The Community-Engaged Learning Office (CELO) is UVM's home for academic service-learning. Our goal is to help students apply their learning on behalf of the many communities connected to UVM.
CELO works to create a community of practice among UVM faculty, students, and community partners built on the high-impact practice of community-engaged learning. Service learning (SL) and civic learning (CL) courses work in partnership with hundreds of organizations: nonprofits, local government entities, small businesses, community associations, and more. Students engage in work that benefits a community organization, while faculty provide a structure for accountability to the project or service that helps students learn from their experience. Through this coursework, students prepare for full participation in public life by deploying their academic skills within reciprocal community partnerships that address community-identified priorities.
The University of Vermont has a distinguished history of community-engaged teaching and learning. As the alma mater of John Dewey, UVM is deeply invested in this particular high-impact educational practice (Kuh 2008), and has long valued engagement in community and experiential education as key foundations for citizenship. CELO continues this work, helping faculty infuse community engagement into their teaching and scholarship; maintaining relationships with community partners; and supporting pathways for students to engage in communities throughout their time at UVM and beyond.
| 99 service- & civic-learning courses | 51 faculty taught SL / CL courses | 140+ community partners to SL / CL courses |
| 18.5% of all undergraduates took at least one SL / CL course in AY22 | 44% of 2022 graduating seniors took at least one SL / CL course during their UVM career | 22 academic departments offered SL / CL courses in AY22 |
CELO trains faculty in service-learning pedagogy and practice, while supporting approximately 100 community-engaged learning courses every year across schools, colleges, and disciplines. We designate courses; consult with departments and individual faculty; offer a Faculty Fellows program; and provide many other in-course supports, faculty development opportunities, and resources for developing courses.
CELO can help students get involved with many different partners, professions, and communities in Burlington and beyond. We work with students to connect academic skills and interests with community partners and real-world experiences; run a Service-Learning TA program; and support commnuity-based research opportunities for students.
Service-learning is a reciprocal partnership between community organizations, professors and students. Students in service-learning courses can offer technical, logistical, analytical, educational, design, and clinical support. If you are interested in partnering with a UVM course, here is the place to start.
