Need to introduce the idea of getting pedagogical support from other faculty members who are also teaching community-engaged courses.

Each semester University of Iowa students in nearly every discipline step out of the classroom and into Iowa communities to apply theoretical coursework to real-world projects. Working with community members offers a much different experience from the traditional classroom environment, for both students and faculty. But, there is a balance within community-engaged learning that needs to be achieved. In order to maximize success, faculty often face challenges between managing community partner expectations while allowing students the flexibility they need to achieve growth and success.

“The biggest challenge that I face every year is in designing a syllabus that is flexible and adaptable to each project and allows students space to develop their thoughts and ideas along with community partners,” said Lindsay Mattock, assistant professor, School of Library and Information Science, who has partnered with the Office of Community Engagement (OCE) for three projects. Mattock was one of eight University of Iowa faculty who attended the OCE’s Engaged Faculty Institute.

The Engaged Faculty Institute connected faculty from the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Iowa State (ISU), Wartburg, and Coe College with the goal of helping guide and inform best practices for pedagogical development. The two-day-long workshop was led by Iowa Campus Compact and OCE, and concluded with a workshop for UI faculty, led by OCE staff.

Over the course of both days, attendees received training on how to incorporate service learning and community engagement activities into their courses, so activities align with course learning goals. Faculty also received information on how to enhance student growth and civic engagement, and strategies for working with and strengthening communities.

One of the greatest benefits of the Engaged Faculty Institute was that faculty could interact and share best practices with each other.
 
“[This] was the first pedagogical workshop I’ve done that was focused exclusively on community engagement,” Mattock said. “I thought it was very useful, sitting at a table with other faculty. The courses we were teaching complemented each other well and we were able to have deep conversations.

“The Engaged Faculty Institute was particularly useful, providing an opportunity to learn from other faculty and review pedagogical strategies that have worked for others in the classroom. I have implemented some of the ideas that were discussed during the Institute into my syllabus,” Mattock said.