Faculty Opportunities

The Office of Community-Based Learning supports campus-community engagement, from idea development and course design through project delivery and end-of-term assessment.

CBL Provides the Following Benefits

• Provides faculty and students a real-world counterpart to theoretical material discussed in the classroom
• Engages students in High Impact Practices to increase interpersonal growth and challenge world-views and assumptions
• Supports learning new pedagogical innovations
• Forges interdisciplinary collaboration
• Informs current interests and research
• Builds sustainable community connections
• Makes a positive impact in the community
• Fosters faculty development

The CBL Office Provides the Following Support

• Connects faculty, community partners, and students interested in mutually-beneficial collaboration
• Offers training and orientation that prepare W&L students to engage with the community
• Supports funding for course codesign grants
• Coordinates transportation for students enrolled in CBL courses
• Provides opportunities for faculty members to connect and develop CBL courses
• Spreads the word about collaborations among faculty, community partners, and students
• Formalizes the universities relationship with community partners

View CBL’s Faculty Handbook

What Do Faculty Say About Teaching a CBL Course?

• 93% of faculty who taught a CBL course would teach it again
• 87% of faculty said CBL positively impacted their relationship with students

"Community-based learning is going to help [students] become better doctors, better hospital administrators; more informed citizens. It helps you extend the learning beyond the classroom and open your eyes to the broader world."

Professor Sarah Blythe, Biology

"The students get to see that what they have studied for four years isn’t just a fairy tale in a textbook - you are really going to make somebody’s life better. And to actually have the community be excited is very rewarding. They may never think about a final exam again, but I don’t think they will soon forget these projects."

Professor Joel Kuehner, Engineering