CETL Courses
This database contains detailed records of select courses with community engaged teaching and learning (CETL) components at the University of Guelph. When clicked to expand, each record displays more detailed information such as course descriptions, the names of instructors, the number and level of students, the level of community engagement, a list of community partners, and actual resources used in that course.
Available resources vary, but include course syllabi and outlines, assignment instructions, rubrics and assessment tools, and sample work from real students. All resources are fully accessible, downloadable, and free to be shared and adapted with appropriate attribution.
This beta version of the CETL Database includes records and resources from a selection of 13 courses, most of which were offered in 2017 and 2018. This is a small sample of courses with a CETL component offered at U of G; many of these courses have continued to be offered in subsequent semesters, and there are many courses which are not yet featured in the Database.
As a major component of the course (65%), the class partnered with the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) to update the OAITH Femicide Database that was designed by an earlier graduate-level sociology class. They also created a femicide list with biographies and pictures of victims. Throughout the term, students worked in collaborative learning teams (3-5 students per group) to complete different elements of the project, before the class congregated to collaboratively construct the final product.
As a capstone course for several streams of geography students, students worked in small groups to contact community partners and organize projects that aligned with their interests and the course learning objectives. The core of the course was a group project; in small teams, students identified a problem, designed a solution, gathered the necessary data, implemented the solution, and presented their results.
Over two semesters, students worked in pairs to conduct a program evaluation to meet the needs of a community partner. Together, the course instructor and CESI staff composed a list of partners for the students to choose from, and the students were coached (through guest lectures and class sessions) on how to do community-engaged work and interact with their community partners.
Throughout the course, graduate students developed knowledge, skills and values related to the principles and practices of community-engaged scholarship (CES). Working with one community partner (varies each semester), they applied their knowledge to develop a product to solve a problem brought forward by the community partner.
As one component of the course, students completed a community-focused learning project where they researched an organization whose mandate is related to crime-prevention. After selecting an organization, they planned a way that they could personally contribute to this organization and (after receiving approval from the course instructor) worked to enact their plan.
For the duration of the course, students worked with one of two community partners to address a problem or issue that the partner organization was facing. Through lectures and guest speakers, students gained the terminology and technical knowledge needed to produce a final report. Students also gained professional experience aggregating their findings and presenting them to an audience in their end-of-term conference.
This experiential First Year Seminar course challenged students to think beyond volunteering and charity as the means to have a positive impact in the community. Over the course of one semester, interdisciplinary teams of students addressed specific challenges identified by community-partners using tools and techniques from lean business models and social enterprise startups.
As the central focus of the class, students planned for, developed, and disseminated Knowledge Translation (KT) products to community partners. Along with the course instructor, students collectively monitored their progress over the semester and ultimately produced three projects each: an infographic, a taped media interview, and a newspaper/blog posting. Classes were a mix of guest lectures, workshop opportunities, instructor-led discussions and in-class assignments about evidence-based practice and knowledge translation.
As a mandatory course for the Masters of Applied Nutrition (MAN) program, students worked individually with a community partner to create and conduct an individual research project. Over three semesters, students learned skills and theoretical knowledge from guest lectures and applied those skills to their projects with the community partners.
Throughout this course, students worked with a community partner to analyze and approach broad social issues from a multidisciplinary perspective. A unique aspect of the course was that there were no clear rubrics or mark breakdowns established. Students were informed about bare minimum requirements, but were encouraged to think beyond how to perform to meet expectations, and engaged in conversations with the instructors regarding appropriate learning goals and outcomes based on their discipline and year-level.