Community Engaged Learning in the Geosciences: What, why, how, and for whom
Community-engaged learning (CEL) pedagogies, including service learning and fair-trade learning, are based on reciprocal partnerships with organizations in the community devoted to the common good, and engage students in activities and projects that help the partner organization achieve its goals. Research suggests that CEL courses can enhance student motivation and self-efficacy to engage with environmental problems, encourage them to become more self-aware of their privilege and positionality, and prompt them to be more engaged citizens‚ all while enhancing their learning and retention of course content. Because they help students see the direct benefits STEM disciplines can offer to their communities, CEL pedagogies may have additional benefits for first-generation students, students of color, and women in STEM. In this workshop, we will describe the research on the benefits of CEL pedagogies, especially in STEM and geoscience fields and for underrepresented student populations. We will share examples from our own practice and research, drawing upon numerous published resources and using them to guide participants through thinking about how CEL might meet their instructional goals and fit within their departmental or institutional contexts, how they might implement it in their existing courses, and how they might assess its impact.
Intended Audience
Instructors in formal classroom settings will be most likely to benefit, as we will use course-based examples from our prior research and guide participants to consider institutional or departmental contexts. Because we will emphasize the potential for benefits to underrepresented student populations, the workshop will be especially valuable for individuals committed to creating inclusive learning environments.
Goals
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe the ways in which community-engaged learning pedagogies may support underrepresented student populations and connect to institutional or departmental goals.
- Develop ideas for how to implement community-engaged learning in their own courses to advance specific outcomes.
- Select ways to assess or evaluate the impact of community-engaged learning on students.
Program
- 0-15 min: Workshop and participant introductions
- 15-35 min: Intro to and discussion of community-based learning, impact on student populations, and fit with goals
- 35-50 min: Exploring Examples: What's in the Water Curriculum (focus on pedagogy, logistics, mechanics, etc.) and others
- 50-80 min: Planning your community-based learning implementation, with peer discussion
- 80-95 min: Break
- 95-120 min: Research and assessment, with examples from our work
- 120-140 min: Planning your community-based learning assessment and/or research, with peer discussion
- 140-160 min: Sharing and discussion, questions, and feedback
Resources
Akman, J., Bitting, K. S., & Merricks, J. A. (2026). Do Community-Based Learning Experiences in STEM Encourage Students From Historically Underrepresented Backgrounds to Pursue STEM? A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review. Journal of Experiential Education, 0(0). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10538259261421544
Bitting, K. S., & Merricks, J. A. (2025). Addressing ecoparalysis: a community-engaged unit enhances undergraduate student environmental value and problem-solving self-efficacy. Environmental Education Research, 31(3), 529–547. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2024.2374329
Merricks, J. A., & Bitting, K. S. (2026). Development of a Refined Rubric for Investigating Transformative Learning in Non-Majors' STEM Reflective Writing. Journal of College Science Teaching, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/0047231X.2026.2667766
Merricks, J. A., & Bitting, K. S. (2021). What's in the Water? A community-engaged inquiry unit exploring PFAS contamination in North Carolina. Teach The Earth. https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/courses/246203.html