4.3: Experiential Learning and Civic Engagement

Create increased opportunities for experiential learning and civic engagement

Other Information:

The developmental model for undergraduate education emphasizes our institutional priority of fostering engagement on the part of our students with the wider world. This experience is important for the development of students' identities as they learn how to link inquiry to the social good and strengthen their capacities for discernment and commitment. Because learning is most effective when it is active, problem-based, and collaborative, we seek to focus more clearly on experiential learning inside and outside the classroom. We seek to provide increased opportunities for students to reflect on ideals and values and to find their own paths toward meaningful community engagement. We will build on the work of the Hart Leadership Program and the Kenan Institute for Ethics, which have taken national leadership roles in the development of research service learning. Through the newly established Council on Civic Engagement and our "Learning to Make a Difference" website, our new Global Health Institute, and opportunities for experiences abroad, we commit to enhancing opportunities for students to learn how to connect inquiry to the social good. The Civic Engagement Council works to maximize the impact of faculty, students, staff, and alumni to identify, understand, and address areas of public concern and to coordinate community interactions that have evolved over time through academic affairs, community affairs, and student affairs. Two specific steps have already been taken. A "Learning Through Service" office is being established to provide an infrastructure to support both service learning and research service learning programs and the necessary faculty commitments and community partnerships. This office reflects the transition from primarily externally grant-supported initiatives to core support for community-based experiential pedagogy. In addition, Student Affairs is currently rethinking the role of the Community Service Center in our efforts to make civic engagement a cornerstone of the Duke undergraduate experience.

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