Center for Community Engagement
What is Community Engagement?
Community Engagement and Service Learning has been a foundation of The California State University since the first campus opened in 1857. Community Engagement and Service Learning (CE & SL) are teaching and learning techniques providing situated and anchored student participation. This participation in meaningful and planned community service experiences directly relates to course content extending learning beyond the theoretical. Through engagement and reflective activities, students not only enhance their understanding of course content but also grow in general knowledge, civic responsibility, self-awareness, and commitment. Learners gain valuable leadership experience and greater self-confidence in personal skills and abilities as they offer valuable talent and resources off campus. In short, CE & SL applies classroom skills and concepts in real-life settings. CE & SL are not the same as volunteering; although they often involve volunteer activities in the community, CE & SL activities are coordinated with specific educational objectives identified in each associated course. For example, students in an accounting course may work with local nonprofits to assist low-income individuals with free tax preparation.
CE & SL courses may occur in almost every discipline, from sociology and management to physics, biology and engineering. Almost any course can be designed with a CE & SL component
The time that students spend in the community on service projects is integrated into the course structure and assignments, equivalent to the same amount of effort as do other traditional courses and fulfill the same graduation requirements. A 1999 study conducted by the CSU Needs and Priorities Survey indicates that more than 135,000 CSU students performed a total of 33.6 million hours of community service. Of the students surveyed, 65% stated that CSL courses helped them master the subject material better than traditional courses allowed. Seventy percent said the service-learning courses developed more civic awareness and responsibility, and 69% said service-learning courses provided greater opportunity to explore career options. Indeed, job recruiters actively seek and hire students with CSL experience since they are aware of the valuable insights that students gain when they engage in CE & SL—working with diverse populations and touching the lives of people in the community who are most in need.
To learn more about the CSL courses offered at The California Maritime Academy or obtain information about events, community partners, opportunities at other CSU campuses, and resources for faculty and students, please contact the Community Engagement Director in LAB 114 or at 707/654-1288. In addition, Dr. Kathryn Marocchino offers Community Service Learning courses each semester and may be contacted at 707/654-1152. The Center for Community Engagement is located in the Center for Engagement, Teaching and Learning (CETL), in the Laboratory Building and is open Monday through Friday.
