CBLR Courses: Community-Based Learning and Research
Community-based courses provide learning experiences that enrich the understanding of important social, civic and ethical issues; foster inquiry outside the classroom; enable knowledge creation in partnership with community agencies; and build skills and competencies valuable for life after Brown. The importance of community-engaged scholarship was reaffirmed in Brown’s strategic plan, Building on Distinction: “Consistent with our mission to serve ‘the community, the nation, and the world,’ learning that connects academic and real-world experiences is central to the undergraduate experience at Brown.”
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching defines community engagement as “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” At Brown, the College Curriculum Council approved in 2018 four core criteria for defining and designating community-based learning and research courses. CBLR-designated courses:
- Involve collaboration with one or more community partners to investigate an important social challenge or problem;
- Incorporate in-depth community-based experiences (typically undertaken outside of the classroom) into the learning and/or research objectives of the course;
- Provide structured opportunities for reflecting on the relationship between classroom learning and real-world experience, with the goals of deepening the understanding of course content and exploring questions of identity, agency and social responsibility; and
- Create products or outcomes that are shared with the community partner and/or broader public.
Find out more about Community-Based Learning and Research.
Finding CBLR Courses
Courses with the CBLR designation can be found by visiting Courses@Brown and selecting "CBLR Courses" from the curricular programs filter at the bottom of the site. Instructors teaching community-engaged courses are strongly encouraged to add the designation to their courses, in order to make them more visible to students.
Process for Adding the CBLR Curricular Designation to a Course
Courses under consideration for the CBLR designation (as with other curricular programs) may be submitted via the Banner course proposal system (by selecting "yes" in the "curricular programs" field and then choosing the appropriate type) either at the time the course is first proposed or by initiating a "modification" for an existing course (modifications can be submitted in Banner until the last day of shopping period). A recent syllabus should be attached, explicitly identifying two or more of the elements listed above as key course objectives, bolstered by at least one assignment.
Courses will be reviewed by the College Curriculum Council; they are also reviewed by an academic dean with expertise in community engagement and at least two faculty members with expertise in an area represented in the designation. CBLR courses are then reviewed regularly for effectiveness in meeting the goals of the curricular designation.
Support for Developing CBLR Courses
Swearer Center staff are very happy to consult with instructors about course design and potential partner organizations. To request assistance, please email Julie Plaut at [email protected]. For more information on the CBLR and curricular development programs, visit the Dean of the College website.