Community Engaged Learning
Meaningful Service
Community Engaged Learning (CEL) is an experiential education method that integrates meaningful community partnership with instruction, mentorship, and reflection to collaboratively address health needs. CEL focuses on the social determinates of health, including education poverty, and access to care. Why do certain zip codes have more health issues than others? Why aren’t vital policies being written? What can make change?
Guided by faculty mentors and over 60 community partners, our students put ethics into action through hands-on experiential learning, providing care to vulnerable populations in Texas counties. After listening to and connecting with local organizations, and working together to develop and implement a project to address prioritized needs, students present their findings to advocate for system quality improvements to create flourishing communities. Our students, faculty, and staff are guided by the Service-Learning Code of Ethics.
We equip the future health care workforce to collaboratively address community challenges and ultimately be the change-makers that contribute to transformed, equitable health and wellness systems.
Collaborative Change
Community impact is a group effort! Each CEL key player will have a vital role in your project. Connect and network with your peers, faculty and partners or reach out to CEL@uthscsa.edu for help.
Student Projects | Community Partnerships | CEL Faculty
Roadmap to Impact
Follow these steps to start your impact project today!
Prepare for Your Project
Step 1 - Listen to the Community
Your service always begins with responding to community-identified needs. This requires hearing from the community and the organizations who work with them. Attend town halls, review community needs assessments, utilize trustworthy news sources, talk to people, etc. Just always make sure you are deeply listening, with no preconceptions.
Step 2 - Decide to take action
When you start to deeply listen to community, you will likely want to take action. Getting started should not be a barrier. Email the CEL Office to schedule an appointment to brainstorm and get ideas where to start. View past projects and ones that can be carried forward.
Step 3 - Form your team: students(s), mentor and community partner
Developing trusting relationships and building a collaborative team will promote a successful CSL experience. Email the CEL Office to schedule an appointment to brainstorm and get ideas where to start.
Check out ENGAGED for a list of potential mentors.
Implementing Your Project
It is critical to ensure you and your team have conducted a needs assessment and are prepared to serve your particular community.
To help, check out our Community-Engaged Toolkit and Resources
Having a plan created by you and your community partner will make sure your project stays on target.
Use our CEL Project Plan OR submit a CEL grant application
Do you need funds to conduct your project?
Consider applying for a CEL Grant.
Once you begin, use ENGAGED to help you manage your volunteers and project activities, including time spent on the project and how many people you serve.
Project Follow Up
Did you meet your project objectives? Report on your successes through an ENGAGED survey that will be provided to you by the CEL Office.
It’s time to share your findings with your community partner, your peers, and other stakeholders!
Submit an abstract to the Annual CEL Conference. Look for the Call for Abstracts in the fall.
It is our ethical responsibility to make sure that there is a plan to sustain and build upon effective CSL projects in the community.
Will you recruit new students or hand over the project to the community partner?
Contact Us
Name |
Title |
|
Telephone |
| Melanie Stone, DrPH, MEd | Director | stonem@uthscsa.edu | 210-567-0523 |
| Jacqueline Tovar | Program Coordinator | tovarj3@uthscsa.edu | 210-567-0749 |
| CEL Program Inquiries | cel@uthscsa.edu | 210-567-0795 | |
Curriculum
Course # |
Title |
| ELEC 5041 | Homelessness & Addiction |
| ELEC 5044 | Leadership in Interprofessional Community Service Learning |
| INTD 4015 | Humanism in Medicine |