Presidential Engagement and Partnership Professor of Biology Barrie Bode (shown with Laboratory Scientist Syed Hyder) led the development of wastewater surveillance testing to track COVID-19 outbreaks.

Community-Engagement Toolkit for Faculty and Staff

Community-engaged courses combine learning goals and community service in ways that can enhance both student growth and the common good. This approach is sometimes called “Service Learning” and is a high-impact practice that can create meaningful learning experiences for all students. 


Overview of Community-Engaged Learning

What is Community Engaged Learning? What are the benefits? How do I get started?


Developing Community Partnerships

How do I find a community partner? What goes into a successful partnership?


Designing a Community-Engaged Course

What does a a community-engaged course look like? How do I combine content and engagement?


Delivering Community-Engaged Courses

How do I help my students with community engagement? How do I manage the logistics of a community-engaged course? 


Assessing Student Learning & Evaluating Impact

What assessments are effective in a community-engaged course? Can I measure the impact of the community engagement?


Frequently Asked Questions

Still have more questions? Check out the FAQ or reach out to discuss your course.


Further Reading

There is a vast body of scholarship on community-engaged learning. Check out this curated list to get started.


NIU Publications on Community Engagement

NIU faculty, staff, and students have published extensively on community-engaged learning and research. 


News on Community-Engagement at NIU

Looking for inspiration? Check out some of the community-engaged projects that NIU faculty, staff, and students have conducted.


Creative Commons License

This toolkit is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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Contact Us

Center for Innovative
Teaching and Learning

Phone: 815-753-0595
Email: citl@niu.edu