CBL Designation

Formalizing a process for CBL course designation provides a number of benefits to students, faculty and staff, assists us in meeting the goals of the Strategic Plan, and furthers our commitment to LEAP. 

Benefit to Students: 

• Make informed decisions when selecting courses
• Honors Students may receive honors credit for CBL courses (see H-Option for more information).
• Advisors will be better equipped to help students select CBL classes and explain the benefits of participating in a HIP. 

Benefit to Instructors: 

• Receive recognition for incorporating CBL into their courses
• More readily communicate course components to prospective students
• CBL courses will be searchable and easier to market to future students 

Benefit to UW-Whitewater: 

• CBL designation will allow UW-Whitewater to track participation in CBL and develop strategies to increase participation 
• Useful for reporting both internally (e.g. annual reports, audit and review, etc.) and externally (e.g. UW System)

Links to Curriculum 

• Clear evidence in the syllabus and/or other course documents of a CBL project and/or experience
• Service outcomes are listed and clearly aligned with both course learning outcomes and campus-wide CBL SLOs 

Links to Reflection/Assessments

• Student reflection during and after the CBL experience 
• Assessment of students' engagement in complex community topics or issues, including their personal role in such issues
• Reflection affords students the opportunity to gain understanding of multiple perspectives 

Articulation of Partnership/Meaningful Service

• Commits to working with one or more community partner (school(s), non-profit(s), business(es), or an on-campus unit in a meaningful, reciprocal partnership
• The CBL partnership leads to attainable and measurable outcomes that are valued by the community partner
• Incorporates student choice and voice related to content or process of the CBL experience 

Duration and Progress Monitoring

• All students are engaged in at least 15 hours of CBL experience* (direct contact, training/prep, project work, reflection)
• On-going communication with the community partner, students, and instructor to keep all parties well informed about activities, progress, and project measures (i.e. assignments, scheduled check-in dates, etc.)

*Note: For 1- or 2- credit courses, this expectation would be reduced

Take the following steps to officially designate your class as a community-based learning (CBL) course. The CBL designation will apply to a specific instructor and their section(s) of a course offered in a specified semester. 

New Application: 

Step 1: Instructor uses this form to submit proposal and supporting documentation. 

• Indicate specific term, course, and section number(s)
• Attach a syllabus plus additional course material as necessary 

Step 2: The proposal first goes to the Department Chair for acknowledgment; the Chair is affirming their support for this CBL offering. 

Step 3: The proposal is then reviewed by the Community Based Learning Council, which is comprised of CBL practitioners from each UWW College and chaired by CBL Coordinator. 

Step 4: If the proposal is approved, the CBL coordinator will direct the Registrar to add the CBL designation and a standard explanatory note to the relevant course section(s). 

• CBL Courses will be designated with the letter Z
• The Registrar's office will also create a course attribute for the CBL course sections
• The following note will be added to the Course section: This is a community-based learning class that will engage students in collaborative learning experiences with partner community organizations. It is possible that part of the work you perform with your community partner will occur off campus. Your professor will provide more details on the first day of class. 

Expedited Process for Renewal 

This procedure is to be used for a course that has already been approved as a CBL course using the process explained above.

Step 1: Proposer updates existing approved proposal for new semester and section number(s) and, if necessary, makes other edits such as change of partner. 

Step 2: Updated form is submitted to the Department Chair for acknowledgment. 

Step 1: Proposer updates existing approved proposal for new semester and section number(s) and, if necessary, makes other edits such as change of partner. 

Step 3: The proposal then goes to the CBL coordinator for automatic approval and forwarding of information to the Registrar's Office. The Council will be informed of renewals but does not need to act unless substantive changes are being made. 

Note: If a proposal is not approved, the CBL coordinator will inform the proposer and provide feedback and suggestions for revision (either immediately or for a future semester). 

 "CBL Course Designation: A Step-by-Step Guide"