Call for Proposals: Student Learning and the Public Good

Posted by on April 8, 2005

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in collaboration with Campus Compact

The Civic Engagement Imperative: Student Learning and the Public Good

Network for Academic Renewal Conference
November 10-12, 2005
Providence, Rhode Island

Call for Proposals
The deadline for submission of proposals is Monday, April 17, 2005.

AAC&U’s Network for Academic Renewal invites proposals for sessions that:
* clarify the definitions and learning outcomes of civic engagement programs;
* explore coherent and developmental curricular, co-curricular, and systemic means to achieve these outcomes; or
* describe effective or promising practices that integrate the goals of civic engagement into institutional missions, campus practices, and local, national, and global communities.

Colleges and universities across the country are creating intentional learning environments where students apply knowledge to real world situations. Thematically linked learning communities, community-based research, intercultural learning, service-learning, mentored internships, reflective practice about experiential learning, and/or engaged study abroad programs are all examples of approaches that help students use what they learn to address public concerns. Such approaches also encourage students to consider multiple frameworks for judgment and action as well as nurture their abilities to draw meaning from experience, critique theory in light of practice, and evaluate practice in light of new knowledge. As these programs encourage students to negotiate differences with colleagues, they can cultivate thoughtful and reflective forms of citizenship in diverse democracies.

The Civic Engagement Imperative: Student Learning and the Public Good is intended to help campuses explore these and other educational innovations and develop a more cohesive framework for student learning through and for civic engagement. Questions to be addressed include: What do we mean by “civic engagement”? What knowledge, values, and skills are needed by a civically educated person? What examples of experiential learning tied to academic integration and personal reflection help students’ figure out their role in advancing the public good? What do students need to know about themselves and the cultures of the world to become socially responsible citizens throughout their professional, civic, and personal lives? How might institutions align their curricula and co-curricular programs to foster these outcomes? What are some developmental approaches to student’s civic learning over time, in and among disciplines, and in different domains? How will we know if students have achieved the institution’s espoused civic engagement goals?

http://www.aacu.org/meetings/civic_engagement/aboutcfp.cfm
Karen A. Kalla
Co-director, Network for Academic Renewal
AAC&U
202.387.3760 ext. 417