Center for Community-Based Learning History
The
Center for Community-Based Learning was established in 2009 as the central
administrative unit dedicated to supporting the development and diffusion of
Community-Based Transformational Learning (CBTL) across the entire UNF campus.
The University of North Florida
(UNF) selected Community-Based Transformational Learning (CBTL) as the topic for its first Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP) as a part of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation process. This
selection was a reflection of UNF's longstanding and ongoing commitment to
active community engagement.
The idea of Community-Based
Transformational Learning (CBTL) built on and extends several ongoing
University initiatives integral to UNF‘s commitment to students. These
initiatives include the institution‘s:
Most important, experiences that are
considered Community-Based Transformational Learning (CBTL) require a level of
direct and in-depth student participation, which may result not only in the
expected student learning outcomes, but also in student contributions to the
communities being served.
The Center’s programs and activities,
including ongoing University-Wide assessment of CBTL, were critical to UNF’s successful implementation of
its QEP on CBTL. Full text on UNF’s CBTL QEP proposal as well as the QEP 5th
Year Impact Report can be requested from the Center for Community-Based Learning, (904) 620-3545 or unfcares@unf.edu.
Today the Center for Community-Based Learning
focuses on UNF’s community engagement efforts more broadly to ensure that an
environment of best practices nurtures Community-Based Transformational
Learning as well as other forms of community engaged work at UNF. The Center is
leading the charge to ensure that UNF continues to be a Carnegie Community Engaged Institution (2010)
by working with UNF’s executive leadership, administration, campus departments
and centers to continue to deepen and broaden our collaborations with the
community.
