Engaged Department Institute

The Engaged Department Institute advances the institutionalization of community engagement and service-learning through intentional development of community partners into the programmatic features of a department and the majors within that department. It supports academic departments/programs/units in expanding service-learning and community engagement beyond a single faculty member to an entire department, program, or unit.  

Please download and open the application in Adobe Desktop PDF in order to have the best user experience. 

Click here to download the SLI / EDI application. 

Community Engagement

Engaged Department Institute (EDI) Purpose

Grounded in the success of the Service-Learning Institute and the SL Course Designations, the EDI expands service-learning and community engagement beyond a single faculty member to a department, program, or unit.

An engaged department and/or program is one that: 

  • incorporates service-learning and community engagement (local and/or global) into academic coursework to enhance student learning and development;
  • encourages and supports high quality community-based research and engaged scholarship among faculty and/or students;
  • supports collaborative research and teaching activities between members of the department and members of the community (non-profits, government, industry, etc.);
  • establishes and develops mutually beneficial partnerships within co/extra-curricular activities within the department.

An engaged department embraces various approaches to community engagement and service-learning that include, but are not limited to, academic service-learning courses, community-based research studies, practicums, internships, capstone experiences, and student clubs and associations.  

Through the Engaged Department Institute, academic units develop and implement an action plan designed to advance and deepen community engagement and service-learning into their curriculum, research, and co/extracurricular activities. 


Preparation & Commitment

  • Conduct a department and/or program self assessment (completed prior to EDI)
  • Click here PDF of assessment rubric; Click here for link to assessment
  • Participate in a mini Service-Learning Institute; understand service-learning pedagogy
  • Create a community-engaged learning path in curriculum
  • Identify community partners (with support of Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and Office of Community Engagement)
  • Co-create community engaged learning with community partners
  • Implementation and Ongoing assessment 
     


Who should apply?

This institute is designed for an academic department/program/unit that is committed to advancing the institutionalization of public engagement by advancing public engagement into the programmatic features of their academic program. Community Engaged Team members should be prepared to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate their community engaged and service-learning activities as a team for their academic program. 

Details

  • Dates: May 26-27th, 2026
    • Tuesday, May 26- 8:30am - 4:30pm
    • Wednesday, May 27 - 8:30am - 4:30pm
  • Location: To be determined 
  • Faculty Participation stipend: $500; if applicable, community partner stipend: $250