2 community service 3 engagement

with the political process, applying

an unbiased, non-partisan approach

have already been doing fantastic community-based learning, and their work inspired the creation of this Office. We want to support more faculty who want to incorporate CBL into their courses,” said Payne. “Significant research shows that CBL is exceptionally effective at improving a multitude of student outcomes, such as improved learning connections between classroom concepts to real-world applications, critical thinking, civic engagement, pre-professional development, and retention.” Putting it into Action Designing and beginning the implementation of a community-needs assessment and an organizational assessment is vital to ensure that all CBL projects are meeting a true community need, and projects are selected and executed in a manner that can assure a positive impact for community partners as well as students.

Building the infrastructure and resources to support faculty who are interested in doing CBL is paramount. “This is critical, as the Office of CBL is not an office that directly supports students, but instead empowers and supports faculty members who then enhance the educational experience of all of their students by integrating a CBL component into their courses,” explained Payne.

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