As part of its mission to "convene a community of practice around engaged academic learning," CEAL promotes scholarly collaborations across disciplines, departments, and units. In addition, it supports initiatives dedicated to community-centered research and the recognition of diverse approaches to knowledge creation and dissemination.
CEAL supports staff and faculty in the following ways:
CEAL offers pedagogical support to the U-M community in the following areas:
- Course Design Consultation
- Community-Based Learning (CBL)
- Consultants Program
- CBL Pedagogical Training
CEAL offers Logistical support to the U-M community in the following areas:
- Transportation Coordination
- Driver Orientation
- License and Background Checks
- Policies and Agreements
CEAL offers capacity building support to the U-M community in the following areas:
- Focus Group Facilitaion
- Evaluation Reports
- Grant Writing Support
What is Engaged Learning?
"Engaged Academic Learning" is a pedagogical strategy that emphasizes hands-on experiences in local, national or international communities and involves substantive reflection of that work. Ideally framed as a mutually-beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources among community members, faculty and students, Community-Based Learning (CBL) is a term that encompasses academic service-learning, civic education/engagement, experiential education and problem-based learning. As an approach that is both collaborative and project-based, Community-Based Learning combines academic instruction and community-derived expertise from a diverse and dedicated body of stakeholders.
CBL is recognized as a High-Impact Educational Practice by the Association of American Colleges & Universities.
