Community-based experiential learning
Community-based experiential learning (CBEL) is an overarching term that encompasses a number of community-based pedagogical practices. Included are Community Service Learning (CSL), Community Based Research (CBR), and other pedagogical initiatives that provide students opportunities to apply their discipline-specific knowledge toward the resolution of complex community-based challenges.
What distinguishes CBEL from other forms of teaching and learning is that through the application of discipline-specific knowledge and the intentional reflection on those experiences, students:
- Become more comfortable with change and ambiguity
- Are provided opportunities to develop a greater capacity for critical thinking and creative problem-solving
- Acquire an ability to work across cultures
CBEL experiences enhance students’ academic learning and their capacity for global citizenship, while strengthening civil society and advancing sustainability. For information on outcomes for CBEL, download the Assessment document below.
Developments at the UBC-CLI in 2010/11
To learn more about broader developments at the UBC-CLI in 2010/11, read the annual report to the J. W. McConnell Family Foundation.
Director's reflections
You can also read reflections of UBC-CLI Director Susan Grossman on changes at UBC-CLI over the course of the past academic year and her vision for the future of community-based experiential learning opportunities at UBC.
