Students, faculty, and staff participate in a community-led walking tour with the Avenue Concept in Providence.
Photo courtesy: Swearer Center

This is the final edition of the Sheridan Center inclusive teaching newsletter series on high-impact practices (HIPs) and pathways. High-impact practices are defined by the American Association of Colleges and Universities as teaching and learning approaches that, a large body of evidence suggests, produce significant educational benefits for students. In this series, we focus on the 11 HIPs identified by AAC&U as well as other evidence-based teaching and learning practices with the same aims. We highlight examples of HIPs at Brown, and high-impact pathways, or course-embedded approaches to developing equity of access to these educationally rich opportunities. Our fourth newsletter, written by Georgina Manok, Senior Director for Strategy and Assessment at the Swearer Center for Public Service, focuses on community-based learning as a HIP, and community-based learning and research as a high-impact pathway at Brown. 

Community-Based Learning (CBL) programs and pathways incorporate “field-based experiential learning with community partners” (usually nonprofit organizations, public agencies, or K-12 schools) as part of their activities (High-Impact Practices, 2024). The application of learning concepts and reflection are two essential aspects of CBL. (You can access the full AAC&U definition here.) To ensure the “high-impact” nature of this programming, CBL needs to be grounded in ethical engagement practices that center community voice and agency by integrating community-identified priorities, maximizing mutual benefit, preparing students for effective engagement, and embedding reflection in the learning experiences. 

Evidence shows that CBL programs contribute to student success, and through them, “students become active, collaborative, and engaged” (Saltmarsh et al., 2021a). This is especially true for students from minoritized backgrounds, who participate in CBL at higher percentages than any other HIPs (Corbin et al., 2021; Harper, 2009). Women and faculty of color are also more likely to incorporate community-engaged teaching and research into their academic work and lead CBL programs (Corbin et al.). They consequently benefit more from institutional support and recognition of community engagement and CBL as an orientation to their teaching and scholarship (Antonio, 2002; Saltmarsh et al., 2021b).

CBL is an educational practice connected to the broader work of community engagement, which the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching defines as "the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity” (The Elective Classification for Community Engagement, 2024). Community engagement revitalizes the public benefit of higher education, thus responding to increasing critiques of its irrelevance, inaccessibility, or even extractive relationships with communities. Engaging community partners as co-educators further advances knowledge brought together by university educators, community leaders, and student learners. CBL applies these concepts of community engagement to the learning environment in a university classroom and beyond. Research also shows that faculty who engage in CBL report increased professional satisfaction, resilience, and motivation (Antonio, 2002; Carr-Lemke, 2023; Darby & Newman, 2014; Lewing & York, 2017; Post et al., 2016).

Community-Based Learning at Brown 

Community-based learning and research are essential components in Brown’s recently launched institutional community engagement agenda developed through the stewardship of the inaugural vice president for community engagement. Teaching and research that utilize a CBL approach are integral to Brown’s academic excellence. They ensure powerful experiential learning for students, and high-impact knowledge creation, application, and translation opportunities for faculty and other scholars. CBL is a key aspect through which Brown realizes its mission to serve the community, the nation, and the world. This happens through centering community priorities in community-based courses, course-embedded activities (such as inviting community partners as co-educators or partnering with a community organization to address a social concern), co-curricular opportunities, and/or community-based research. 

In a recent review of the Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) curricular program, faculty noted that CBLR courses are most successful when involving a long-term partnership. A driving force for some faculty is community-based learning’s ability to create opportunities for students to make tangible connections between theoretical course material and on-the-ground realities within communities; for others, teaching CBLR courses allows instructors to bring community partners and students together around issue areas of mutual importance. 

Through CBL partnerships, Brown faculty, staff, and students have collaborated with local organizations and government agencies to build datasets, monitor pollution, and study its connection to systemic issues facing Providence residents. They engaged with tribal communities to produce a publicly accessible database and museum exhibition related to the painful history of colonization. They developed new technological products that contribute to social change and worked with refugee-serving organizations to produce videos and other communications materials, tutor children and organize fundraisers. They published stories for the Rhode Island Opioid Data Journalism Project and helped assess and alleviate vaccine hesitancy within Rhode Island communities. 

“I'm meeting people that are doing projects that are so vastly different from mine, but still tied by that same thread of community engagement. Being in a community with other people and witnessing the power of community organizing when people are mobilized for the same cause, focusing on community needs and creating interventions and solutions based around those needs is what inspires me to continue this work.”
- Ayan Rahman ’24 (Royce Fellow, Edward Guiliano '72 Global Fellow)

While it is a high-impact practice on its own, CBL as a pedagogy can also be applied to other HIPs. For example, internships or first-year experiences can be community-based. In addition to the benefits offered through a traditional internship, community-based internships respond to community-identified priorities and are part of a broader long-term partnership with a community organization. In recent years, many undergraduate and graduate programs at Brown (e.g., undergraduate certificates such as the Certificate in Data Fluency, as well as graduate degree programs including the Master’s of Public Affairs and Master’s of Public Health) have incorporated experiential learning components or requirements into their curricula that students have the option to meet through CBL.

The Swearer Center creates and maintains resources and support for faculty, staff, and students to advance the design, implementation, and sustainability of CBL and research that addresses community-identified priorities. The Center facilitates several pathways to CBL programming that are aligned with Brown’s educational goals and the Center’s learning priorities. These include curricular, co-curricular, and experiential learning opportunities, which you can read more about on the Swearer Center's website.

Some key examples of Swearer-facilitated CBL offerings and high-impact pathways include:

• Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) Courses: learning spaces that enrich a student's understanding of important social, civic, and ethical issues. They foster inquiry outside the classroom, enable knowledge creation in partnership with community agencies, and build skills and competencies valuable for life after Brown.

• CBLR Fellowship: an undergraduate fellowship designed to support CBLR-designated courses at Brown. Undergraduate CBLR Fellows work with faculty on planning and/or implementing specific engaged courses. 

• SOC0310: Theory and Practice of Engaged Scholarship: a great place for students to start their CBL journey. Students emerge from this course with a critical understanding of engaged scholarship at Brown and in U.S. higher education. They are equipped to design a course of study that integrates community practice with academic knowledge throughout their time at Brown and beyond. 

• Engaged Scholarship Certificate (ESC): allows undergraduate students to investigate public, civic, and/or social justice issues that they are passionate about through the integration of academic study with CBL, research, and action with a required CBL practicum. ESC is sponsored by the Department of Sociology and the Swearer Center.

• Bonner Community Fellowship: a four-year developmental program that provides students with opportunities to advance social justice through CBL experiences and critical reflection.

“The CBLR courses gave new meaning to the work I was doing inside and outside of the classroom, and helped me to think more deeply about what it means to be an outsider coming into a community, especially across lines of linguistic, ethnic, and racial difference.”
- Brown student who participated in multiple community-based learning and research (CBLR) courses

Community-Based Learning and DEI Efforts

Research on high-impact practices shows a strong connection between CBL and DEI outcomes. There is evidence that community-based teaching attracts and retains faculty from minoritized backgrounds, especially women and people of color (data on CBLR-designated course instructors at Brown match this trend) (Antonio et al. 2000). At Brown, these connections also show up as courses that are designated as both CBLR and RPP (race, power, and privilege). 

Research indicates that the academic success of historically marginalized students is enhanced by increased opportunities to participate in CBL, including in courses taught by faculty from their own backgrounds (Kuh, 2008). These national trends are present in Brown’s data on CBL participation both in curricular (e.g., CBLR courses) and co-curricular experiences (e.g., Bonner Community Fellowship) that have higher percentages of students who are aided, first-generation, and racially minoritized.

“The CBLR courses have had a profound effect on my identity. As a first-gen, low-income student here at Brown, there are few opportunities to discuss lived experiences and get introduced to local organizations that combat the things I’ve faced on my journey here.”  - Student participant in a CBLR course

The Sheridan Center and the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity offer a Seminar for Transformation Around Anti-Racist Teaching in which departmental teams can develop plans to incorporate anti-racist pedagogy and teaching practices – including CBL – into courses. Swearer Center staff are also available for consultations. 

Resources to Support Instructors at Brown

Creating and sustaining CBL opportunities requires time, resources, and intentionality to avoid reproducing systemic inequities and causing harm. When done properly and with attention to ethical engagement, this work adds real value to the university, the partners involved, and the community more broadly. However, some challenges include coordinating logistics, developing and sustaining long-term partnerships, building capacity, and recognizing community engagement in faculty reward processes. 

“Do not think that [community] engagement is a solo exercise in which you alone have to integrate yourself into a new context. There are always lots of people and collectives that have been forging these relationships over time. Take your time as you are thinking through your engagement and be very intentional about learning as much as you can about the context of the space before jumping in.” 
- Laura Garbes, ‘22 Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities) and former Swearer Center Proctor

Please consult the following resources to seek support in starting or deepening your CBL work, or avenues to share your experiences. 

• If you teach CBL courses, consider designating them with the CBLR course designation via Banner. See examples of CBLR syllabi and assignments shared by colleagues at Brown, and related tips and resources.

• Apply to the CBLR Fellowship to work with an undergraduate student on designing, refining and/or implementing a CBL course. CBLR Course Mini-Grants can also support expenses such as honoraria for community-based collaborators or speakers.

• Subscribe to the Swearer Center’s monthly engaged faculty and staff newsletter to learn about relevant professional development opportunities, events, grants, and awards. You can also review the Center’s resources for faculty and staff. 

To subscribe to the Sheridan Center newsletter, please visit the Sheridan Center website.
 

References

• Antonio, A., Astin, H., & Cress, C. (2000). Community Service in Higher Education: A Look at the Nation's Faculty. The Review of Higher Education. 23. 373-397. 10.1353/rhe.2000.0015. 

• Antonio, A. (2002). Faculty of color reconsidered: Reassessing contributions to scholarship. The Journal of Higher Education, 73(5), 582-602. 

• Carr-Lemke, T. (2023). Exploring Faculty Satisfaction Derived From Community-Engaged Teaching in the COVID-19 Era. International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 11(1).

• Corbin, G., singh kehal, p., & Saltmarsh, J. (2021). Why Community Engaged Scholarship Is Important to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Higher Education. Boston: Scholars Strategy Network.

• Darby, A., & Newman, G. (2014). Exploring faculty members’ motivation and persistence in academic service-learning pedagogy. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 18(2), 91–119. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1029981.pdf

• Harper, S. R. (2009). Race-conscious student engagement practices and the equitable distribution of enriching educational experiences. Liberal Education, 95(4), 38-45.

• High-Impact Practices. (2024, May 2). Retrieved from American Association of Colleges and Universities: https://www.aacu.org/trending-topics/high-impact. 

• Kuh, George. (2008). High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. Washington, D.C.: Association of American Colleges & Universities, 2008).

• Lewing, J. M., & York, P. E. (2017). Millennial generation faculty: Why they engage in service learning. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 9(3), 35–47. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1271566.pdf.

• Post, M. A., Ward, E., Longo, N. V., & Saltmarsh, J. (Eds.). (2016). Publicly engaged scholars: Next generation engagement and the future of higher education. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

• Saltmarsh, J., Corbin, G., & singh kehal, p. (2021a). How Community Engaged Scholarship Improves Teaching and Learning. Boston: Scholars Strategy Network.

• Saltmarsh, J., Corbin, G., & singh kehal, p. (2021b). Why Faculty Reward Policies Should Incentivize Community Engaged Scholarship. Boston: Scholars Strategy Network.

• The Elective Classification for Community Engagement. (2024, May 2). Retrieved from American Council on Education: https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/elective-classifications/community-engagement/.