Student Resources for Community-Engaged Learning

Students learn new skills, gain job-related experience, and make a difference when taking CEL courses. More than 85% of Fisher students agreed that CEL helped them:

• better understand course content,
• develop cross-cultural awareness, and
• strengthen leadership skills.

Over half of employers surveyed by AAC&U stated that they would be much more likely to hire students who “worked with people from diverse backgrounds or cultures” and “engaged with a community organization or on a community-based project."

CEL courses are open to students from all schools and majors! Some courses are within the Core, while others fulfill major or minor requirements, depending on the offerings for a particular semester.

Activities vary by course. Sometimes students will create a deliverable such as a marketing plan, curriculum, computer code, publication, or garden plot. Other times students provide a direct service like tutoring or visiting with elders. Some CEL classes visit with community partners off-campus, while others meet with their partners in the classroom.

Often professors work closely with community partners over several months to design the CEL project. Sometimes, students in the CEL course will be able to choose a partner organization to work with.

You will be asked to solve real-world problems, be proactive and assertive when working with community partners, be flexible and adaptable to changes within a community and the course, and reflect on your experience and learning.

CEL focuses on both the service being provided and the learning that is occurring. It acknowledges the wisdom and skills of both community partners and student participants. It benefits both the provider and the recipient of the service.

Look for the CEL attribute when you register for classes.