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 Supports

  • 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."

- Prof. 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."

- Prof. Joel Kuehner, Engineering