Community-based learning (CBL), also known as service learning (SL), provides students with an active and meaningful learning environment and has been studied in STEM courses for several decades. Chemistry for the Community is a novel chemistry curriculum that weaves service-learning projects throughout multiple courses, including gateway courses,…

The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have made a compelling call to action not only to strengthen the pipeline of available STEM-trained talent, but in addition to foster students who are members of populations currently under-represented in science. furthermore, the scientific community must not only increase the…

Given the emphasis on community engagement in higher education, academic departments need to become more involved in the community. This paper discusses a number of outreach activities undertaken by the chemistry department at Rhodes University, South Africa. The activities range from service learning to community engagement with teachers and…

Service-learning is a powerful pedagogy in which community service is an integral part of classroom education. Including a service component in a chemistry course requires flexibility and creativity on the part of the instructor as well as the institution. This paper suggests some strategies that can make service-learning more feasible for…

This paper describes the development of a new university physics course designed to integrate physics, education, research, and community partnerships. The coordinated system of activities links the new course to local community efforts in pre-college education, university education, university outreach, and research on teaching and learning. As…

This book examines and illustrates the process of transforming school-to-work into real learning for real work. In chapter 1, guidelines are presented for designing project-based learning programs that are both academically rigorous and grounded in community and workplace realities, and the attempts of three very different high schools to develop…