Criterion 1: Mission
Core Component 1.C reads, “The institution provides opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within its mission and for the constituencies it serves.”
As part of this criterion, institutions must provide evidence showing criteria for accreditation are being met (https://download.hlcommission.org/ProvidingEvidence2020_INF.pdf).
For some of these activities, like courses in student teaching, practicum, and internship, we may know the specific counts of students or who were from the community. In other cases, such as an open community program or speaker addressing Diversity and Equity, we will not be able to generate concrete numbers that we can assign. In all cases provide reasonable estimates of the participant numbers (VU and Community). Again, the expectation here is not to do a lot of work to clarify counts beyond reasonable estimates. You can also group things together in a reasonable/rational (to you) manner. Grouping your 10 internship students into one event reporting is fine. Any rational groupings that make the process easier and that reduce your time is fine.
Lastly, some of the Civic Engagement activities that are required, such as student teaching or a practicum, may already include an assessment of the student’s interaction or service to the community that can serve as a measure of the civic engagement activity’s success or impact. If your activity does so, please indicate that such an assessment takes place. We will use this information to perhaps reach out as needed to collect a work sample or two to assist in meeting our accreditation requirements.
Example 1: Class with 25 students in 3 sections Field Work like Student Teaching, Nursing placements, etc.
- Term Fall 2023 we had 20 Students providing [educational, nursing] services to [children, community members in [placement]. They worked with 125 community members. There was a formal assessment of impact of this class’s activities on the [classroom, patients].
Example 2: Term Fall 2023 we had 3 students assist with Meals on Wheels delivering 45 meals to community members over the term. There was no form assessment of impact of this activity.
Civic Engagement Definitions/Examples:
Civic Engagement in this context is defined as activities where our students, faculty, or staff are providing a service to the non-campus community or Vincennes University (VU) is sponsoring civic engagement activities for either the campus community or the non-campus community. There are several types, which are loosely described by the following three (3) categories:
- Academic Requirement: These are principally placements in off-campus environments such as internships with a businesses or industry, student teaching, clinical placements, etc. These formal academic experiences are typically evaluated, and the evaluations regarding the impact on the community can be obtained.
- Co-curricular Experiences: These are generally University organized and sanctioned events that involved students working within the community. These might be organized by programs, such as Housing or Multi-Cultural Affairs, or organized by students, such as student clubs. Examples might be the Pet Port Food Drive, a community clean-up, or a blood drive. These may or may not be assessed.
- Other Civic Engagement Experiences: These are University sponsored experiences that engage University personnel, and possibly students, with either the campus or non-campus community such as University diversity and inclusion activities, a speaker series open to the community, or Meals on Wheels, Sandy's Pantry, or Toys for Tots. These are generally not assessed.
