Community Engagement Enhancement Program
Introduction
Student affairs professionals play a vital role in the co-curricular
engagement of students at the University of North Florida. The constructed, out-of-the-classroom
educational environments allow for the application of in-class material and
knowledge in practical and real-world settings. Events and programs hosted by student affairs staff and the involvement
of students in volunteerism, hands-on-service, and philanthropy are essential
to the University’s distinctions on the Presidential Honor Roll and
the Carnegie Foundation’s designation for Community Engagement.
The
Community Engagement Enhancement Program (CEEP) was designed to further this
aim; specifically, for student affairs professionals who are, or would like to be, involved in
community engagement work. With support
and collaboration from CCBL, CEEP can be a bridge program that connects student
affairs professionals to faculty and academic affairs. Community-based
transformational learning (CBTL) concepts and principles have been associated
with the academic realm of the university through curriculum, research, and
faculty professional development for the past seven years. CEEP can assist with
infusing these same principles into the programming efforts of student affairs
professionals to advance their work in co-curricular community-based
environments.
Purpose
CEEP is a professional development program for student affairs
practitioners that will reinforce strong initiative development and assessment
practices via community-based transformational learning (CBTL) principles. The program is developed in the form of two
workshops to create a learning environment that fosters dialogue and
collaboration among participants to increase knowledge, skills, and abilities
around community engagement work.
Participant Outcomes
Those who participate in CEEP can
expect to:
- Discuss CBTL principles and how they apply to
student affairs work
- Write learning outcomes that address
co-curricular community engagement activities
- Produce a new program or integrate CBTL
principles with a pre-existing program
- Generate a program evaluation or assessment
plan that measures anticipated learning outcomes
Eligibility and Registration
All full-time student
affairs professionals interested in infusing community engagement principles
into their work. Registration dates
will vary based on the semester. Upon
completing the registration, the participant will receive an email to
participate in a pre-test. The pre-test
will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and must be done 24-hours prior
to Workshop #1. Participants
partake in two workshops to learn about CBTL principles, best practices for
community engagement, developing learning outcomes, and determining effective
reflection and assessment activities.
Community Engagement Enhancement Program Structure
Workshop
Session Topics:
Basic Workshop – 3 hours
- CBTL Gateways/Community & Partnerships
- Learning Outcomes/Project Planning
Assessment Workshop – 2 hours
- Reflection activities
- Program evaluation and methodology
Upon the completion of both workshops, participants will be eligible
for resources to conduct a co-curricular community engagement program;
up to
$500 can be requested for transportation, marketing, and materials. T-shirts for all program participants will be
provided by CCBL. CEEP participants will submit a
completed project plan to be approved for resources. Completion of the assessment workshop will ensure the resources will be disseminated.
Project funds will be suspended for Fiscal Year 21 to focus on program planning and development with departments. Funds will be reinstated for Fiscal Year 22 for approved projects.CEEP Participation Requirements
Community Engagement Enhancement Program
participants will:
- Participate in two workshops related to issues with community engagement
(e.g., university processes, operational understanding), how student affairs
work contributes to the expansion of community engagement at UNF, and
evaluating programs/initiatives associate with community engagement work
- Draft a written plan/programming blueprint that includes integrating Community Engagement elements in
existing programming or creating a new initiative.
- Complete the community engagement project prior to the fiscal year in which they completed the workshops.
- Submit a written, final report about the implementation of your CEEP
programming blueprint. A synopsis of the programming event will be developed
from this report and highlighted on the Center for Community-Based Learning
website.
For more information about the Community Engagement Enhancement Program, contact Dr. Alarie Gibbs at alarie.gibbs@unf.edu.