A scalable model of community-based experiential learning through courses and international projects

Partnering students with community clients can have positive learning and community service outcomes. There are challenges, however, defining and assessing curricula learning goals, evaluating community impact, and achieving significant scale, while not overwhelming faculty schedules. We present a model of engaging students with community clients that we have developed over 20 years and have used in multiple modes. Our model defines the students' roles in consulting terms, which allows us to broaden their perspective. Their goal is to help an organization solve a problem, expanding their responsibilities beyond just implementing a system. Ongoing instruction scaffolds the students' experience. The faculty's role is intentionally somewhat detached, serving as an advisor, but not involved as a team member. We use this model in three modes: a consulting course in which individual students work one-on-one with clients; a summer internship program in which students consult with partners in developing communities; and a large required course in which small student teams develop custom software solutions for community clients. Learning goals for all modes include: work with a client to broadly understand their context and to structure an authentic problem; recommend, design, and develop sustainable solutions; communicate and collaborate effectively; and demonstrate good project management.