About

 Part of the University of Calgary's Student and Enrollment Services unit, the Centre for Community-Engaged Learning (CCEL) provides both co-curricular (non-credit) and curricular (credit course-based) programs.  The centre works with instructors from all faculties in supporting service-learning courses, and offers its own co-curricular programs.  The centre also conducts research on the student experience in service-learning. 

What is Service-Learning?

Service-Learning differs from other forms of experiential learning and volunteerism in that the benefits of a partnership are shared equally between the service provider and the recipient of service, and the focus of the project or partnership is equally student learning and community benefit.

To read more about what service-learning is and how to implement it, see our CSL Resources and Support pages.

A History of Service-Learning at the University of Calgary

Service-Learning has been available in various forms at the U of C for several years, across a wide variety of faculties and departments. In 2005, the university's Provost, Ron Bond, convened a task force to develop a grant proposal for a Canada-wide funding program for service-learning.  The grant proposal was not successful past the short-listing stage, but the effort spawned greater awareness and discussion about service-learning within the university.

In 2005, a group of Arts instructors and administrators in the former "Faculty of Communication and Culture" (which has now transformed into the Department of Communication and Culture and many Interdisciplinary Programs) formed a Community Service-Learning committee.  The committee, co-chaired by Tania Smith and Doug Brent, continued for three years until the CCEL began, pursuing funding opportunities, developing and supporting curricular service-learning, and conducting research on who was offering service-learning opportunities in their programs. 

Through this committee, a number of teachers in the Faculty recognized they were already doing "service-learning" in several courses across programs such as Canadian Studies, Development Studies, Communications Studies, East Asian Studies and General Studies.  They realized that this was a value and strength of their innovative, interdisciplinary Faculty. The Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, Doug Brent, developed a General Studies course that would be taught using a service-learning approach in collaboration with Volunteer Calgary. The course was called General Studies 407, “Communication, Culture and Communities,” and it engaged U of C students in small educational service projects in the non-profit sector.  

In 2008, the first staff member devoted to service-learning (Erin Kaipainen) was hired by the Vice-Provost of Students, marking the beginning of the Centre for Community-Engaged Learning. The Center continues to offer support to service-learning in courses formerly served by this committee. 

Expanding Opportunities in 2010

“Teaching Innovation Grants in Service-Learning and Student Engagement”
In 2010, the Students’ Union announced it would fund a granting program launched by the CCEL. This small, seed-grant program is funded by the Quality Money initiative and provides support to faculty members who are designing or enhancing a service-learning course.

Calgary Serves International
This year also saw the development of this non-credit service-learning immersion program in Costa Rica offered during the Spring term. This program is an extension of the Calgary Serves Reading Week series, and offers students the opportunity to learn about community development in an isolated rural setting while living with a host family, practicing Spanish, and working on projects with the local school. 

Volunteer Calgary partnership
Also in 2010, the CCEL formalized the U of C’s relationship with Volunteer Calgary in offering service-learning courses. This partnership continues today. Volunteer Calgary plays a critical role in identifying community-based projects for U of C courses and in increasing the capacity of the sector to engage service-learning students. 

Co-curricular programs added
The CCEL has also increased co-curricular opportunities by expanding the Calgary Serves Reading Week program from one project to three projects, and by partnering with Meal Exchange to offer co-curricular programs focused on food security. In 2011, the Calgary Serves program saw students involved with projects in Calgary with the Mustard Seed and the United Way, and with the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans, Louisiana.  

Further Progress in 2011

The CCEL added a second staff member and increased its volunteer program to provide additional opportunities to student leaders called peer helpers.

In Winter 2011, the CCEL worked with Dr. Tania Smith’s Communication Studies 463 course “Rhetoric and Professional Communication” to plan and develop content for a new website reflecting the work of the CCEL.  Previously, the CCEL website had less than 10 pages of content.

In Summer 2011, Cheryl Rowland, a student in Dr. Smith’s class, pursued a Directed Studies course to organize and post the content created by COMS 463 students and CCEL staff.  It became the foundation of the CCEL's new, more informative website.

In September,  the new CCEL office was opened on the 4th floor of MacEwan Student Centre.