Description: Community engaged learning (CEL) is a unique experiential learning (EL) approach that sees students engage in a project, developed collaboratively with a community partner, that has mutually beneficial outcomes. Non-profit and community-based organizations are co-educators and co-mentors in this praxis-oriented process, bringing to the table their invaluable experience and expertise. The first of its kind in Canada, Western is developing a CEL Hub in the newly acquired 450 Talbot Building to bring CEL activities, classes, and events into the London community. We open our tripartite presentation with a synopsis of this proposed hub, followed by an overview of how universities across Canada approach CEL in their respective institutions. Anecdotally, we know that domestic CEL is expanding rapidly in both size and scope throughout the Canadian university system. Our in-depth primary research offers insight into what this expansion looks like on the ground in every publicly assisted French and English language university, highlighting key trends of interest to FIMS and the wider Western community. In the third portion of our presentation, we offer an overview of the role played by Canadian provincial and territorial governments to persuade, pressure, and/or mandate universities to develop and extend their CEL programming. This research is supported by Western’s USRI program, a SSHRC Insight Grant, and a SSHRC Explore Grant.

Host:

Faculty of Information and Media Studies

URL:

https://www.fims.uwo.ca/

Contact:

Karen Kueneman
kueneman@uwo.ca

Department:

Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS)