Quinnipiac University offers courses and experiences that are uniquely designed to expose students to community and civic engagement and service learning opportunities.
Service Learning or Community and Civic Engagement classes integrate meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. Quinnipiac University is a member of Campus Compact, a national coalition of college and university presidents dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement and service learning in higher education.
Service learning is not volunteerism; nor is it an internship. Service learning is a curriculum-based initiative bringing together faculty, students and community organizations. Service Learning courses incorporate the following basic principles:
- Engagement is fostered through service projects with a community partner.
- Reflection on the experience of working on the community project is both an academic and personal process.
- Reciprocity is promoted by addressing real community needs.
- Dissemination means that previous courses serve as models of best practices for new courses.
The purpose is to assist community organizations by providing situation-specific student resources in activities consistent with the goals of a specific course. Through Service Learning, community organizations are more able to meet their objectives, faculty are more able to demonstrate key course concepts, and students are more able to relate course theory with actual situations and practices.
Community and Civic Engagement Student Learning Outcomes
- Ability to demonstrate intercultural knowledge and competence.
- Ability to demonstrate rapport with people from different walks of life through verbal and nonverbal communication, thoughtfulness in word choice and tone of voice, curiosity about others, respectfulness toward others and their experiences, and remaining resourceful even in the face of interpersonal conflict with members of the community.
- Ability to identify partner needs and offer suggestions to the design of the community project.
- Competency in evaluating one’s expected role within the ecosystem of desired profession or community.
- Effectiveness in communicating how to address a community need.
- Ability to analyze aims, efforts and accomplishments that emerged from engagement in the community or service learning.
- Ability to competently and critically evaluate how community engagement has altered one’s preparedness for entering chosen profession or community.
- Competency in professional dispositions as a result of service learning or community engagement.
Community and Civic Engagement Badge
Students who are interested and meet the requirements are eligible to receive a badge from the Committee for Community and Civic Engagement that reflects the commitment they have made to be engaged community and world citizens through opportunities in designated courses and co-curricular community and civic engagement activities. Detailed information and application information can be found on the Community and Civic Engagement Badge page on MyQ.