Student Community Placements

Students

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; we call this 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 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.

**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.

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. The core values of Cal State East Bay, identified in our Mission Statement, Institutional Learning Outcomes and Shared Strategic Commitments, demonstrate this commitment. Cal State East Bay 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. 

The Forms of Community Engagement

Community engagement can take different forms, which impact how people work together, and the collaboration of university and community members.

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 which 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 which connect students with applied, real-world learning experiences. These courses may use different descriptive words like: applied, capstone, community engagement, field work, 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.

The Center for Community Engagement specifically supports community engagement courses.

Community Engagement is a special type of "community-based" or off campus learning. We identify community engagement courses by the student learning experience and community impact, not by course title or label. 

Community Engaged Learning - 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. Substantive community-based learning and the community partnerships are a highly integrated and critical component of the student learning experience. 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.

 

Again, these courses use different descriptive words like: applied, capstone, community engagement, field work, internship, practicum, service learning. Based on the student learning experience and the collaboration with the community, the courses below may be Community Engaged Learning or Service Learning.

Capstone:  A capstone course requires 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.

Internship: Internships are formal work opportunities which 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.

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.

Are you in a community engagement or service learning course? Check here!

Students in one of these courses may request community placement assistance from the Center for Community Engagement cce@csueastbay.edu 

 

CalStateS4 (or "S4") is a web platform that supports the “logistics” of community engagement courses – how students and community partners begin working together. CalStateS4

Through S4:

  • 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 S4 to track student hours and activities. [Students in community-based courses will be informed by their instructors if they are expected to use CalStateS4.] [Video on submitting timelogs]

To access S4, visit https://app.calstates4.com/csueastbay and log in with Net ID.

To begin this process, it is strongly recommended that students read the S4 guides first. 

Students may browse the most current community opportunities by logging into S4 with Net ID and clicking on the "Opportunities" tab. Or students may browse all community-based organizations by clicking on "Sites."

Students seeking to work with an organization that is not listed in CalStateS4 must complete the Student Partnership Request.  

Questions? calstates4@csueastbay.edu

Click here for more information on the steps involved in finding, contacting, and securing your community engagement/service learning opportunity with a community-based organization.

Or review these student guides to the placement process and CalStateS4:

Students may browse the most current community opportunities by logging into S4 with Net ID and clicking on the "Opportunities" tab. Or students may browse all organizations by clicking on "Sites." Welcome to CalStateS4 for CSU East Bay | CalState S4

Community Engagement: Tips for Collaborating Postively and Effectively

PDF (Tips for Collaborating Positively and Effectively)

Community Engagement: Ethical Considerations

PDF (Ethical Considerations)

Faculty

Course Definitions: We define courses as community engaged or service learning based on the student learning experience and community impact, not course title.

Our broad term for these courses is "community engaged learning" which classifies the variety of curricular community-based learning experiences and activities that students engage in that contribute to the public good, commonly through arts, education, equity, health, sustainability, economic development. A course is considered ‘community-engaged’  based on implementation, not title or course label. Within CEL, practices vary widely in terms of depth, breadth and scope of student activities and partnerships. CEL courses may use such terms as fieldwork, applied, practicum, internship, service.

Service learning is a specific type of Community-Engaged Learning in which substantive community engagement and the related community partnerships are a critical component of course learning, with equal focus on community impact and student learning related to social justice or responsibility. Service learning courses may also be labelled with a variety of titles.

Current List of Courses

Please also see our About Community Engagement page for further information on definitions and identifying these types of courses.

Current Liability Requirements based on the CSU Office of the Chancellor:

  • Any student actively participating in an unpaid community-based learning activity for credit with an organization or external entity must sign a waiver and there must be an MOU in place with the organization.
  • If students are paid and receiving credit, an MOU is not required; however paid students should still sign a waiver which functions as a participation/learning agreement.
  • If students will be completing a one day community service project*, then faculty should have students complete a Service Field Trip Form. For example, if students will be helping at a food bank, performing social justice theatre for a school group, performing at a senior center, painting a mural of civil rights leaders in an outdoor public venue, or participating in a beach clean-up for one day, then students should complete a Service Field Trip Form. For access to the form, faculty should email cce@csueastbay.edu.  

*Please note: Observations are not considered community service. Community service happens when students actively participate in activities that contribute to the public good. Please check with your department regarding requirements for observations or other field trips.

The CalStateS4 platform manages these liability requirements and enables easy tracking of student placements, hours, and impact, including time-logs and brief reflections.

Departments/Faculty not using S4 are required to implement a risk management process, including working with organizations and University Contracts to establish MOUS, records storage of partner MOUs, student placement records, and student waivers in case of audit. 

 

CalStateS4

CalstateS4 is an online platform hosted by the Chancellor’s Office which manages student placements, facilitates the off-campus learning risk management process, and lists community partnership information. Students and faculty may use CalStateS4 for their courses to find and place with organizations who have a current agreement with CSUEB Center for Community Engagement. We manage the CalstateS4 application in an effort to centralize the student placement and risk management processes associated with community-engaged learning.  

All courses that we have identified as community-engaged are automatically loaded into S4 for student and faculty use. Any course may be loaded on a term-by-term basis if a faculty member would like to implement a community-engaged learning assignment.

S4 Overview - the organizational structure at Cal State East Bay

Faculty Guide to CalStateS4

CalStateS4 Walk-Through

Search database of sites

questions? calstates4@csueastbay.edu

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 agreement (MOU) does not need to be established.
For example, students might be creating social media campaigns 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 material to the organization then no MOU would be necessary.
If students are required to visit the organization's site for one day, then faculty should have students complete a Service Field Trip Form. For access to the form, faculty should email cce@csueastbay.edu
If you are not sure if the project requires an MOU, please email cce@csueastbay.edu.