In recent years, Carleton has seen an enormous growth in the offerings of Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) classes from across the curriculum. Students can take ACE courses in studio art, statistics, biology, religion, and more. However, the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) at Carleton wants to ensure responsible, reciprocal, and productive relationships with community partners and our community at large.
To this end, the Public Works Initiative sponsored a team of Carleton faculty and staff, who gathered (virtually) in early June to discuss how community and civic engagement at Carleton can be improved and deepened to further student success and learning. They attended the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) 2020 Institute on High Impact Practices and Student Success: Enhancing Institutional Capacity for Quality, Equity, and Student Engagement. Originally scheduled to be held in Atlanta, the institute was held virtually instead.
In order to set the institute up for success, the team included key faculty and staff involved in civic and community engagement across campus. Furthermore, team members are well-positioned around the college to promote structural change, including the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, the Public Works Initiative, the Learning and Teaching Center, Director of the Arts, STEM Board, and humanities and science faculty already deeply involved in academic civic engagement. The team consisted of: Associate Professor of Physics Marty Baylor, Professor of History, Humphrey Doermann Professor of Liberal Learning and Director of the Perlman Center for Teaching and Learning Victoria Morse, Director of the Center for Community and Civic Engagement Sinda Nichols, Associate Director for Academic Civic Engagement and Scholarship Emily Oliver, Professor of History and Public Works Initiative Co-Director Susannah Ottaway, Puzak Family Director of the Arts Steve Richardson, and Herman and Gertrude Mosier Stark Professor of Biology and the Natural Sciences Debby Walser-Kuntz.
Academic Civic Engagement is one of several High Impact Practices (HIP), defined by the AAC&U. Others include off campus study, ePortfolios, first-year seminars, capstone projects, internships, undergraduate research, and more. HIPs have been shown to increase student engagement and lead to better student outcomes, such as retention and graduation rates. In addition, students who are part of historically underserved communities generally derive more benefit from HIPs, which can improve academic performance. Given these positive benefits, it is crucial that these students have access to these experiences. In this way, ACE can further equity at colleges by supporting students who need it most.
The team applied for the institute in February, but intervening events furthered emphasized the urgency of their work. The pandemic laid bare structural inequities, and the murder of George Floyd brought issues of racial injustice to the forefront of national conversations.
During the institute, the team attended a variety of workshops on inclusivity, diversity, and high impact practices. Team members attended different breakout sessions during the day and went to the keynote together at the end of each day. In addition to these sessions, the team met as a whole to discuss what they had learned and ways to implement it at Carleton. Finally, they met with an AAC&U mentor to reflect and plan for ways to move forward.
The team identified three places for action moving forward. First, the CCCE is developing a narrative tool that supports effective storytelling about community engaged teaching and scholarship at Carleton. This resource will help others better understand the role of these practices on campus, how they further the mission and values of Carleton, and our goals to be a community that directly confronts structural racism and social injustice, engages productively with questions of equity and inclusion, and supports a climate of belongingness.
Second, CCCE staff and key partners from the AAC&U team will be working to develop a faculty institute for teaching ACE courses. The faculty institute would be a chance for faculty to learn about and develop best practices for community engagement. Not only does this support them in their work, it also sets students up for success and helps ensure a productive experience for all involved.
Third, assessment was identified as a key area of focus. CCCE staff members will collaborate with a working group to develop an assessment plan for ACE courses that centers equity. This will ensure that ACE courses and community engaged work are being implemented well and in ways that support student success.
Work is already underway in all three of these areas. While no change can be immediate, we hope that these actions will help make us better partners in our community, better able to support all our students, and better citizens in furthering racial justice on our campus and in our communities.