Student Community Placements

Community engagement is when the university works collaboratively with community-based organizations* to address issues important to the well-being and lives of community members; the outcomes of which benefit the common good.** Through community engagement, university and community-based organizations exchange and share resources and work together to advocate for positive systemic change.

*Community-Based Organization - Public or private organizations that represent a community or members of a community, providing related services to individuals in the community. CBOs may work at local, regional, national, or global levels to meet the needs of communities as defined by location, identity, need, or interest. They include schools, social service agencies, nonprofit organizations, government organizations, and private entities that work in this capacity.

**The term "common good" refers to the material, cultural or institutional interests and goals that members of society have in common that embody sustained mutual respect, e.g. arts, civic engagement, community health/well-being, economic development, education, equity, sustainability. (Adapted from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.)

Why is community engagement a part of a college education?

Community Engagement is an important part of the mission of the California State University system. Rooted in our communities, each CSU campus collaborates regionally to contribute to community growth and enhance student learning. SF State values community engagement as a way to 1) foster a vibrant, innovative learning environment that promotes academic, professional, and personal development, and 2) contribute to the health and strength of our communities—economically, socially, environmentally, educationally, and politically. Within the classroom, community engagement has four purposes.

For students to:

1. apply learning in a real-world environment;
2. deepen their connection to course learning and career goals;
3. prepare to be engaged citizens and socially responsible contributors to society;
4. realize that knowledge is a living force, meant to be used, that changes and grows once applied. 

Volunteering and Community Service

Student participation in events and activities that focus on the service and its benefit to the community. Students learn about community issues and how their service makes a difference in the world. These are mostly co-curricular in nature, organized through student clubs and university departments. Many students come to the university primarily having experienced community engagement by volunteering and community service through home life and extra-curricular activities.

Community-Engaged Courses

There are a variety of courses at the university that connect students with applied, real-world learning experiences.  The university and community–based organizations collaborate to identify activities that are appropriate for students, relevant to student learning, and beneficial for the community. Please see the tab “Understanding Community-Engaged Courses” for more information.

Public Scholarship/The Scholarship of Engagement

Students may also have the opportunity to participate in research projects related to community engagement. The scholarship of engagement connects faculty and student research to understanding and solving social, civic, or ethical problems. This knowledge is developed and shared with the community, through mutually respectful and beneficial partnerships.

There are a variety of courses at the university that connect students with applied, real-world learning experiences. These courses may use different descriptive words like: applied, capstone, community engagement, fieldwork, internship, practicum, service-learning. In general, this means that students are engaged in off-campus learning ("community-based") activities as part of course learning. 

The expectations and requirements for these courses and assignments differ depending on the type of course and the department, including:

• the learning outcomes or purpose of the assignment;
• hours requirements;
• how students find an external organization;
• the process for “placing” with the organization or confirming the community-based learning experience;
• how much of the course grade is based on the community-based assignment.

Students should always check with their instructor to ensure they know course expectations and requirements. ICCE specifically supports community engagement courses.

These courses include a variety of community-based activities* that enhance student learning, benefit the common good**, and take place in collaboration with community partner organizations. Courses vary in how much the community-based assignment is integrated into the course.  

Service-Learning Courses 

Service-learning is a distinct type of community engagement. It is characterized by critical reflection and a collaborative partnership among the instructor, students, and community, with a focus on both student learning and community impact. An academic course (in any discipline) that provides students opportunities to participate in organized service activities that meet community needs while linking the community service experiences to the course content. This makes service learning a very different experience than community service. Course learning focuses equally on the community impact, collaboration with the partner organizations, and student learning specifically related to civic learning, equity, social justice, or responsibility.

*Community-Based Activities - Assignments at/with/for an external organization and connected to course learning or major/department learning outcomes

**Common Good - The material, cultural or institutional interests that members of society have in
common, e.g. arts, civic engagement, community health/well-being, economic development, education, equity, sustainability.

Academic Internships

Internships are formal work opportunities that integrate an academic program with career aspirations. We consider internships “community engagement” when, through an internship course led by a faculty member, a student’s academic program and professional work experience intersect with the common good, and students reflect on this intersection through course assignments.

Capstone 

A capstone course requires the successful completion of a thesis, project, or comprehensive examination. The quality of the student’s work is the major consideration in judging the success of this degree component. We consider capstone courses “community engagement” when a student’s capstone experience includes community-based learning and intersects with the common good.

Field/Fieldwork

“Field or fieldwork” courses provide students with community-based learning opportunities that are central to their major/degree academic work and are organized around enhancing the student's understanding of their field of study and having students demonstrate skills related to their future profession. While students usually have a site supervisor identified at the community-based organization, they are also expected to be able to work independently. Students generally take fieldwork courses towards the end of their degree of study, or as part of a graduate program. We consider field courses “community engagement” when a student’s academic program and professional work experience intersect with the common good.

Practicum

Practicum courses provide students with community-based learning opportunities that are central to their major/degree academic work and are organized around enhancing the student's understanding of their field of study and having students demonstrate skills related to their future profession. While students usually have a site supervisor identified at the community-based organization, they are also expected to be able to work independently. Students generally take practicum courses towards the end of their degree of study, or as part of a graduate program. We consider practicum courses “community engagement” when a student’s academic program and professional work experience intersect with the common good.

Master list of all courses designated as community service learning (CSL)

• This complete list of courses that are CSL designated as indicated in the SF State Bulletin. Only service hours from these courses will be shown on the official transcript. Please note that not all courses are offered every semester and it is at the discretion of the course instructor to offer the CSL option. 
• Learn more about service learning 

Course Sections Offered: Academic Semester

View course sections that instructors have identified as CSL for a given semester.

Through ULink:

• Students find a community-based organization to work with.

• Community-based organizations post opportunities.

• Students may request that the university establish a partnership with an organization not currently listed.

• Students complete the required participation forms and confirm the community engagement/service learning hours they have completed with the partner organization.

• Faculty use ULink to track student hours and activities (students in community-based courses will be informed by their instructors if they are expected to use ULink).

• Finding & Searching a Community-Based Organization in SF State ULink

• Completing the Required Forms in SF State ULink

• ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide Instructional Video Playlist

Access SF State's official community engagement ULinks online portal and log in with your University ID.

Congratulations on finding your internship / service-learning opportunity!

Now that you have confirmed an opportunity with an organization that is not listed as a partner organization in the ULink Directory, the next step is to complete a "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site" within your ULink account. 

Refer to the ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide (Road Map 2 scenario) to "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site".

When you make your "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site" within your ULink account, ICCE will be able to send you your required form: Acknowledgment of No LPSA (Learning Placement Site Agreement) & Student Informed Consent Packet.

Community Site Placement general email:

icce-communityplacement@sfsu.edu

Current Liability Requirements based on the CSU Office of the Chancellor

• Any student actively participating in an unpaid learning activity for academic credit with an organization or external entity must:

  1. sign Student Informed Consent & Info. Packet and

  2. there must be a Learning Placement Site Agreement (LPSA) in place with the organization and the university.

• If students are paid* and receiving academic credit, a Learning Site Placement Agreement with their site organization is not required; however, paid students are still required to review and sign the Student Informed Consent & Info. Packet.

• Regardless of whether the opportunity/service/project is completed remotely and whether students are never "on-site/in-person", an LPSA must place with the organization and the university. 

*Per CSU CO, a paid internship is when the student is an employee. This does not include where students receive stipends. Workers Compensation: One common area of concern for both parties is how to respond if a student is injured or becomes ill while participating in a learning activity. The Leaning Placement Site Agreement (LPSA) states that neither the university nor the learning site is responsible for providing Workers’ Compensation insurance to students (as they are not employees of the university or learning site, and Workers’ Compensation is a program designed for employees). The Student Consent form (includes participation guidelines) informs students that they are personally responsible for paying the costs related to the treatment of any injury or illness they may suffer while participating in a learning activity. For this reason, students are encouraged to maintain health insurance (in addition to the basic care they can receive at their student health center) for the duration of their placement. If the learning site requires that the university provide students with Workers’ Compensation insurance as part of the service-learning/academic internship activity, you must review this request with our university risk manager. Please note that extending Workers’ Compensation to students is very rarely done and will only be considered if the placement site will not allow the placement without it AND the placement site offers an opportunity that is essential to the student’s curricular program and cannot be found in another setting. Please contact ICCE for further information to connect and confer with ERM.

Liability for Virtual Projects (where the faculty member is the point of contact)

If students are not in direct service/communication (on-site or remote) with an external organization or in direct service/communication (on-site or remote) with an external population, then an LPSA does not need to be established. For example, students might be creating social media campaigns or evaluation analyses for an organization, but the faculty member maintains all contact with the organization. If the faculty member discusses the needs with the organization, supports students in their work, and delivers the materials to the organization then no LPSA would be necessary.

If students are required to visit a public site or do a presentation for the organization off-campus, then faculty should have students complete a Field Trip Registration & Liability form (for academic field trip information, see below). For example, if students will be performing social justice theatre, community presentation of a project/assignment, or painting a mural of civil rights leaders in an outdoor public venue, then students should complete Field Trip Registration & Liability Form.

However, all students participating in virtual projects and receiving academic credit are still required to review and sign the Student Informed Consent & Info. Packet. SF State requires informed consent forms for all service-learning placements, whether on-campus, off-campus, or virtual.  The informed consent forms serve to (1) notify the student of risks associated with the placements to enable them to make an informed decision about their voluntary participation; (2) meet the requirement of our insurance providers thus affecting insurance coverage for the student; and (3) protect the university. Students always have the right to decline to sign the forms without penalty to the course grade. They will not be allowed to participate in the service-learning experience if they decline to sign and an alternative assignment/task must be provided.

SF State ULink, SF State's official online community engagement platform

• SF State's official community engagement ULinks online platform hosted by ICCE which manages student placements facilitates the off-campus learning risk management process and lists community partnership information. Students and faculty may use ULink for their courses to find and place with organizations that have a current LPSA with SF State. ICCE manages ULink in an effort to centralize the student placement and risk management processes associated with community-engaged learning. All course sections that have been identified (attributed) as CSL on a term-by-term basis are automatically loaded into ULink for student and faculty use. 

• For courses/activities managed through ULink, faculty/staff/ICCE will be able to track/report:

  • course information

  • number of hours students completed and placement sites/student

  • community issues addressed

  • confirmation of LPSAs

Academic Internship (AI) and CSL courses: Risk Management

Faculty, students, and administrators at SF State have a long history of partnering with our local communities. These partnerships not only improve the quality of life across the region, they significantly contribute to student learning, advance faculty teaching, and research, and positively contribute to our local communities. In an effort to promote safe partnerships, SF State has developed a risk management mitigation plan that outlines the steps that faculty, students, and community members must follow to ensure a safe and positive community engagement experience in compliance with SF State (Academic Senate Policy: AY 2016-2017 Reference Number S17-278 and CSU (Executive Order 1064) risk management policies. Please note: for the purpose of CSU EO 1064, academic internships do not include credential student teacher preparation placements or clinical placements including nursing, counseling, physical therapy, or occupational therapy. For these placements, please contact the respective department for more applicable guidelines and policies. ICCE is not the University Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) office, and all site placement support policies and process were developed in accordance and guidance with University ERM and CSU CO policy and guidelines.

ICCE offers the following services to faculty and staff teaching AI and CSL courses:

• Individual consultation on best practices and course design
• University-community partnership development and sustainability in consultation with the University Enterprise Risk Management office
• Faculty and student networking with community partners through SF State's official community engagement ULinks platform
• Classroom presentation on student steps 
• Student placement data capture and collection

FAQs and Summary of Placement Steps

Looking for opportunities and partner organizations 

1. Encourage your students to use SF State's official community engagement ULinks to directly engage with 440+ diverse community partners. SF State ULink is a digital community engagement portal managed by ICCE. All listed community partners have active LPSAs and their opportunities have been vetted by ICCE staff to promote safe and positive learning experiences. 

2. Refer students to the SF State ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide (guide can be found in the "Quick Links" tab below). This guide provides a roadmap and a detailed step-by-step process for finding opportunities. 

Note:

• If a student has secured an internship/service learning opportunity with an organization not listed on SF State ULink, refer the student to the Road Map 2 scenario as indicated in the SF State ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide to "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site" to obtain their Student Consent forms. 

• If students are paid* and receiving academic credit, a Learning Site Placement Agreement with their site organization is not required; however, paid students are still required to review and sign the Student Informed Consent & Info. Packet. Please see above tab: Understanding Student Placement Requirements, Liability & SF State ULink for more information.

FAQs

How is ULink distinguished from Handshake? Can students use Handshake to search for internships?

• Handshake is a platform managed by Career Services & Leadership Development that primarily lists job opportunities and not all opportunities are thoroughly screened for health and safety.
• Students can search and apply for internships through Handshake, however, if students are seeking academic credit for this placement, they must still refer the student to the Road Map 2 scenario as indicated in the SF State ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide to "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site" to obtain their Student Consent forms. 

Required Site Placement Student Forms 

Before students are to begin their internship/service-learning opportunity (virtual or in-person) and are receiving academic credit, they must review and sign their Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Info. Packet. 

Background: This Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Info. Packet is meant to inform students of their rights to clearly communicate and inform students of the rights have regarding their internship/service-learning placements. Students should be aware that their course grades will not be affected as they have the right to decline to sign the Release of the Liability Waiver form. If this occurs, students are to be made aware that they will not be placed at a learning site and will instead receive an alternative assignment. Students participating with an internship/service-learning component, have the right to contact a designated University official at any time to modify their service requirement, report harassment, and inform you of unexpected changes to their service-learning responsibilities. By students knowing their options and their rights in service-learning placements, they can make a more informed choice about their participation. It is highly encouraged that you collaborate with service-learning/community engagement staff on how this information is communicated.

Students can request their 

1. Direct students to log in to their SF State ULink account via their SSO.  

2. Students will need to review and sign the Student Informed Consent &  Info. Packet before they begin their internship. This packet will be sent to them from ICCE via DocuSign.

3. Refer students to the SF State ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide. This guide provides a roadmap and detailed step-by-step process of how they can request from ICCE the Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Info. Packet through ULink. This guide provides a roadmap and detailed step-by-step process of how they can request from ICCE the Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Info. Packet through ULink. The User Guide provides two Road Map scenarios: 1) placements with organizations listed in ULink and 2) placements with organizations not listed in ULink. 

Items not related to Risk Management

Learning Plan 

Have students complete a Learning Plan and submit it to you.  In many cases, you/your program/department may have a similar document already in place specific to your course/program.  If your department/program already has a document that details the below items - you do not need to redraft or use the sample general template. Per Academic Senate Policy S17-278, a signed copy of this "Learning Plan" should be retained for a period of 7 years. A sample general Learning Plan template for reference can be found under the "Quick Links" tab below. Students do not need to submit a copy of their "Learning Plan" to ICCE. A “Learning Plan” is a document that captures information that will help your student, the site supervisor, and the course instructor to have an understanding of the following: 

• Course and internship site information;

• Service/work objectives;

• Summarizes students' primary responsibilities/the type of work that they will be doing, and the specific tasks to be completed by the end of the internship;

• Learning objectives: ways in which site placement connects with their in-class learning;

• Work schedule;

• Additional information specific to your course/department/program.

Note: See the "Document Retention" tab below for an overview. 

Tracking Completed Hours

• Go paperless! Encourage your students to track and post their hours in ULink if they are using sites listed in the SF State ULink Organization Directory (Road Map 1 scenario as indicated in the Student Userguide). Faculty will be able to view hours approved by the site supervisor through ULink. However, we do inform students to refer to their course instructors what method they prefer to use to confirm and track their hours for both Road Map 1 and Road Map 2 scenarios. 

• For students using sites not listed in the SF State ULink Organization Directory (Road Map 2 scenario), we have instructed students to refer to their course instructor as to how they would like them to track hours outside SF State ULink. 

• Effective Fall 2020, the Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Packet is sent to students via DocuSign by ICCE staff is continually being updated to ensure compliance and supersedes all previous versions. In previous semesters before the university moved to DocuSign, faculty/staff were provided a with a physical copy of the Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Info. Packet and submit it to ICCE. This practice is no longer valid as this consent info. packet is sent directly to student via DocuSign by ICCE staff.

• As we have moved to DocuSign, faculty will receive a completed, signed Student Informed Consent & Release Liability Info. Packet form via DocuSign from each student. As a result, ICCE will no longer maintain and update an excel tracking doc. for each course section of the status of student form submissions. 

• Through ULink, students will now use this platform to notify ICCE to send the Student Informed Consent form via DocuSign, as well as "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site". ICCE will then send an Acknowledgement of No LPSA statement form via DocuSign. Once the student signs, it will go to the course instructor to review and sign via DocuSign. 

• Faculty/staff no longer need to submit a completed Learning Plan to ICCE. In many cases, you/your program/department may have a document similar already in place.

[Note: For updated information regarding COVID-19: Experiential Learning & Community Engagement, please see the accordion tab below]

Faculty/staff no longer need to submit any physical forms to ICCE. For reference, below is a recap:

Student Informed Consent & Info. Packet

• Before site placement, all students need to review and sign. Students can request to receive this Packet from ICCE by registering in ULink. ICCE will then send the Packet to the student via DocuSign.
• Course instructors will be cc'd via DocuSign a final signed copy of the completed Packet for each student. 

Acknowledgment of No Learning Placement Site Agreement (LPSA) statement form (Road Map 2)

• If a student has secured an opportunity with an organization not listed on ULink, refer students to the Road Map 2 scenario as indicated in the ULink & Site Placement Student User Guide to "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site".
• Once a student places a "Request Placement with Non-Contracted Site", ICCE will send an Acknowledgement of No LPSA statement form via DocuSign.
• Once the student signs the Acknowledgement of No LPSA statement form, it will go to the course instructor to review and sign.
•  

Learning Plan

• In many cases, you/your program/department may have a document similar already in place. Per Academic Senate Policy S17-278, a signed copy of this "Learning Plan" should be retained for a period of 7 years.
• A sample general "Learning Plan" template for reference can be found under the "Quick Links" tab below. 
• Students/course instructors do not need to submit a copy of their "Learning Plan" to ICCE.

SF State has moved back to a primarily in-person campus. We have resumed all in-person activities including service learning and internships. The guidelines below follow the Chancellor’s Office CSU Experiential Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic policy. This information can also be found on SF State's Campus Comeback. 

While experiential learning programs are integral to student success, our university prioritizes the health and safety of our students and community members. Guidelines will be updated to match the changing information landscape and public health guidance. Thank you for collaborating to promote safe and positive learning experiences for students and the community. 

• In-person placements for experiential learning, e.g., academic internships, service learning, and community engagement will continue.  

• Students enrolled in experiential learning programs may be given a virtual learning option—to the extent allowed by accrediting and credentialing bodies—in order to complete their coursework. This may include allied health clinical experiences and education programs (student teaching) if and when possible. 

• If an on-site experiential experience is a course requirement, course instructors and departments should provide clear expectations to students, so that a student can choose whether to enroll in that course. 

• Students who participate in experiential placements (excluding allied health clinical and student teaching programs) are required to review and complete a student informed consent packet prior to participation. Please contact the Institute for Civic & Community Engagement (ICCE) for more information. 

• Please be advised that regardless of if the service/project is completed remotely and students are never ‘on site’, all community organizations are required to have an MOU [Learning Site Placement Agreement(LPSA)] in place with the university, if students are receiving academic credit. The MOU helps establish a safe, respectful, and transparent partnership for all stakeholders (university, faculty, students, and community organizations). SF State’s online community engagement website, ULink hosts a searchable database of partner organizations with active MOUs with available opportunities. 

[Note: Faculty: All student site placement materials have been updated to reflect the above information. Also, students are no longer required to go through the online COVID-19 training.] 

Note: The information below was provided during the COVID-19 lockdown and phased return period. Although SF State has moved back to a primarily in-person campus, the information below can serve as a resource for online and hybrid courses. 

As we adjust to our new reality in the face of COVID-19, there are many factors to consider when thinking about transitioning your internships, service-learning, or other community engagement to a remote or hybrid environment. While there are many examples of service-learning in online courses, those were often constructed over a longer period of time and could still have students active face-to-face in their community.  You can see a collection of resources for that scenario. 

Remember this quick switch in teaching and learning is likely uncharted territory for us all, including your students and community partners. High-quality community-engaged learning isn't about logging a certain number of hours, it is about learning and being responsive to community partner needs. Perhaps at this time, the ultimate way to be engaged in the community is in ways that are grass-roots and emerging as the situation unfolds.  

Note, that the information here does not supplant directives from the institution, the system, or the government regarding social distancing, isolation, and quarantine.  This is simply a collection of ideas that might help keep your course community-connected learning goals moving during this disruption. Use your best judgment on how to proceed. Please don't hesitate to share your ideas with us.  

Connect With Your Community Partner(s) and Internship Sites  

Faculty, if you haven't done so already, please check in with your community partner(s) and internship sites. If you are concerned that a further cancelation from us could disrupt operations with your partner, please ask them about timing. How soon do they need to know? If you are teaching a service-learning class this semester, offer some additional flexibility in timing or even consider that content may need to change. Students may still be able to conduct project-based or indirect activities to meet community priorities and course requirements. 

Our community partners and internship sites are also facing disruption in their day-to-day operations. Here are some things to keep in mind when reaching out to them: 

• Read their website and social media posts to see what they have already shared about impacts. They may be closed entirely, operating with limited services, limiting outside contacts, etc. Be mindful of the additional burden planning for students might cause as well as the additional support that might be beneficial. 

• Reach out to your partner/site contact (email is likely best at this time, plan for delayed responses). Let them know the current status of classes at SF State. Come with an idea in mind of what may be reasonable for your students to still do.

• Have an open conversation and respect their limits in hosting your students at this time.  What is reasonable on their end? On yours? On the students? Are there other needs they have that are different than your usual involvement that might work for all involved? 

Make a plan: 

• Move forward with students engaged in some way. Again, think of all the parties involved. As you develop a plan with the community partner, factor in the new realities for your students.  Keep reading below for ideas on ways to get creative in this time.

• Decide to suspend temporarily. Set a time with your partner/site where you will check back in. Your partner organization may also have shifting restrictions. Decide when you'll check back in and keep plans flexible for shifting impacts for both SF State and the community partner/site. 

• Decide to connect with a different partner. Consider other community partners and efforts that might need support in virtual modes. Follow the same steps to check in with them and make plans. This could include more indirect work and/or working with the VISTAs. 

• Decide to suspend community-based work for the semester.​​

• Reflect: Use this time with your students to learn about the impacts of the pandemic on community organizations (see below for more resources to guide that reflection),

Going Remote With Your Partner/Site

If it is possible to transition to remote or virtual engagement with your community partner or a new partner, here are some ideas that might work with your course and partner needs: 

Research

• Conducting background research or gathering best practices or other information requested by the partner(s)/site(s)

• Conduct online research on best practices or develop tools for program assessment 

• Create a listing of grant opportunities that may be applicable for their organization

• Remote interviewing current/past clients about their experiences or the impact of the organization on where they are today

Content/Product Creation

• ​Create marketing or social media content for future use by the partner/site

• Create brochures or other materials for information-sharing

• Data analysis 

• Create content for workshops to benefit community partner(s)/sites (in collaboration with community partners)

• Create a resource (build a website?) of activities for after-school programming 

Virtual Connecting

• Provide assistance via phone or web-based meetings with organization team members and support those being served by the organization or others in the community

• Work with staff to share videos or use technology to continue visits with residents or patients of retirement home facilities

• Conducting virtual or phone-based educational support for youth and adults

Other: 

• Offer (or compile research, or brainstorm) strategies that provide indirect support from volunteers as a result of coronavirus​

• Write a positive review for the organization to help with their marketing efforts

Virtual Volunteering

There are many ways to do meaningful things for the common good or directly with others in a virtual way.  Check it out. 

Reflection on COVID-19

• You might also consider some reflection related to the virus. Please check out this list of ideas generated by Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Experiential Learning. 

• Analyze the COVID-19 outbreak and public responses to it (including changes in university policy) through a lens that is attentive to underlying structures of power and inequality.

• Offering students a conceptual framework (and a corresponding digital platform) that presents 'consciousness-raising' as a radical and transformational model of social change (rather than 'helping' or 'serving' per se).

• Discussion of the xenophobia that is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Non-Community-Engaged Ways to Connect Your Course to the Community

It's possible that the best option, for now, is to not have students directly connected to the community.  If that is the case, there are many resources for exploring the concepts of community with your students.  Here are just a few: 

• Discuss and reflect on the notion of community and the various forms it takes (recognized 501(c)3 Organizations, grassroots organizations, neighbor-to-neighbor connections, family, and friends). ​

• Check with the campus library to see what streaming videos they might have available to enhance the course. 

• National Issues Forums has a great collection of resources that explore a variety of issues.  You could have students read the materials and engage in an online discussion. The website has resources for how to structure the experience. 

• Teach students how laws are created, help them discover who their elected officials are, and have a discussion about the importance of advocating for what you believe in.  

• Think about what organizations and businesses are impacted by COVID-19. Perhaps some of them would benefit from positive Google or Yelp reviews if the students have interacted with them? 

Things People in Our Communities Might Need in These Times

• Healthy people who can go to the grocery store for them and doorstep deliver groceries for them

• Google Hangout/Facetime/Zoom conversations to counteract the physical social isolation

• Extra craft/art supplies, books, and videos for families with kids at home

• A kind note/letter to organizations serving communities of color who may be facing xenophobic reactions

• Interruption of xenophobic reactions on social media or in conversations

• Calls or emails to elected officials to advocate on behalf of needs in this time

• Check-ins with folks you know who are living alone and/or are isolated or in quarantine

• Notes of thanks to those in leadership roles or in positions that are not able to stay home.  

• Quarantine Chat. Allows users to receive phone calls from other random users who want to talk. 

ICCE will be reaching out to community partners with a general statement about how the movement to online teaching will affect the students working with their organization, however, we ask that faculty also contact community partners directly to determine the best way for community projects to be completed remotely. 

Special thanks to Campus Compact of Minnesota for the development of this list of ideas and Sonoma State University Center for Community Engagement and the CSU Center for Community Engagement.

Community Site Placement general email:

icce-communityplacement@sfsu.edu