Community Engagement Courses
Community Engagement Courses (CEC), incorporate a teaching and learning method that combines traditional classroom-based curriculum with meaningful service opportunities for students. These service opportunities are intended to supplement and enrich student learning while helping mold students into civically engaged citizens.
The CCE supports faculty and community partners by identifying projects and activities for students, that best align with course learning objectives and focus on meeting community needs. The CCE can train students to track and document student participation hours, provide reflection activities, and submit an end-of-semester report to the faculty.
CEC Experiences Include:
A collaborative partnership: The community organization and the CCE, together, identify a project activity that addresses a community need or contributes to the necessary work of the organization.
Academic course and skill-building learning objectives: The project or activity is related to learning goals the professor has set for students to attain. The project contributes to students' understanding and knowledge of academic concepts or skills.
Reflection & assessment: During the semester, students are encouraged to complete self-reflection journaling while they are also required to complete a reflection assignment for their class. This leads to a deeper understanding of course content and community engagement.
To learn more, click on the boxes below that correspond to your role:
Community Partners
Faculty
Students
Information updated as of 03/29/2021
As you are social distancing, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we want to remind you that remaining connected is important for your mental health and well-being.
The CCE will continue to update its webpage and the CUE webpage with volunteer opportunities that follow social distancing guidelines so that you remain safe and healthy. Volunteering and serving virtually/remotely is a great way to spend some of your time while you are at home. It will help you feel connected to the outside community, and it will allow you to make a difference in the lives of others. Below are a few guidelines to follow while participating:
- Students will not engage in off-campus service projects in enclosed areas or group transportation to off-campus service sites.
- CCE will provide support to assist students in scheduling community engagement opportunities that take place outdoors, as well as in developing indirect, contractile, or remote engagement opportunities.
- CCE will continue to share information with students about how to engage in community engagement remotely.
- Students who participate in opportunities will follow current guidelines from the CDC and must observe all campus protocols related to face coverings and social distancing when serving the community.
Information updated as of 03/29/2021
Faculty who are moving their Community Engagement Courses to online may need to shift and reconsider how to structure community engagement projects/activities in a virtual learning environment. The CCE recommends the following guidelines for faculty, staff, and students planning for community-engaged word and teaching during the 2020-2021 academic year. Faculty members can review specific academic-based community-engaged learning outcomes for your course. Translate what students typically do in/with community partners into course goal-orientated statements (e.g. skill development, checking for student understanding, collaborative project work, problem-solving, relationship development, fact-finding). Determine how you can still help your students meet those outcomes even if the community project/service they were supposed to do was altered or suspended.
Faculty are to communicate with community partners in advance about how a transition to online instruction would impact the previously planned community engagement project/activity, if applicable.
Things to consider while discussing this with your partner:
Community Engaged Courses that include direct service are asked to consider alternative types of community engagement:
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Any direct service projects should be designed to be contractile and/or remote.
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Whenever possible, faculty should plan their community engagement projects/activities to be indirect, research-based, or advocacy-based rather than direct service.
Information updated as of 03/29/2021
We understand that changes to the university’s instructional delivery method and policy for student community engagement impacts you, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We want you to know how we can best work together to support you as our community partners. Many faculty and staff are still looking for ways to engage their students with community partners. In order to connect with you in the most appropriate and meaningful ways, we ask that you continue to list your service experiences on the CUE, with an emphasis on virtual or online opportunities, services that can be completed remotely, or outdoor service opportunities.
Below are instructions for listing a community engagement need as remote/virtual:
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- Log in to the CUE (
- Click on Manage at the top of the screen, and then choose the group that you want to manage.
- Click on Events on the left side of the screen and then click on Add Event.
- Fill in all the required information and be sure to clarify whether or not this is a Virtual/Remote Opportunity.
- Lastly, Publish.
- Writing cards, sending letters, or doing craft projects (such as making toys for shelter animals, knitting hats and scarves for homeless individuals, or making blankets for seniors)
- Becoming social media ambassadors to raise awareness of your organization and related social issues through advocacy
- Offering a skilled service that they can do remotely, such as web development, graphic design, writing/editing, or translation
- Offering online delivery or services such as tutoring and mentoring or theatre or musical performances
- Recording audiobooks or how-to videos
Please take into consideration that UTEP continues to make changes to operations in order to meet the health and safety needs of our campus and community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional information about the university’s pandemic response is available at /ehs/COVID-19/.