Undergraduate Students' Experiences of a Community-Engaged Learning Course: A Mixed-Methods Study

Undergraduate student engagement increases the quality of education. Community-engaged learning (CEL) courses are one way to promote engagement and involve students collaborating with community partners to achieve a common goal by applying course knowledge to real-world issues.

This study evaluated: (a) the relationship between CEL-related student learning outcomes (SLOs) and attitudes toward CEL courses before taking one; (b) CEL-related SLOs among undergraduate students before versus after taking a CEL course; and (c) the lived experiences of students who participated in their first CEL course.

Pre- and post-course surveys and focus group data were collected. Survey data were analyzed via correlations and dependent groups t-tests, while inductive content analysis was employed to analyze focus group data.

Findings revealed a significant correlation between students' opinions toward the benefits of taking a CEL course and their CEL-related SLOs and a statistically significant positive difference between student growth and achievement before compared to after completing a CEL course (t = 2.6778, p = .0123). Students also expressed the benefits of taking CEL courses, including community impacts, conduciveness to learning preferences, and skill development.

CEL courses are a means to improve students' motivation, achievement, and skill acquisition for future career preparedness.